THE STORE

THE SLAM OF THE HARDWARE STORE DOOR WAS ACCOMPANIED BY THE USUAL BELL SLAP AS DANA LEFT. IT WAS ANOTHER FRIGID JANUARY DAY IN ALBIEVILLE AND BARRY FELT THE COLD RUSH OF AIR PASS BY HIM BEFORE THE HEATING UNIT KICKED ON WITH A SWOOSH, RETURNING THE AREA BY THE CASH REGISTER TO A MORE COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURE. IT HAD BEEN A SLOW DAY IN HARDWARE RETAIL. DANA WAS ONE OF THE FEW CUSTOMERS WHO CAME IN SO FAR THAT WEDNESDAY. THE OLD MAN WAS IN HIS 70'S AND HAD DROPPED IN TO CATCH UP ON THE LOCAL GOSSIP AND GET A SMALL DOSE OF SOCIALIZATION BEFORE RETURNING HOME. DANA'S DOG, CHAMP, WHO WAITED IN THE CAR, PROVIDED DANA WITH MOST OF HIS DAILY COMPANIONSHIP, THE HARDWARE STORE PROVIDING A PORTION OF THE REMAINDER. MOST OF THE 1,012 CITIZENS OF ALBIEVILLE CAUGHT UP WITH ONE ANOTHER AND NEWS OF CURRENT EVENTS AT THE STORE ESPECIALLY THIS TIME OF THE YEAR WHEN BELOW ZERO TEMPS AND DEEP SNOW KEPT PEOPLE INDOORS UNTIL A NEED AROSE, A NEED LIKE FROZEN PIPES OR SNOW SHOVELS. THE ONLY OTHER ESTABLISHMENTS IN TOWN WITH SIMILAR SOCIALIZATION POSSIBILITIES WERE THE TWO GROCERY STORES, ALBIEVILLE GROCERY AND CLIFF'S STOP N SAVE. EACH GROCERY STORE HAD A NUMBER OF LOYAL FOLLOWERS BUT IN A SMALL TOWN SUCH AS ALBIEVILLE, THERE WERE NOT ENOUGH CUSTOMERS TO MAKE EITHER STORE THRIVE. EACH GROCER WAS LUCKY TO KEEP AFLOAT.

BARRY WAS THE ASSISTANT MANAGER OF ATCO HARDWARE AND SUPPLY AND WAS CONFIDENT IN THE STORES ABILITY TO STAY IN THE BLACK THROUGH THE SPARSE WINTER MONTHS. UNLIKE CLIFFS AND THE GROCERY, ATCO HAD LITTLE COMPETITION IN THE AREA AND WITH THE COLDEST MONTHS AHEAD OF HIM, PLUMBING AND HEATING SUPPLIES SHOULD KEEP THE STORE ON THE MAP. THE STORE HAD LOST SOME BUSINESS OVER THE PAST YEAR DUE TO THE DOWN TURNED ECONOMY AND THE SALE OF THE STORE. BARRY BLAMED IT MORE ON THE NEW OWNERS THAN THE ECONOMIC CRISIS AS PEOPLE IN THIS AREA WEREN'T COMPLETELY COMFORTABLE WITH PETER AND ALBERT, THE NEW PROPRIETORS. RUMOR HAD IT THAT THE TWO MEN WERE MORE THAN BUSINESS PARTNERS AND AS THE RECENT REJECTION OF A MAINE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE BILL HAD PROVEN, MAINERS DID NOT APPROVE OR SUPPORT MEN LIKE PETER AND ALBERT. IT DIDN'T BOTHER BARRY. BOTH MEN HAD BEEN FAIR AND SUPPORTIVE TO THE STAFF AT THE STORE BUT BARRY NEW FOR A FACT THAT MANY OF THE STORES PREVIOUS CUSTOMERS WERE NO LONGER CROSSING THE THRESHOLD DUE TO THE PRIVATE LIVES OF HIS BOSSES.