"Stuckey's" Is A Rare, Roadside Jewel These Days

     Every once in a while you will see something on the interstate while traveling that will trigger those childhood memories.  This happened to me the other day when traveling South on I-65 in Alabama.  I saw it on the way down to Florida and so I decided to stop on my way back up to Kentucky.  I stopped at a "Stuckey's," which is one of the first roadside convenience store chains in the country.  The one I visited was along I-65 at the Hope Hull, Ala, exit.  I remember in the early 70's when growing up in East Memphis, when my mom and dad and I traveled out west in 1971 and down to Florida and the east coast in 1972, we literally saw tons of "Stuckey's" it seemed like along the interstates.  Nowadays, it appears that there are very few left and they are a dying breed.  The lady at the checkout counter at the one in Hope Hull said that there was only three left in the state of Alabama. And she said that all of them now share spaces with a fast food chains which was not part of the original design of the buildings or the concept of the store.  The one we stopped on our recent trip had a Dairy Queen on the other side of the building.  In Kentucky, the former Stuckey's building at the Upton, Ky., exit has been converted into a porn shop.  But at least I did manage to buy one of those original Stuckey's pecan candy rolls and a Stuckey's T-shirt while at the one in Alabama. And I was really glad to see this particular one still hanging on.  For me, it was just totally nostalgic thing to see the inside of a Stuckey's building again and see all of the cool, little trinkets and candy that they offered to us bright eyed travelers who will never forget Stuckey's.

 Here's more about Stucky's from Wikipedia:

Stuckey's is a roadside convenience store chain found on highways throughout the United States. Stores are concentrated in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest, although operations have existed as far east as Connecticut and as far west as Oregon.^[1] Stuckey's Corporation, the company operating the chains, has its headquarters in Silver Spring, unincorporated Montgomery County, Maryland.^[2]

Contents

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• 1 History
  • 1.1 Early days
  • 1.2 Downfall, then rise
• 2 References
• 3 See also
• 4 External links

History[edit source | editbeta]

Early days[edit source | editbeta]

Stuckey’s originated in the early 1930s in Eastman, Georgia. When founder W. S. Stuckey, Sr., had a successful pecan harvest from his family's orchard he decided to offer a portion of the crop for sale in a lean-to roadside shed. Many Florida-bound tourists travelingU.S. Route 23 stopped to purchase the pecans.

Stuckey's advertisement from 1976 Rand McNally Road Atlas

As the roadside business continued to expand, Stuckey's wife, Ethel, created a variety of homemade pecan candies to sell at the stand, including pecan log rolls and pecan divinity. In 1937, Stuckey constructed his first store building. Much like the former roadside lean-to, the new business focused on selling these Southern candies to highway travelers. This first Stuckey’s shop added a restaurant, then a novelty section, and then gas pumps. The final addition was a teal blue roof (which would later become the company's trademark). Until the onset of World War II, Stuckey’s continued to open stores in Georgia and Florida. The number of stores declined somewhat during WWII due to the effects of wartime sugar rationing.

After WWII ended, the Stuckey’s business once again began to grow and it sold a number of new franchises. The company constructed a candy factory to supply an eventual 350-plus Stuckey's stores located throughout the continental United States. As the post-war baby boom flourished and families undertook more long-distance auto travel, Stuckey's continued to grow as they were usually constructed along major highways and frequently were paired with Texaco gas stations as well as restaurants and clean restrooms.^[3]

A modern Stuckey's/BP in Yeehaw Junction, Florida

Downfall, then rise[edit source | editbeta]

In 1960, W. S. Stuckey attempted to create a hotel chain called Stuckey's Carriage Inn, but opened only four locations. In 1967, Stuckey's merged with Pet, Inc., maker ofPet Milk.^[4]

The company at its peak had over 350 locations, which dwindled to fewer than 75 after a decline in the late 1970s under ownership by Pet. It was repurchased by formerCongressman W.S. Stuckey, Jr., in 1985. It currently has over 200 franchise stores in 19 states.^[5]

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Milo's Tea From The Deep South Hits The Spot

    Growing up down South in Memphis in the 1960's and early 1970's, we used to be big Kool-Aid drinkers in our family or us kids I should say.  Kool-Aid was the thing back in those days.  You could choose from different flavors such as Cherry, Grape, Strawberry or even Tropical Punch among many others.  It seemed we only drank Coca-Cola on special occasions like Christmas or the holidays.  But as time went on, we started drinking more cola products throughout the year as the years progressed especially when they started selling them in the big 32 oz. glass bottles.  I also remember the "tea days" or I should say the "instant tea" days when they came along.  I remember when "Lipton's Instant Tea" became popular.  My dad was a big fan of that.  I can remember drinking tons of that stuff as a youngster.  No wonder I had a lot of cavities as a kid. Later in life during my teens, we got into the boiled water and tea bags making big half gallon jugs of it.  Remember "Sun Tea?"  You could buy those big glass gallon or half gallon containers and make tea outside in the sun.  And during the last 20 years in my little we have been buying that "already made tea" in the gallon jug at Kroger which is really good especially with fresh slices of lemon.
   But lately I have noticed here in Kentucky that there is a great new product from the Deep South that can be found at several different retail and grocery stores in Bowling Green called, "Milo's Tea"  made in Bessemer, Ala., just out of Birmingham. This stuff is really awesome and I have bought several gallons of it already which we have extremely enjoyed.  What I have found to be really interesting about this particular tea is the pride and marketing that this family owed business puts into their product.  Check out the history of their tea taken from their web-site:


HISTORY
Early Years (1946-1989)

The Milo’s brand has roots that stretch back to the Great Depression. In 1939, Milo Carlton could be found behind the scenes in his brother’s North Birmingham restaurant, the Dipsey Doodle. One of five Carlton boys bitten by the restaurant bug, Milo did everything from mopping the floors to locking up after everyone else had gone home for the night. He spent the next two years learning as much as he could about the restaurant business, including the most important – listening to the voice of the customer.

Already a member of the National Guard, Milo’s unit was mobilized in February 1941, just months before the attack on Pearl Harbor. It didn’t take the Army long to realize that Milo was gifted in the kitchen, and he found himself assigned to the Food Service Division while on active duty. Uncle Sam sent Milo through three different cooking schools and for the next four years, he cooked hamburgers in jeeps, on planes, on ships, in the back of trucks, in mess tents and on beaches in four different countries. He even found time to open a hamburger shop in Australia where he taught the locals Down Under just how an American burger should taste.

Milo was discharged in 1945 and wasted no time putting his Army experiences to good use. On April 16, 1946, Milo opened the first Milo’s Hamburger Shop on 31st Street and 12th Avenue North in Birmingham, Alabama. From day one, Milo set out to give customers a unique experience – whether it was the extra slice of beef on their burger or the special sauce they’d never tasted anywhere else, the piping hot hand made pies or ice-cold tea with a big bowl of sugar on the side – the customer always got more than what they expected. And that’s where Milo met his first greatest hurdle.

The war might be over but the rationing of staple items – such as sugar – was to remain for some years to come. Milo found himself faced with the dilemma of choosing to use his sugar ration to make pies or provide table sugar to sweeten the tea. How could he ask them to choose one over the other? And then it dawned on Milo to try something no one else had considered – he eliminated the sugar bowls from his tables and began to pre-sweeten the tea himself. This ensured enough from his sugar ration for pies and sweet tea!

Although this seems perfectly ordinary today, in the 1940s, customers initially balked at the idea. But then they tasted Milo’s Famous tea and realized this was something different… something better than they could make themselves. Soon the tea was as in demand as the burgers, fries and pies. Milo’s became the place to go for great food – all washed down with the finest tea anyone had ever tasted.
Modern Era (1989-2009)

In April of 1989, Milo’s began manufacturing and distributing its Famous Sweet Tea in gallon jugs to grocery stores in the Birmingham, Alabama area. The first grocery store to carry the product didn’t think people would buy the tea when they could make it themselves. But like his dad, Milo’s son Ronnie knew his customers and Milo’s Famous Tea was an instant success. Customers wanted a delicious fresh brewed tea like the kind that grandma made, and Milo’s Famous Sweet Tea did not disappoint. Due to strong demand, Milo’s introduced the convenient single serving size in 1997 and an unsweetened tea in 1999.

In 2002, Milo’s Tea Company sold the Milo’s hamburger chain in order to focus the business on one thing – making the best ready to drink available in the world. Milo’s used the capital from the restaurant sale to build a state of the art tea plant like no other in the world - because no one else in the world does what we do!

In addition to its own delivery trucks and traditional wholesale distributors, Milo’s began expanding its distribution territory by teaming up with dairy distributors in 2003. These companies are experienced in handling all-natural products and their larger refrigerated route systems proved beneficial for both parties in growing the Milo’s brand. Since 2003, several more distributors across the Southeast have teamed up with Milo’s to increase availability in stores throughout the Southeast region.

Another milestone occurred in 2006 when we introduced an often-requested and much anticipated item to the Milo’s family. In March, 2006 we began brewing Milo’s No-Calorie Tea sweetened with Splenda. This item has grown exponentially since its introduction and offers an alternative for folks who do not want sugar but still enjoy sweet tea! Today, you can enjoy Milo’s Sweet Tea (sweetened with Sugar) and No Calorie Sweet Tea (sweetened with Splenda) in 12 ounce, 20 ounce, and Gallon sizes, as well as Milo’s Unsweetened Tea in gallons.

In 2009, Milo’s Tea expanded into several new markets – Memphis, Little Rock, Paducah, KY, Middle Georgia and South Carolina. Milo’s Tea can now be found in retailers across 16 states: Currently, our teas are available in Alabama, Arkansas, South Carolina, Florida (the panhandle), Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Please visit our store locator to find a Milo’s retailer near you.
Tomorrow

We are continually working toward national availability of Milo’s Tea. We will be available in some additional markets where people have been seeking out management at retailers and adamantly requesting Milo’s Tea. We are always careful to move just as deliberately as we do quickly so that we can maintain the quality and stability of our products and company. We are ever conscious of the responsibility to deliver a high quality product to the market every time. It’s because of you that we have become “famous,” and we know that. We are motivated to serve you, our customer, just like we’ve been doing for over 60 years.

Milo Carlton’s words of yesterday still echo in our halls keeping us mindful of our heritage as we move into tomorrow: “Listen to your customers, and give them what they want. Give them quality, and they will come back.”

For more information about Milo's Tea go to their web-site at www.milostea.com

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Does Anyone Know How To Stop A Leak?

My wife and I cancelled our vacation plans for a trip to the Gulf of Mexico this past week. We were planning to stay at the Holiday Inn Express at Orange Beach, Ala., for a couple of nights. However, after the BP off-shore oil drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico about 37 days ago, we decided not to go down there out of the fear of oil washing ashore of the beautiful white sand beaches of Alabama. Also, we had a lot of questions that really couldn't be answered by anyone via phone at the hotel or from even a friend who lives in Mobile, Ala. Even recent news reports were apparently of no help in trying to determine which direction that the oil was heading. There were no guarantees that there would be no problems to affect our visit there regarding the thousands and thousands of barrels of oil that are leaking into the ocean.

It is really ashamed that this has happened not only for our vacation but for the Gulf Coast tourism and economy but more important, the environment and the planet. And more disappointing, there has not been nothing done yet stop the leak. I'm sure BP executives and engineers have been pulling there hair out trying to figure a way to stop it. They're latest attempt by pumping cement and mud to seal off the leak might work. But who knows? BP now even has a link to a web-site where you can watch a live camera of the leak in action at the bottom of the ocean. http://www.bp.com/liveassets/bp_internet/globalbp/globalbp_uk_english/homepage/STAGING/local_assets/bp_homepage/html/rov_stream.htmlThe other night, I was looking around on Youtube and I came across an interesting video that really makes a lot sense to me. Believe me, I not a big environmentalist or "Going-Green" person. However, I do recycle and I do not believe in littering. I am extremely against littering. I believe trash has it proper place along with recyclables and etc. But this video clip "Pale Blue Dot" on Youtube by Carl Sagan, the late famous astronomer, who wrote and narrated the highly acclaimed PBS television series called, "Cosmos," is about our planet, "Earth." In this short video clip, Sagan tells us that our planet is the only planet like it in the universe that sustains life as we know it. Our planet is very unique and it's the only home that we know in the universe. The other night on my Faceback, I posted the "Pale Blue Dot" video and commented, "This is the only home we have in the universe. Perhaps, we should find better ways to drill for oil in our oceans in the future."

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