STORE STORIES: Nope, we’re not done with those Bradford stores
yet! A few more today:

Fran Rovito of Bradford writes, “Nobody has touched on the area
of land where MacDonald’s now sits. It’s hard to believe that there
were so many stores in the small area between the old Holley Hotel
and the Hooker-Fulton Building. Some that come to mind starting
from the Holley are Mayer Brauser, Pecora Brothers Meat Market,
Downbeat Restaurant, Dr. Danny optometrist, Singer Sewing Machine,
J.A. Still Funeral Home, E.W. Bisett & Son, General
Garage.”

“Then there was an alleyway that led back to Boylston Chevrolet.
Then there was a tobacco shop with a barber shop in the rear. A
shoe repair shop next to that that had hat blocking equipment in
the window to block your Stetson hat. Bradford TV Cable was next,
Lutman’s Doughnut Shop that had a doughnut machine in the
window.

“The remaining space was occupied by a restaurant-bar that
changed names several times. Among them were Old Spain, Midway Bar,
and Musical Bar.”

Speaking of those donuts, we hear from John J. Cummiskey of
Bradford.

“In regard to the letter of Pat Witschi of Lake Wales, Fla., at
one time I might have been the guy standing in the front window
making doughnuts on the second shift in the late 1940s at the
Lutman Doughnut Shop.”

“Raised doughnuts were made in the back end of the building –
out of sight of the customer. Bob Lutman and his wife, Gladys, had
a wonderful clean place. Light food items were served – along with
coffee, hot chocolate, tea and soft drinks – and great various
flavored milkshakes – not glop from a machine.

“I only spent four months of one summer in the late 1940s doing
this work.”

ALMOST DONE: Believe it or not, we still have a few old Bradford
stores to tell you about. We’re almost done, though, so be
patient!

TODAY’S QUOTE: “The besetting sin of big-time journalism is
arrogance – the belief in our own omniscience, that we know so much
we don’t have to listen to criticism,” said David Broder,
columnist, the Washington Post, 2003, according to our Freedom
Forum calendar.