Ehrhardt Five and Dime Transcript
- One of the most productive means of running across and unpacking Southern folklore and folk-life comes from the spontaneous handheld style of shooting that we call "The Initiating Camera". A perfect example occurred at a five and dime store in Ehrhardt, South Carolina while shooting our documentary on barbecue and home-cooking. [Country Music]
- Hey there. How you doing? Come on in. This is Ehrhardt five and ten, and it's sort of a variety store, and we've kinda drifted out of a few of the variety items that we used to carry, like dried goods and a few other things. It's going a little bit more into house-ware and hardware items. [Country Music] We opened in the year 1962, so we're going into our 41st year.
♪ Me and my baby walking down the street ♪
♪ Telling everybody 'bout the chief of police ♪
♪ You gotta step it up ♪
♪ Oh yeah ♪
♪ Can't stand Pat ♪
♪ Go ahead step it up ♪
♪ Well used to have a girl ♪
♪ She was tall and lean ♪
♪ She shake that stuff like a washing machine ♪
♪ You gotta step it up ♪
♪ Oh go ♪
♪ Can't stand Pat ♪
We have another business across the street which was Erhardt grocery, and my daddy started in that in 1929 and he passed away three years ago this past February. He was in business for 71 consecutive years here on main street. And I've been continuing to carry on the business kinda on a part-time basis between here and the dime store.
- You run this one and the one across the street at the same time?
- I lock the door at one and go to the other one, and most of my customers are local, and if some strange person should come up, there's usually someone on the street tells them to go over there and he'll come get it for you.
- That's great. Thank you, sir.
- All right. [Country Music]
- We carry a lot of tub, wash tub, bath tubs, a lot of garden tools, and old pitcher pumps, hand pumps. Then we have the old garden push plow, which is a good item now because you can save gas by using the push plow, and you get exercise along with it. This is a little miniature, little grand piano for a child, and this is the seat. And on the bottom of this seat, it states that "This chair is not suitable for children over 160 pounds" believe it or not. But it is a sturdy little stool.
- Oh when you come here, you have to play with this toy. He had these frogs that were -
- Okay, now this is the little baby grand piano. If you can see, it says baby grand. Grand piano. All right. The little lid will lift up. We have a little storage compartment there that swings open. You can put your little mic or whatever down in there for storage. Or your little music or whatever you have. And this fits in the little, that'll fit right here. This closes. Got your little stand. That brings it down. And we have a little switch here. And the master key is nice. See how it sounds.
- How much you weigh?
- It'll take three of those stools.
- There's buttons up there now, you can get different sounds.
- We can mash [indistinct]. Oh we can give you more of the same thing. And if we get on the same thing.
- We gotta figure out which key is which.
- That's cute.
- That is nutty.
- Last question. You have any old toys? Cause I remember we were here, even if they're just plastic.
- What I've got is, you know, on those racks in the back.
♪ Oh yeah ♪
♪ Can't stand Pat ♪
♪ Oh you gotta step it up ♪
- That they would wear. The clothes at hill. I'm about to tell you. I don't know, tell him what to say. Don't tell.
- What you got?
- Oh I don't know what this is.
- He saw something that the girl had on that played in Pleasantville.
- What did she have on?
- Made them come out.
- What?
- With those bras. But it was in Pleasantville. It was a movie about the 1950's.
- Uh-huh.
- My son wants to stop at all the old dime stores and look at old cars. It's just, we're just having a fun day.
- What's special about this store?
- Oh the old person, to us.
- We talking about a little jumping frog. We have a little tube there and put a little frog down and you squeeze the tube, and a little frog hops.
- Did you ever see one of those?
- Not recently. He has the best toys.
- Of course we have another frog down here. Now this is a little frog where you have to turn the switch on, but put it down. If you walk in front of it now. It kicks back in action. Boy.
- That's cute.
- You need one.
- Well I really appreciate it.
- I was gonna take you back to the castor oil. Did that ever take your sun spots off?
- You know, I've heard a lot of people talking about using that for different things.
- Does he have castor oil?
- Yes.
- Where is it?
- Come.
- Castor oil still sells?
- Yes sir. We have it. It's a little nasty to take but it will flush out a bad cold.
- And it's tasteless now, too.
- Don't miss this frog.
- This is another little frog that we have a lot of fun with. Sometimes when the little children come in the store, we tell them touch that little frog and rub it on in and see what it'll do. And they'll take the finger and rub on the end there, but when they smash it. I do that and they jump back down and it scares them. And I say oh you rubbed the thing too hard. Rub it easy. And they'll touch it again squeak it and they'll jump.
- I like your accent. Were you born here?
- Thank you very much. This is my home. Yes.
- Thanks so much. I enjoyed it.
- You come back to see us. Appreciate you all stopping in here.
- You watch TP and not my [Indistinct].
