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| 1930s Economy Store on Harrison Square |
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| Question: Remember Martini's Store on the west side of the square? |
| Answer: I'm sure many remember the Economy Store - but it was always called Martini's by my mother. Located on the west side of the square in the 1940s and 1950s, Eugene Martini purchased the Economy Store from C. W. Capps in 1938. |
| Through business associates, Martini heard that Capps wanted to sell his business in Harrison. Being tired of city life and having fond memories of growing up in a small Illinois town, Martini made a trip to Harrison and negotiated a deal with Capps to purchase the Economy Store. |
| Capps store was on the east side of the square, but by 1940 the need for more floor space necessitated a relocation to the west side. Phyllis Frederick worked for Eugene Martini for several years. She remembers one day when Mr. Martini said to her, "If you come up short in the cash register, that's one thing, but I'd worry more about coming up long." |
| She asked, "Why?" |
| He replied, "Well, if you come up long, that means a customer has been cheated, and we can't have that, can we?" |
| Phyllis said she always enjoyed working for Mr. Martini, feeling he was an honest man. |
| Chloe Rusk was another familiar face at the store. This writer always thought Chloe actually ran the place because Mr. Martini was not visible too often. It was always a pleasant surprise to walk into the store and find a newly arrived shipment of material, which many times meant a new homemade dress. Bolts of cloth were stacked 10 and 12 bolts high, with patterns and designs that you could not find anywhere else. By most standards, the price was usually discounted, too. |
| Remember when a new shipment of ladies shoes arrived? |
| Imports from Brazil and Italy - just gorgeous - 3-inch heels in unusual colors and very different from what we were accustomed. It was "big city come to town" when the new heels arrived. |
| Martini's son, Garvin, also moved to the Ozarks and became associated with his father in business. He operated Arkansas Brokerage Stores in Springdale and Silom Springs for years. Daughter Kathryn, a teacher in St. Louis, joined her father each summer at his farm on the Cottonwood Road near Haggard's Foard on Bear Creek. |
| For a boy raised during hard times and one who quit school to help his family, Eugene was determined to give his children the best education he could. Garvin graduated from St. Louis University and Kathryn from Washington University. By gaining a formal education, they accomplished what their father had missed by quitting school. |
| If you have fond memories of stores such as the Economy Store, take time to write down your thoughts and share them with the Heritage Museum. We strive to preserve the history of Boone County and its people. The museum is open only on Thursday during December, January, and February. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come spend a day with us! |
| This column appears Fridays in the Harrison Daily Times. Mail questions to Boone County Heritage Museum, P. O. Box 1094, Harrison, AR 72601. Marilyn Smith can be contacted at bchm@alltel.net |
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