There was a story (click here and watch video) on CBS Sunday Morning that struck a nerve with me for a couple of reasons. It involved the owners of a small store in Oberlin, Ohio that has been around for over 100 years and is currently embroiled in a defamation lawsuit against Oberlin College (click here.)
The story resonated with me of course because the store’s background is similar to Buzzy’s Country Store. It involves a grandfather, father and son operation of a small business and parallels my ownership of Buzzy’s and its passing from my Grandfather to Buzzy to me. As shown on their sign above, Gibson’s Store has been around since 1885 and has been in their family for 5 generations. Buzzy’s has been around since 1887 and has been operated by only two families during that time frame the Shuman’s and my family.
In addition to the Gibson’s store ownership and its background being similar to Buzzy’s, the story also got to me because it reminded me of a racially based incident that took place in Buzzy’s shortly after I took over in 2007. Here is how that incident went down.
I was in the Store sorting out a new stash of Buzzy shirts I had just picked up from Chesapeake Embroidery. As I tended to this task, my step daughter Jennifer was minding the counter for me. A young black man came in and asked Jenn if we had any cigarillos. She said “No.” He turned to leave. I headed his way to advise him to check with the store a mile up the road, but he was already at the store door. Before I could say anything to him, he paused at the door, turned and said to me and Jenn “You all are some racist motherfuckers in here.” And before I could say anything in response to him, he slammed the door, got in his car and sped off up the road.
For some reason, that incident has stayed with me thru the years. I’ve re-played it in my head several times and have tried to figure out just what triggered such a response from the guy. I guess he may have taken Jenn’s simple “No” as being too curt or in some way dissing him. Then again, maybe the fact that neither Jenn nor I acknowledged nor greeted him as he came into the Store may have pissed him off. I really don’t know what caused him to go off as he did.
My Buzzy incident of course in no way compares with what went down at the Gibson’s Store and the ensuing events. However, race was very obviously at the heart of both of our encounters with a black visitor to our stores.
That the Gibson’s are currently sitting on a $30 million settlement in their lawsuit against Oberlin College will help them forget about and move on from their incident. Me? I am still wondering “What the hell was that all about?”
Like so many things having to do with race, I guess the simple explanation boils down to – that’s just the way it is.