December 21, 2007
Ben Franklin's Holiday Delights
The Ben Franklin store in Webster Groves is ordinarily a sea of tranquility. No matter what sundry you've gone in for - a ball of twine, a stapler, a notepad - you generally notice that the Old Orchard business is usually pretty... sparse. At least in terms of actual commerce. Maybe it's the fact that a sprawling five-and-dime has elements you don't normally see; between the muted, 20-year-old paint job, the quiet Muzak and the quirky layout, you can almost remember going to places like this back in the 1970s or '80s.
Earlier today, the place was strange: there were people there. Customers. Employees. The usual walk-in-select-pay-walk-out vibe was broken. Even after spending time in the store's unusually huge frame section, the trip had extra minutes added on by... what?... a line. A line at the check-out. Wow.
It's Christmas time, it's shopping season.
You might not have known this, or believed this. But it's true. Try Ben Franklin in Webster Groves. You'll see.