Musings of a New Father - 1961

The Revolution of Coventry

   A considerable number of years ago, the father of a good friend got involved in a new kind of venture for the selling of food and other household commodities.
   And they decided to open their first store on Coventry Road, in Cleveland Heights.  This was not your ordinary mom and pop food store that we were used to in those days. There was no counter where you talked to real person and told them what you wanted and they went and got it for you. Clearly this approach was no longer stylish; going out of fashion as the American dream moved dramatically forward in the 40’s and 50’s. It was labeled “progress”.
   It was summer, and my friend and I were hired to stack the aisles with all this stuff.
   This store was big for its time. Three store fronts wide. It had everything imaginable.  Of course, you picked them out yourself and put them into some kind of wheeled cart. Thankfully, there were some employees around to help you.  And when you were through you went to the front of the store, stood in line and paid a cashier.  Cleverly, they called it Pick-n-Pay. 

Chagrin Falls is Chagrin Falls Again

      I drove into Chagrin Falls the other day without once hitting a man made chuck hole in the road, clanking over a metal plate, dodging an orange barrel, or evading a front-end loader. It struck me that Chagrin Falls’ downtown renovation is complete.   No more jumping over moats or sloshing in the mud to get into shops. Now there are real sidewalks and curbs, new old-fashioned streetlights, and the rest. It was all pristine and like its old self, but a bit upgraded. Chagrin Falls is Chagrin Falls again.