The Dime Store Lunch Counter

GROWING UP IN A COAL CAMP The Dime Store Lunch Counter

By: Connie Baisden Marsh

Many of us shopped at G.C. Murphy’s in Logan. Here is a story I wrote about shopping with my mother in the 1960s.

“What are these little sticks for?” I asked my mother when I was about eight years old. “Those are to hold your sandwich together,” my mother said, referring to the toothpicks speared into my Club Sandwich.

Growing up near a small coal-mining town in the 1960s offered some treats. One of the best was a meal at G. C. Murphy’s Lunch Counter in the small town of Logan, West Virginia.

Because there were so many children in my family, my parents could not afford to take us all to a restaurant to eat. When one of us had a doctor’s appointment, Mother treated us to a meal at G.C. Murphy’s Lunch Counter.
Before the trip to Logan, we dressed in our best clothes. They were the clothes we had obtained that year. Last year’s clothes were school clothes. Most of the hand-me-downs were considered play clothes. With two older sisters, I was bestowed many hand-me-downs.

We parked and walk down Stratton Street. Walking into the Greyhound Bus Station, we heard many destinations called out on a loudspeaker. The building was so large that the sound echoed through the structure. If we needed to go to the restroom, Mother took us down into the basement of the bus station. One of the small children climbed under the stall and unlocked the door so we wouldn’t have to pay the ten cents required to open the locked door. Oh, what fun Logan was lined with one interesting store after another. Weiner’s Army and Navy Store and Sayer Brothers were on the left. Franklin’s Restaurant and The Smoke House were on the right. Collins Department Store was right after that. After we crossed the street, G. C. Murphy’s Department Store, or what we called the Dime Store was on the left. I asked Mother once why we called it The Dime Store and she said at one time a lot of items could be purchased for only 10 cents. It was larger than the other stores and had two large rooms and three separate entrances. All the stores and restaurants were privately owned at that time.

Mother and child sauntered down the street, window-shopping. Block after block, the stores were bursting with interesting things for sale. Lots of things to look at – shoe stores, two bakeries, and several jewelry stores. I remember a store that sold pianos on the east end of town – Kinney’s Music that later became Don Elkins Music before he moved his store to Main Street. Musical instruments were considered luxuries, but some people could afford them.

Each store window carried a feast for the eyes. Even if we couldn’t bring it home, we could still enjoy looking. On down the street was the historic Logan Courthouse with its grand design. The graceful set of steps led up to its elaborate doors. It was a peaceful spot in the middle of the hustle and bustle of a busy town.

We arrived at the Dime Store after a short walk down the street. The display in the window showed ribbons and red velvet-covered boxes of chocolates. When we opened the glass doors, we were greeted with a tiled floor, many different displays of items, numerous shoppers, and sales ladies. We passed the magazine rack and went to the extreme right to check for an empty seat at the lunch counter. We had a choice. We could sit on the round red swivel stools right at the counter or in a booth that seated four to six. When someone got up, we hurried to the empty booth.

The waitresses were dressed in white. They wore hairnets over their hair and carried little tablets with them to take our order. When seated, they brought us water in a clear glass, a napkin, and silverware with the menu.

Deciding what to order was always a big problem. What was in the sandwich didn’t matter as much as the fact that we were eating in a restaurant. I saw toothpicks for the first time in a sandwich and a sandwich that was toasted. We even used a straw for our drink. Our sandwiches came on a white glass plate and our drinks were also in a glass with Coke written on the side. We ate slowly watching the people around us. Old people, young people, all sat enjoying their meals. The ticket came and Mother paid the bill. Our dining experience was over.

Little did I know what wonderful memories were being made at the time. I had Mother’s undivided attention and a very special lunch together. G. C. Murphy’s Dime Store experience will always carry a special memory for me.