Friday, September 21, 2012

Office Appliance Company -- Crew and Cars --UPDATED

From the John Holly Williams Collection at the LLF Library.  Notice Mr. Williams' shadow on the street.


The date is suspected to be the late 1940s.  The location is unclear.  The shadow would indicate either an eastern OR a western exposure of the store front.
I will say this -- the dapper man in the suit and cocked fedora looks a lot like Barney Gregg to me.  Mr. Gregg and his bride Neline ran Gregg Office Machine and Supply Co. at 103 S. Jackson Street, for many, many years.
BUT, I have to admit that I have been guilty of seeing familiar faces when there are none before.
Another clue: Notice, also, the sign over the awning on the right that says Bake... Hmmm. Would this be Janie's before it was Janies?
Comments/corrections/speculation welcome!


UPDATE: That IS Mr. Barney Gregg in the stylish suit and hat.  According to his daughter Marsha Gregg Pitman, "This is my father standing in front of W.T. May's store.  He worked for Mr. May when he and my mother moved to Brookhaven.  If memory serves me correctly, Mr. May's store was across the railroad tracks in the block next to the State Bank building, but I may be wrong." 

Additional UPDATE: The man in the suit and kerchief in his breast pocket is W. T. May.  The woman to the right of Barney Gregg (in the suit and hat) is Helen Knox. The man next to last on the far right is Smylie Smith, who went to work for Mr. and Mrs. Gregg at their office appliance store after Mr. May moved his store to Jackson. 
Photo Courtesy of Marsha Gregg Pittman

From this vantage point, this latest photo, kindly supplied by Marsha Gregg Pittman, makes me believe that this business was located in part of McGrath's building, to the south.  Please note the distinctive second floor circle head windows of the adjacent building, just to the right of the awning/sign.  
Marsha was been able to pick out some signage in this photo.  (I must say, her eyesight is much better than mine!)  She sees Thompson's Bakery and Redd & Smith Food Mart (Millard Smith, perhaps?) Further to the right is the Brookhaven Feed Store with the unmistakable Full-o-Pep trademark paint job. She also points out Cotton's dentist office between the Office Appliance Company and Thompson's Bakery. 

If you care to take a quick drive on Google Street View, (traveling south on South Railroad Avenue) these old store fronts line up beautifully!

Thank you, Marsha! 

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