HOW A PIPE BIBLE SAVED A TOWN

 

The South is dotted with small towns. Many mere shadows of the past, having been abandoned by once flourishing manufacturing. They seemingly exist on the edges of what remains with store fronts boarded up, streets empty and hopes gone. 

The one remaining business is the local hardware store. Each town seems to have one. Names like China Grove Hardware, Woodman’s, Ruffs, Little Parts Hardware, Cedar Lane, Beatles Ford Ferry, Goodman. Each one is a time capsule of parts and pieces. A voyage into the past and what once was. The very reason they exist is that the town and its buildings are old. You can’t find repair parts at Walmart or home depot. Only these small stores have them. Even when foot traffic dies in a town, people still beat a path to the local hardware. 

Ezells Hardware in Chester is a classic example. Deep in one of the corners of the store is a book the owner calls “The Pipe Bible.” Its actually a combination of several books documenting different pipes and fittings. Ones desperate property owners need for plumbing repairs and hookups. Behind the book are racks of the actual parts. Advertisements from another time hang from walls, the inventory in no particular order, the place speaks of hidden treasures. Here you can find anything including your neighbor searching for the same rare thing. You both huddled around The Pipe Bible.

When you happen upon towns like Chester, you are struck with the color of the faded buildings, the streetlights still flickering, the winding streets, their quiet beauty and reflections of the past in the windows. You want to take the place in your arms and fix it. The hardware store is a good place to start.

Often the hardware store is located across from the remaining local eatery like Gene’s in Chester where workman can steel themselves for another work day with a generous helping of eggs and bacon. Over time life filters back to these downtowns. Artisans and small businesses open store fronts again. All knowing that at least the hardware store and The Pipe Bible will always be there. Reason enough to have faith…