Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Mayberry. Or is it Greer?*

Today's Wonder of the World is Greer, South Carolina, my hometown.

Technically I live between Greer and Greenville, but my mailing address says Greer, and I'm happy to claim it.
Here are five reasons why I nominate Greer as a Wonder of the World:

Reason #1: Trade Street
Just look at it. It's our main street, though it's not Main Street.



Take a look at Bullock's Barber Shop. Can't you just imagine Floyd and Andy in there, gabbing away?



It even has The Starlight Ballroom!



George Clooney must have liked Trade Street pretty darn well, since he used it quite a bit in his movie Leatherheads. Here is another blog which shows pictures of Trade Street transformed for the movie. Thanks, Leiby family!

Reason #2: If you walk down to one end of Trade Street, you come to the old Train Depot. There are several cute shops in there, and a guy named Steven who gives a great haircut. And his family is in the antique/auction business, so you can talk antiques while he makes you beautiful.



Reason #3: Cannon's Restaurant
Cannons is a great place to get your standard Meat & Three. (For you sophisticated people out there, that's a meat and three veggies. And yes, macaroni and cheese counts as a veggie, just in case you're wondering.) But I get their hot dogs. They're awesome and they're just $1.50 a piece! The sweet tea is nice and cold and crystallizes between your teeth. If you're a drag racing fan, it's owned by Scotty Cannon's family. Woo Hoo!
I'm not really an expert on that.



Reason #4: Panaderia Y Pasteleria La Estrella
It's a Mexican/Central American bakery and it is full of pastries that will make you want to speak Spanish even more than Shakira, just so you can tell them how happy they've made you. In fact, I think this place deserves its own Wonder of the World status. I'll blog more on it another time, but suffice it to say that I had to buy new pants after a few months of Saturday visits.

And I thought I was leaving addicting pastries behind when we left France!



And last, but certainly not least
Reason #5: Mr. James Worley
You can always find Mr. Worley on Main Street, in the parking lot in front of Staggs Plumbing, across the street from the McCleskey-Todd Pharmacy, selling fruits and veggies out of his truck. When I bought strawberries from him on Wednesday, he told me that he is 87 years old and that he got married twelve years ago, so he's practically a newlywed. He looks slightly demonic in this picture, unless you click on it for a close up. He's a sweetheart.



So is that enough proof for you?

Have a great time this weekend, living it up in your own hometown! And if you don't have a Mr. Worley near you, head for the grocery store for a can of these.



They make for good eating!

Love, Becky

*Becky is off at the beach at the moment, writing furiously or maybe just staring into the sun, frying what's left of her brain. This is a recycled wonder from Spring of 2008, but it's still fresh...sort of. And look what it does for the environment!
Please do leave a comment. Becky will be checking in from the nearest internet coffee shop and you'd absolutely make her day!

15 comments:

savvycityfarmer said...

my bags are almost packed ...
I hail from a midwestern burg of 1200 population ..
gotta love it.

Unknown said...

I've been to Greer or, as some folks say, Gr-r-r-r-r, and I like it! I've posted 2 or 3 times in the last few days about my town in South Carolina -- and still more pictures and descriptions unused.

Ronnie said...

Good luck with the writing!
Love Mr. Whorley's picture. Makes me want to print it and carry it in my wallet.

jama said...

Love hearing about your hometown! My favorite parts: Starlight Ballroom and Mr. Worley.:)

Anonymous said...

Okay, I'm on chapter 5 of your book and I SO appreciated this visual of Greer. Thanks!

lotusgirl said...

Nice to know that it's actually Greer. Nice town. I love Mr. Worley. I know guys like that. It's the best produce too.

SC peaches rule, baby. I adore peaches, but I have a hard time with the ones I get in the stores. They always disappoint. I've got to go pick me up some in SC this summer from the orchards.

Adrienne said...

I really want to peek inside that bakery! Thanks for the tour:)

Kat said...

What a sweet post! I just love hometown pride. :)

Unknown said...

I am so glad you posted pictures of your hometown. I've always wanted to visit South Carolina. You are so fortunate that it kept its small town charm. And, to buy from a local farmer is so awesome. Most of our farm land here is gone. (Sigh!) Great pictures!

Susan Tuttle said...

It looks so warm there!!

I love the expression on the veggie guy!

Come check out my latest book giveaway.

xo

Kelly H-Y said...

Ohhhh, it looks wonderful and quaint! What a wonderful place to live!

Susan said...

Going to the country, going to eat myself some peaches. Yumm.

Anonymous said...

Becky it looks charming!

Stacy Nyikos said...

Becky,

Your town sounds wonderful. Main street looks really loved. Many towns in Oklahoma are trying to bring back main street, but not all are having a great deal of luck with it. It's the oil bust that's causing a lot of heartache. It gives me the warm fuzzies to see that there are still small towns that are so cherished.

David Ebright said...

I commented on this post originally. You will have to go back to the beginning to see my comment.

Ronnie will not be carryin' Mr Whorley's pic in her wallet. It's too loaded with cash. (She called me a knot head this week! Can ya believe it?)

Enjoy the beach & the writing.