Roseberry Confectionary

This is the store that was about 1/4 block away from our old house on Wilshire Street. It used to be called "Roseberry Confectionary" but today it is called "Roseberry Market." It used to be red brick, with big windows in the front. But pretty much any window in the city that survived the 1967 riots ended up being bricked over or boarded up.
Ray used to be the proprieter, and lived upstairs. Ray used to belong to St. David's parish, the last time I saw him was at my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary mass, in 1984. Ray used to know all of us pretty well, because we'd go in the store for candy all the time. He used to sell candy to my Mom when she was a kid. My Mom would send me there for cigarettes, and I never even had to tell him what brand, because Ray knew my Mom and knew what brand she smoked. And my Mom would send my there for a gallon of milk all the time, too. With 6 kids, our family went through a lot of milk!
The "Cookie Man" used to live in the apartments across the street. I don't even know his name, but anytime us kids knocked on his front door, he'd give us each a cookie. He was an old man, and had a grandkid about my age who would come to visit his grandpa once in a while. So that is how I found out about the Cookie Man. I was playing with the kid one time and the old man gave us each a cookie. So after that, I'd just go knock on his door for a cookie once in a while. I think the old man was fairly solitary and enjoyed the attention. But then I let the secret out about how to get cookies, and I think all of the neighborhood kids would be going there for cookies. I remember going there a couple times and he told me that he ran out of cookies. I should have been better at keeping secrets.
"Bad Timmy" used to live in the house next door to the Roseberry Confectionary. I don't know what he ever did to deserve that name but my Mom gave him that name one time and it stuck. I guess she didn't want us playing with him anymore? But that house has been demolished by now.
Well anyway, I got the urging for a Hostess Cherry fruit pie after work today, so I drove to the Roseberry Confectionary. I drove down Wilshire Street and saw about 8 kids playing on the porch of my Grandparen'ts old house. Our old house further down Wilshire is burnt down and demolished now. Anyway, I parked on Roseberry Street and walked in.
The store looks a lot different now. The counter is in the same place as it used to be, on the left as you walk in, but it is not the same counter. There is a bulletproof glass and turnstyle. The ceiling, floor, and walls all look different. It looks a lot smaller now than it did when I was a kid. There were about half a dozen customers in the store at the time I went in, and I wasn't the only white customer! Anyway, an older guy saw me looking around and asked if I need any help. I told him yeah, "I am looking for a Hostess Cherry Fruit Pie. I used to come in here all the time when I was a kid. I'd work all day on Saturday for a 25 cent allowance and come in here and spend it on a Hostess Cherry Fruit Pie." The poor guy looked at me as if I were crazy. He said: "That must have been a long time ago." [the last time I went to this store was 35 years ago] But he pointed out the cherry fruit pies (not Hostess though) and I walked out of there with a cherry fruit pie and a 25 oz water for $1.50.
As I was driving away I noticed my friend Jim Allard's old house, the second from the corner of Promenade and Roseberry, had a "For Rent" sign out front. I should have written down the number and found out what they are renting it for.
Then I drove by my grandparent's old house on Kilbourne. It has been tagged for demolition, but it is still standing. Barely standing, I mean. If they wait much longer they won't need to tear it down because it will have fallen down all by itself.
Then I drove out to Metro Beach to walk for an hour and a half along the water to burn off the cherry fruit pie...