I haven't written in a long while. We are on yet another...that would be the 19th....medical trip to New York City for a couple of brain and spine surgeries on a couple of kids. It seems to be a hobby of ours unfortunately. These trips are both very difficult and wonderful because New York has become a second home for us. Among surgeons, appointments, scans, labs, surgeries, ICU and long term stress, there are also new and old friends and many places we have come to love.
One very special place the kids must go every time we arrive in NY is Bobb Howard's General Store. I must confess on the trips for my surgeries when the kids have not been with us Ed and I go too. This great little place is attached to an auto repair shop and you might miss it if someone didn't tell you it was there. Here in New York that's how you learn about EVERYTHING....someone tells you about it. Ed and I have found the most nifty places because a nurse or PA in the hospital or someone at Ronald McDonald House of Long Island said, "You've got to go to such-and-such". We don't see this out west where we're from as much but it's constant here in NY. I just love that everyone has their favorites to share and it's never the touristy places.
A little side note here.....
That reminds me to tell you that this is where you really learn that New Yorkers are so far from what people think they are. Yes, they are always running around fast and as they themselves tell me, "We are always running fast to get nowhere!" They may not notice you or may bump right into you and you will rarely hear an "Excuse me"out of them. Ya know, all the things people perceive as rude? Yet they are not rude, it's just the way it is here. But when you engage a New Yorker and talk to them....watch out because you'll be standing there awhile. They love to talk, love to visit, love to get to know you and with that great accent. This is my most favorite thing about them. It doesn't matter where you are; in a deli, a doctor's office, a hospital bed, at the grocery store or a diner, (I have had long conversations in all these places).....if you get a New Yorker talking plan on being there awhile. I Love It! This is how we found out about Bobb Howard's and a great little bakery, the best pizza in town (and there is always a debate about that!) and a burger joint a friend took us to that had the thickest burger my husband has EVER eaten. Everyone here has an opinion and a strong one!
Back to Bobb Howard's
This is Eileen and Ronnie
From the Bobb Howard's website:
Eileen and Ronnie, the owners of Bobb Howard's General Store are a couple of Baby Boomers who grew up on Long Island playing Hopscotch and Hide-and-Seek, Stickball and Stoopball, flipping baseball cards and Jacks, and playing Hit the Penny and Spin the Bottle. They met, fell in love, and have been "playing house" for over 39 years.
The General Store is attached to the family auto repair shop that Eileen's parents opened 67 years ago on Columbus Day, 1946. People often comment on the combination of the 2 businesses. For Eileen and Ronnie, it is a natural extension of the things they love. Eileen has an old '67 Austin Healey and they have a fun collection of old gumball and coin-op machines and old toys and games in their home, not to mention Eileen's childhood favorites: Dubble Bubble, Jujubes, B-B-Bats, and Red Licorice in almost every room!
The repair shop is a landmark in the neighborhood as they are now servicing 2nd, 3rd, and some 4th generation family cars, and the rite of passage for some of the neighborhood kids is to be able to go to Bobb Howard's on their bicycles by themselves. The General Store actually started out as a convenience store in 1982, then 16 years ago, Eileen, noticing the frenetic pace of today's computerized world, decided it was time for a change, time to go back to a simpler time, to have people remember what it felt like to be a "kid in a candy store" again, and go back to a time when games didn't require batteries. So she started slowly converting the fast-paced convenience store into an old-time candy and toy store where kids of all ages could come and browse and giggle with nostalgic memories. And as the saying goes, "The rest is history".
Word started spreading quickly about the store and soon customers, the newspapers, TV and radio stations were putting Bobb Howard's General Store "on the map". Bobb Howard's now ships "Packages of Memories" all over the world and kids and kids-at-heart come through the door for a piece of "their past" -- for themselves, for friends, for generations past, and to share with future generations. Eileen and Ronnie feel very blessed. They love what they do, they love coming to work every day, and they love being able to put a smile on some one's face, even if it's with a nickel piece of bubblegum.
The pictures say it all about how the store looks but it says nothing about how you are treated when you walk in. Everyone is special. Everyone matters. Everyone steps back in time to a place when things were slower, when people were not in a hurry, when your neighborhood shopkeepers knew you, your Mom and Dad, and your favorite ball team! It was a time when a nickel got you 5 pieces of candy. I can remember that time because when I was little there were still penny candies. This is what struck Ed and I when we walked into Bobb Howard's. We were greeted and stood there talking forever. By the time we left we knew each other's histories and they knew all about our crazy medical mumbo jumbo and were truly interested.
The next time we came they knew us right away and where we were from as soon as we walked in the door! After that we emailed a few times and knew Eileen had a serious surgery coming. We promised to pray for her and thankfully she is doing well. They ask about the kids and their surgeries every time we go in on our trips. They must see thousands of people and they remember us....amazing to me... and very unusual in our world now. What a special place.
So....when you're in New York come to Long Island, and Bobb Howard's General Store .If you never come here go to their website and order some old favorite candies for yourself or friends and family. It's so fun to eat them and go back in time!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eileen and Ronnie, the owners of Bobb Howard's General Store are a couple of Baby Boomers who grew up on Long Island playing Hopscotch and Hide-and-Seek, Stickball and Stoopball, flipping baseball cards and Jacks, and playing Hit the Penny and Spin the Bottle. They met, fell in love, and have been "playing house" for over 39 years.
The General Store is attached to the family auto repair shop that Eileen's parents opened 67 years ago on Columbus Day, 1946. People often comment on the combination of the 2 businesses. For Eileen and Ronnie, it is a natural extension of the things they love. Eileen has an old '67 Austin Healey and they have a fun collection of old gumball and coin-op machines and old toys and games in their home, not to mention Eileen's childhood favorites: Dubble Bubble, Jujubes, B-B-Bats, and Red Licorice in almost every room!
The repair shop is a landmark in the neighborhood as they are now servicing 2nd, 3rd, and some 4th generation family cars, and the rite of passage for some of the neighborhood kids is to be able to go to Bobb Howard's on their bicycles by themselves. The General Store actually started out as a convenience store in 1982, then 16 years ago, Eileen, noticing the frenetic pace of today's computerized world, decided it was time for a change, time to go back to a simpler time, to have people remember what it felt like to be a "kid in a candy store" again, and go back to a time when games didn't require batteries. So she started slowly converting the fast-paced convenience store into an old-time candy and toy store where kids of all ages could come and browse and giggle with nostalgic memories. And as the saying goes, "The rest is history".
Word started spreading quickly about the store and soon customers, the newspapers, TV and radio stations were putting Bobb Howard's General Store "on the map". Bobb Howard's now ships "Packages of Memories" all over the world and kids and kids-at-heart come through the door for a piece of "their past" -- for themselves, for friends, for generations past, and to share with future generations. Eileen and Ronnie feel very blessed. They love what they do, they love coming to work every day, and they love being able to put a smile on some one's face, even if it's with a nickel piece of bubblegum.
Ed and I in front with me holding an old glass bottle of Orange Crush! They have an old time ice box converted to a fridge filled with ice and full of glass pop-bottles of various kinds of soda.
Doesn't this look fun?
Row after row of candy you'll remember fondly from childhood!
The pictures say it all about how the store looks but it says nothing about how you are treated when you walk in. Everyone is special. Everyone matters. Everyone steps back in time to a place when things were slower, when people were not in a hurry, when your neighborhood shopkeepers knew you, your Mom and Dad, and your favorite ball team! It was a time when a nickel got you 5 pieces of candy. I can remember that time because when I was little there were still penny candies. This is what struck Ed and I when we walked into Bobb Howard's. We were greeted and stood there talking forever. By the time we left we knew each other's histories and they knew all about our crazy medical mumbo jumbo and were truly interested.
The next time we came they knew us right away and where we were from as soon as we walked in the door! After that we emailed a few times and knew Eileen had a serious surgery coming. We promised to pray for her and thankfully she is doing well. They ask about the kids and their surgeries every time we go in on our trips. They must see thousands of people and they remember us....amazing to me... and very unusual in our world now. What a special place.
So....when you're in New York come to Long Island, and Bobb Howard's General Store .If you never come here go to their website and order some old favorite candies for yourself or friends and family. It's so fun to eat them and go back in time!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Blessings~
Lisa
P.S.
They were voted:P.S.
