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I was glad to read that the Ben Franklin had been sold to a local couple. I wanted to reminisce about the past, but also note how everything, even the forest, had to change and adapt. As a grandson of Lester and Eva Ary, I grew up in the 1960’s and 1970’s spending summertime with family in the 1936 Charlie Boostrom built log cabin on Lake McFarland. Of course, we made frequent trips to Grand Marais for food, gas, bait, other shopping, enjoyment, and to get the laundry done. Our wider family now has multiple dwellings in the county, and we visit in all seasons now. We all enjoy the shopping experiences and frequenting the retail establishments and services in Grand Marais and elsewhere in the county.
As children, we enjoyed buying toys and the above famous wind-up sea planes. We dreamed of flight on these planes as any boy would. The wind-up craft, however, quickly sank, and often became sunken relics on the lake bottom. As we grew, we enjoyed buying the well-made clothing and shoes, sporting goods, necessities, and items reminding us of the north woods.
In the 1990’s we laughed at seeing the displayed polyester pants and shirts unsold from the 1960’s and 1970’s. This summer we noted and purchased a wide range of new and time-honored products, and the fifty-fifty bottle I acquired there keeps my coffee hot for hours. There is now space to navigate in aisles once narrow and often blocked by boxes of merchandise awaiting unpacking. The store still has some of that relic and outdoorsy feel, but with a better floor plan. We like it and we wish for good growth and satisfaction for the new owners.
Tom Hoy,
Sioux Falls,
South Dakota
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