I was wondering if anyone from the Berkshires in western Massachusetts remembers Melvins Drug Store on North Main St. in Great Barrington? It was where I started my coin collecting experiance. They only sold supplies for collecting but thats where it started for me back in 1966. My grandmother gave me a 1923 Peace dollar for mowing her lawn and other assorted chores, so while browsing thru the store with my paper route money I came across an aisle with loads of collecting supplies and found an folder to house my new aquisition. After that my collecting experiance exploded. I would go to the First Mahawie Bank on main st. and get a couple of rolls of pennies, go to the water fountain in front of the town hall and search and fill the holes each week. The drugstore burned in the 70's and the bank is long gone but what a wonderful experiance it all was. Those really were the good old days!.
I do because my father was Melvin, he owned the store. Yes I remember it well, from about 1962 through the fire and until he sold it.
Yes, at the Great Barrington Fair. Some guy from Springfield area purchased the grounds a long time ago with the intention of re-opening it with races and the town shut him down. Been dormant for a very long time except that the city people have used it as a farmers market for many years.
Small world indeed. Nice to hear this and to meet you here. I really miss his older store before he renovated it. That and Montgomery Wards. Those were the days, at least for me.
I remember fishing on Lake Buel there in the summer of 1976. Large mouth bass from there, and lake trout from there.
It's a shame but Lake Buel went private after Matt Williams sold it. The old cottages were torn down and now it's mostly used by the summer camp that operates off it. I'm not sure if the boat launch is still viable anymore except for the camp. At least Lake Mansfield in Great Barrington is still public.
