Crazy Little Stories

I don't know how many of you know this little story but... When we started this project back when I always had Feb 1st as our target date to open. Then as the date started creeping up Pat the builder guy told me it was impossible. Then one day we were down in the basement looking around when we found a piece of paper tacked to a beam. On it it said: turn the salmon on various dates and several of those dates were Feb 1st. When Marge and I read that it was confirmed we must open on Feb 1st, and we did!

So as all of you know we had our Grand Opening this weekend. I did a lot of advertising in surrounding papers. So my mother calls me up and said you'll never guess what! I said what? ( I really never know what she's going to say. My mother is a very funny woman, and some of the strangest things happen to her!) She said: I found your ad in the Pioneer, and it is right below the 50 year ago news. And guess what was in the 50 year ago news? Back in 1908 The Pine City Mercantile Co. had it's Grand Opening for it's new owners on April 20, 1908. Wow, now if I would have known that date I would have held it on the same day! (Maybe you don't know, the building I'm in now used to be The Pine City Mercantile Co.)

There is another coincidence about April 20th. My oldest brother Clifford "Butch" Larson was born on April 20th. He passed away in a motor cycle accident when he was just 16 years old. He was killed when a lady ran a red light and hit him and his friend riding the motor cycle. Apparently his head hit the stop light that stands on the Nelson's Bakery corner.

One more odd thing about April 20th, that is also Pat the builder guys birthday.

And do any of you remember when Stahlke's was Patrick In The Pines? And as you can see I didn't change the names of the businesses much: The Pine City Mercantile Co. - The Pine City Scrapbooking Co Inc and Patrick In The Pines - Scrapbooking In The Pines Retreat Center.