From about? 81 to about 89 I worked here in town at what was then a huge auto/ light truck/ some heavy truck parts/ sold hydraulic hoses, separate welder sales & repair, gas bottles and gas welding store. We changed rear axle bearings, turned drums and rotors from the smallest car imaginable clear out to heavy truck trailer drums, relined shoes and winch bands and sold wire rope up to I forget, 7/8? Logging chokers, chain and fittings and rigging, black pipe fittings, and a complete line of heavy industrial janitorial supplies. We were among others, FACTORY distributors for Wix, C/R and National seals, Victor gasket, Wix filters, Fafnir and Timken bearings, and Browning sprockets,sheaves and roller chain, and Gates belts. We carried everything from fractional HP to automotive, to A, B, C and multi Vee belts.
The owner also started the area's first dedicated fasteners store, the tail end of which has now been bought out and corporatized, and moved out N of town near the airport, so that it's a half day's drive to get out to the damn thing and back. I have not been there, and will not.
Now its all gone. There's been several businesses in the building.
Today I went to an "antique" (junk) store that is sort of in where the old welding store, and bosses and bookeepers offices were. It is divided up into a chaos of little cubbies with different seller's items, no organization at all. It is stacked high, and difficult to get some idea of "where you are".
At some point I REALIZED I WAS WALKING UP the concrete ramp from the old shop area into the "cable room." This is where wire rope, chain, tire chains, and batteries overstock and antifreeze was kept
SO HERE ARE THE DETAILS
It is gone now, but at one time, the entrance from the shop area to the "cable room" at the top of the ramp was wood framed for the doors. Back then, there was a big chuck of heavy truck air brake can IMBEDDED into the wood, that had "gotten loose" when the manager was working on a spring brake air can (dynamiter) in the hydraulic press. It had been left there as a reminder.
The other story is that one day I was up in the cable room, looking over battery overstock. I was not doing anything, just counting and looking, so I was rather "quiet." Next thing I know, here's "John" getting up from his NAP...........FROM UP ON TOP OF the anti freeze cases--stacked nearly to the ceiling. He had carefully stacked them so that there was a "coffin" trench at the top---he could get up on the stack, lay down in the "trench" and take a nap without being seen---until "me."
