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San
Angelo’s (Semi-) Old Five-and-Dime
Page 2
by Audrey A. Herbrich
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Eggemeyer’s
General Store covers two fronts, by sidewalk standards. The largest part of the
store occupies what was an old Buick dealership, one of the first in Texas (built
in 1911). The front portion of the store was a showroom, and the back portion
was a repair shop. A Plymouth dealership occupied the building from 1927 to 1935,
when Angelo Spring and Axle purchased the property. As the name suggests, their
service was repairing the only two parts of a vehicle which were prone to replacement
at the time. The business was maintained, changing later to Angelo Automotive,
until 1992 when husband and wife duo Bobby and Karen Eggemeyer purchased the property.
Their goal was to move their specialty gift and homemade craft store, which was
situated in the old Miles train depot on their rural property outside San Angelo,
to town. Gas prices were rising, and, with competition from several franchised
stores located in town, customers were reluctant to drive outside the city limits
to shop.
Bobby and Karen had always been interested in the idea of a
general store, but not necessarily their own. As a hobby, they began collecting
general store furniture and fixtures long before they ever dreamed of owning one.
Frequenting auctions and closing sales, the couple managed to acquire an impressively
eclectic collection of pieces.
They stored many of the pieces and used
some in their first store. But larger thoughts arose. “When you spend all day
in a tractor, you can think of a million things,” said Bobby, a farmer by trade.
Slowly, those thoughts birthed into the current Eggemeyer’s General Store.
When Bobby and Karen made the decision to move the store to town in 1988,
the building they originally set-up shop in is the current J. Wilde’s boutique
across the street. Then, the store's present location became available for sale,
and, after the Eggemeyer's decided on a major renovation, the work began.
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| | Eggemeyer’s
General Store
Photo by Audrey A. Herbrich, April 2005 |
The building
restoration project took approximately one year. Bobby, Karen, and other family
members had done construction and remodeling projects before; this, then, became
a labor of love for the Eggemeyers. Their son, Eric, designed the exterior awning
of the building, which he fashioned after one the couple liked in Fredericksburg.
Inside, the wall of an existing building on the west side was used, which dates
to around 1880. For the remaining walls, matching red bricks were uncovered by
chipping away at heavy plaster then etching each out by hand to reveal their color
and shape. Four walkway arches were cut in the brick to connect the two buildings.
A garage door that allowed for vehicular access via Oakes Street during the building’s
automotive days was transformed into a large fireplace. The original pressed tin
ceiling received a fresh coat of paint. A banister, recovered from the Holcombe-Blanton
printing shop, framed the indoor balcony. Lights salvaged from the old San Angelo
Montgomery Ward illuminate the new wood floors. The outdoor bricks were recycled
from M.L. Leddy’s. Newly planted live oaks and a freshly laid patio in the back
of the store, facing the Concho River, completed the Eggemeyer’s vision.
The store’s display cases, counters, and cabinets are a testament to Texas’ retail
past. Bobby restored the furniture and fixtures they had collected from various
drugstores and general stores in Austin, Wall, and Gruene to house their wares.
A group of impressively tall glass curio-type display cabinets, bought from San
Angelo’s Weak’s Drugstore, line the east wall. Other pieces are peppered throughout
the store. |
| | The
Eggemeyers
Photo by Audrey A. Herbrich, April 2005 |
Appropriately,
much of the store’s merchandise is veiled in a nostalgic cloak. Model airplanes
hang decoratively from the ceiling. A train runs on suspended track above the
middle of the store. A potbellied stove sits in the corner. A skylight helps showcase
everything from jellybeans to jewelry, cards to candles, ornaments to oven mitts.
A specialty kitchen section houses gadgets, gourmet coffee beans, jams, jellies,
spreads and more. Customers can still purchase a five-cent cup of coffee. Just
help yourself and leave the nickel in a paper cup next to the counter.
The store is more “general” than “retail” according to the owners. With its own
kitchen to make homemade goodies, a coffee counter, and section of candy jars,
it is easy to see why. Customers, an equal blend of locals and tourists, love
the old-time atmosphere.
And Bobby and Karen love it too.
“This
didn’t really start out as a dream of ours,” said Karen. “But now we have everything
we want.”
Eggemeyer’s
is located at 35 East Concho. Hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 10:00
– 5:30. Soon, many items will be available online at www.eggemeyers.com.
©
Audrey A. Herbrich
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