Author Description

For almost 60 years, LaVerne Rhodey owned and operated a general store in West Barre, New York, where his children learned to work hard and laugh often. In The Grocery Man his children share their memories of growing up and working in the store, as well as their recollections of the more memorable customers, their two longtime employees, LaVerne's 45-year door-to-door peddling service, and the countless trips to Buffalo to pick up supplies for the store. This truly unique book covers the challenging years of starting a business in 1928, to the event that directly led to the end of the peddling service and the realities that precipitated the closing of the store in 1987. LaVerne was thought to be the last peddler in western New York, and his daughter's memoir is a nostalgic read about a way of life that is quickly disappearing.