My favorite Broad Ripple stores when I was growing up were Stationers, G.C. Murphy, and Vonnegut's Hardware Store. Reminiscing about those shopping experiences certainly takes me back. Retail has changed dramatically.

Stationers was a great place to browse for the most wonderful paper products. They had shelves of paper, pencils, and gifts before the "big box stores" came along with mass merchandising. Stationers also sold the treasured Esterbrook pens in a grand array of colors. How nice it was to get to select the width of your pen nib, and then have it placed in the pen of your choosing. Best of all, they were affordable for any penman.

Although five and dime stores have largely faded into retail history, G.C. Murphy was a true mecca of variety. I remember the large merchandise cases with table-like tops. All the items were laid out in compartments so you could see them easily - no slat wall displays, fancy packaging, or bar codes. You could find buttons, bandages, ball and jacks, garters, and mitten clips in aisles close to licorice, tootsie pops, bubble gum, Tangee lipstick, and Evening in Paris perfume. It was a treat to go shopping alone. Such satisfaction there was to be found in spending nickels or quarter, and what a perfect place this was to find a present for Mom!

Finally, I loved Vonnegut's. Located where My Eye Dr. (previously Ossip, and Sherwin-Williams Paint in the 1976 photo) is now, the store's old hardwood floors creaked when you walked the aisles. It was packed with countless goods for home repairs. The men in the store were always polite and could answer seemingly every question that could be asked. While I don't remember precise purchases, I do remember the shopping experiences. The interior was dark and crowded with merchandise, intriguing because many items were foreign to me. It was the place to go with Dad. To this day, I will always seek out a small, family-owned hardware store.

These are a few of the stores in the backyard of my memory. I wonder if today's kids will someday think back about times at Target, Lowe's, and Starbucks with the same kind of fond regard.