The End of An Era

While there is news out there and issues to discuss as always, how about a little change- I have a story I want to share with all of you-. For the past four years I have worked at a grocery store, Curtis Farms, in Quincy, MA. It started as a summer job in the deli after my second sophomore year of college in 2002 and it evolved/intelligently designed into something far greater than that for me and so many other people. It was a summer job for me for two years during college summers and even after I graduated in 2004 and found a full time job for a mutual fund transfer agent, I worked weekends there. Not because I desperately needed the job (5 hours a week at $9.80 isnt going to make or break me), but it was out of loyalty and love for my coworkers/friends there and my love for that business. Let me describe this beautiful establishment- it is a small neighborhood grocery store, 4 lanes for checking out and 5 aisles- a meat dept, produce dept, deli and bakery (which i worked at) out back- what youd expect to see except smaller. The place was just outdated though and not so modern, there are no scanners and everything is ringed up by hand- thats old school. Now Curtis Farms was within a mile of The Milton Marketplace in my hometown, Stop n Shop, Victory and Star Markets- all mega supermarkets- and Curtis stood on its foundation for more than 50 years, surviving recessions, terrorism, capitalism, communism, Pol Pot, Vietnam, Iraq, everything. It was a place my mother has been shopping at for as long as my family has lived in Milton, Id been going there since I was a youngin and people I remember from when I was a small child (and when I worked there for a couple months as a bagger when I was 16, my first job) were still there. I am telling you all of this because Curtis Farms is closing Wednesday, being gutted, renovated and a new convenience store with a deli and bakery is being erected, and half of the lot will be leased to whoever. Curtis is owned by Tedeschi's, a convenience store giant in New England that also owns Lil Peach, Store 24 and a couple other establishments. Now, they've been wanting to close this store for about 7 years because they wanted to get out of the supermarket business for whatever reason- but the store was just doing too well, constantly surpassing expectations. The last couple of years, though, the store has been losing money and they decided it was time for a change. So yeah, the new year brought us news of the store's closing-it's a lot harder for the old ladies in the neighborhood- theyve been crying when they come in the store and they really cared about the place and our 60something employees. But the sense of community and loyalty that this place brainwashed into me is something I take with me forever and I hope you all can have something like that, or do.

And I can finally sleep in on Saturday mornings again.

Saturday morning part-time baker for hire. Will work for less than a wal-mart worker salary.