Memories of Ball Stores
Help, please. I’ve written about Ball Stores before, but I’m writing again to ask for your help. Please share your stories of Ball Stores for both a book and an exhibit. Did you or a family member work there? Was visiting Santa a yearly tradition? Do you have a particularly vivid memory of a shopping experience? Here are two memories that Hope Barnes shared in her December 12, 1989 article in the Muncie Star:
“My thoughts leaped to all the deliveries Ball Stores had made at our parsonage. Their trucks not only brought packages I ordered, but also surprise Christmas gifts from parishioners and beautiful wedding gifts when our girls married.”
“… a flood of Ball Stores memories brought back stories I had not thought of for years. For instance, the time I bought the first Brownie beanie. The grin under that beanie cap came back to me and I chuckled to myself.”
You can’t write a book about Ball Stores without including the Collegienne, the Marion store, the shop in the Rose Court, and the furniture store, so please consider those places, also. I remember shopping with a friend for her wedding dress at the Collegienne. We, of course, headed straight for the sale section where she found the most gorgeous gown. Not only was it on sale for $50, it fit her perfectly.
She made a beautiful bride.We’re also looking for photos of the store, of Christmas displays, personnel, etc. Do you have anything from the store–perhaps a display piece, a book from the lending library, or even one of those wonderful Christmas figures? Please contact me at kvincent@minnetrista.net or 765.287.3547. I’d love to hear from you.
