Never criticize a man until you've walked a mile in his moccasins. American Indian Proverb
Like millions of women in the world, I like to shop but the allure is diminished in the malls and big box stores. The immensity of it all is overwhelming and impersonal. And let's face it - there's no customer service any more. I'm just one person in a mass of humanity who has to be dealt with. It's so cliche' but I love to shop local - the small establishments where the owners are truly appreciative when you walk in the door because their livelihood depends on you being there.
My beloved grandfather passed away in the fall of 1990. My family gathered over the next few days to lay him to rest. The day before the funeral, a visitation was held at the funeral home. It was pleasantly cool and the side door to the funeral home was open to allow the crisp breeze through the screen door. A few of us had gathered in the side room for coffee when we noticed an elderly black gentleman pacing back and forth outside the screen door. "Can we help you?" we asked and he stuck his head in. "I've come to pay my respects to Mr. Taylor," he sheepishly explained. We invited him to please come in. The man went on to explain how he knew my grandfather. Back in the '50's, he had five small children and was out of work and out of money. Winter was coming and none of his children had shoes. Desperate, he took the kids to my grandfather's store and explaining his situation, asked if he could have credit to buy shoes for his children. He promised to pay my grandfather back. Without hesitation my grandfather fit every child with a new pair of shoes and asked nothing in return from this gentleman. "I never forgot his kindness," he whispered to us.
Through tears, we thanked him for coming and sharing some insight into our gentle grandfather. I imagine my grandfather looking past the social divide and seeing a proud man trying to provide as best he can for his family. This man who, through no fault of his own, could find no work. I imagine my grandfather looking at those five children and thinking (no pun intended) what if the shoe were on the other foot? I imagine my grandfather contemplating the similarities in this man and himself. And I imagine, my grandfather, one of the finest Christian men I ever knew, thinking of the Bible verse, "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"
My grandfather never told anyone that story, not even my grandmother. Had that man not taken the time to pay his respects to my grandfather, no one would have ever been the wiser. There were no accolades for his good deed. No social media proclaiming, "Look what I did! Look at me! Aren't I special?" Just a quiet, unassuming man walking a mile in someone else's shoes, peering across the counter and not seeing race, but humanity.
Despite what my husband thinks of my retail therapy, I'm pretty sure I can blame it on my DNA. My great grandfather John L. Taylor's and my grandfather William Elkins "Elks" Taylor's lives were devoted to retail. As a young man in the late 1800's, John worked in various shops throughout the rural hills of Mississippi and even opened his own stores in a couple of small towns. Travel during this time was by foot or by wagon making it arduous to get anywhere. It was difficult at best to eek out a living but somehow he managed.
During this post-reconstruction period in Mississippi, the railroad system destroyed during the war was being rebuilt and small towns began popping up around the new railroad stops. The Columbus and Greenville Railway established a depot in 1889 in Webster County and the nascent town of Eupora began to grow around it.
John eventually settled in Eupora before the turn of the century to partner with Captain Thomas Ford to open Taylor Ford Company. The Taylor Ford Company eventually dissolved and my great grandfather became affiliated with the prominent Taylor Brothers (no relation) Thomas F. and W.G. Taylor to form Taylor Brothers & Taylor Company. There, John flourished for the next seventeen years as the President and General Manager while the store gained statewide acclaim. Their company motto was "You buy from me and I'll buy from you" which drew in the farmers wanting to trade poultry, eggs and excess produce for the dry goods sold in their store. By this time Eupora had established its reputation as a major trade center of the region.
Around the late 1920's, department stores were all the rage in the big cities. In a visionary move, John sold his stock in Taylor Brothers & Taylor Company and opened his own department store with his two sons, my grandfather Elks, and J. Paul Taylor, my great uncle. The name changed a couple of more times and in 1947 it settled on simply "Taylor's".
The department store eventually moved into the location that I'm familiar with on the main street of downtown Eupora. Just like the well- known city department stores, Taylor's boasted large plate glass windows from which it could display its clothing, shoes and other offerings.
Eventually, my great grandfather passed away and my great uncle pursued a career in academia so the store belonged only to my grandfather. The highlight of our trips to Eupora involved going to the store to get new shoes and clothes. In my child's eyes, it was a sartorial heaven. The store seemed enormous with circular racks of clothing - a perfect hiding place during a game of hide and seek. The original hardwood floors were well worn from the foot traffic and moaned and creaked under the weight of the customers. The rectangular counter that held the large, antique cash register was positioned in the center of the store. Granddaddy always kept a big container of bubble gum on top of the counter. I loved to sit and play with the register and chew piece after piece of bubble gum.
My beloved grandfather passed away in the fall of 1990. My family gathered over the next few days to lay him to rest. The day before the funeral, a visitation was held at the funeral home. It was pleasantly cool and the side door to the funeral home was open to allow the crisp breeze through the screen door. A few of us had gathered in the side room for coffee when we noticed an elderly black gentleman pacing back and forth outside the screen door. "Can we help you?" we asked and he stuck his head in. "I've come to pay my respects to Mr. Taylor," he sheepishly explained. We invited him to please come in. The man went on to explain how he knew my grandfather. Back in the '50's, he had five small children and was out of work and out of money. Winter was coming and none of his children had shoes. Desperate, he took the kids to my grandfather's store and explaining his situation, asked if he could have credit to buy shoes for his children. He promised to pay my grandfather back. Without hesitation my grandfather fit every child with a new pair of shoes and asked nothing in return from this gentleman. "I never forgot his kindness," he whispered to us.
Through tears, we thanked him for coming and sharing some insight into our gentle grandfather. I imagine my grandfather looking past the social divide and seeing a proud man trying to provide as best he can for his family. This man who, through no fault of his own, could find no work. I imagine my grandfather looking at those five children and thinking (no pun intended) what if the shoe were on the other foot? I imagine my grandfather contemplating the similarities in this man and himself. And I imagine, my grandfather, one of the finest Christian men I ever knew, thinking of the Bible verse, "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'"
My grandfather never told anyone that story, not even my grandmother. Had that man not taken the time to pay his respects to my grandfather, no one would have ever been the wiser. There were no accolades for his good deed. No social media proclaiming, "Look what I did! Look at me! Aren't I special?" Just a quiet, unassuming man walking a mile in someone else's shoes, peering across the counter and not seeing race, but humanity.
