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End Of An Era: Cooper’s Grocery To Close
October 7, 2010
A long chapter in the lives of many North Escambia residents is closing soon — Cooper’s Grocery at the Bratt Crossroads will soon be no more.
“I don’t know for sure when we will close it, but it won’t be long. Probably by the end of October,” Doris Cooper, 77, said Tuesday. She and her husband Lawrence Cooper, 84, have owned the country store at the heart of the Bratt community for 54 years.
Besides church, Cooper’s is, without a doubt, the center of the Bratt community. Mornings are a hustle and bustle of activity at “Coop’s”, with moms and children buying those last minute snacks for the school day at Bratt Elementary. Northview High students grab sugary snacks and caffeine to fuel their day.
The wooden front door creaks and moans as it opens and rings the bell to signal another customer. Wooden shelves are stocked with most everything imaginable. Cokes are sold in various sizes of plastic bottles like any other store. But there’s the sound of pure American nostalgia each time the top is popped on a glass bottle of Coca-Cola using the bottle opener located at the front counter. Glass bottles of Coke have been sold at Cooper’s since it first opened at the end of World War II.
The Coopers have offered credit to members of the community for decades. Customers were, and are still, able to add their purchase to their “ticket” for later payment. No credit checks needed, basically just residency in the community.
Some of the charge tickets are old and yellowed, waiting for decades payment. Tuesday morning, Mr. Lawrence located one from 1957. “3 doz. eggs $1.65. Gas $1.55. Groceries $21.35.” They know they will never be paid for the purchases 53 years ago. The gentleman that made the charges is long since deceased.
“But sometimes they will come back in here and make a payment,” Mr. Lawrence said. “I had a guy come in here and make a payment on an old one that I could not find right away. It wasn’t much, but he knew how much it was down to the penny that he owed.”
“I hope and pray that we’ve helped a lot of people,” Mrs. Doris said. “Sometimes that just what it is about.”
Anyone that has grown up around Bratt will happily tell you their memories about the candy counter. Well-stocked with all-time favorite candies, its the stuff dreams — and memories — are made of for little ones.
“Momma would give me 15 cents. We may have been poor, but I was spoiled with my 15 cents in here,” Donnie Bass, longtime Cooper’s Store customer said. “I would get a big candy bar, they were much bigger back then; a Coke and a honey bun.”
Bass, 64, has never really stopped going to Coopers. These days, it’s not uncommon to find Bass at the end of the counter, sharing his lighthearted outlook on most any subject that’s fit for discussion.
Known as the defacto mayor of Bratt, Bass and his buddies gather most mornings at the store to discuss the latest “news” of the day. They talk about the world’s problems, America’s problems and the local problems. And they always have a solution in mind.
“The world’s problems have been solved right here in this store,” Bass said, as he contemplated where he and his buddies will meet after the store’s closure. “I hate it when traditions are broken, don’t you? We might meet at my house, but I don’t know if that’s going to fly.”
It’s no secret that the solutions proposed by the men of Cooper’s Store have not solved America’s problems — the problems that have led to the demise of the store.
“It’s the economy really,” Mrs. Doris said as to why the store will close by the end of the month. And she said the couple hopes to do a little traveling. Then she started naming the trips taken through the years, all funded by the their little country store.
“We were blessed,” she said. “We able to do a lot with our children. We were probably one of the first families from Bratt to be able to go to Disney World.” Then there was the trip to California during which Mrs. Doris refused to get out of the car in Nevada because of legalized gambling.
“It was a Sunday and I wasn’t going to set foot on the ground in that state,” she said. As his wife continued to recount found memories of road trips with their children, Mr. Lawrence interrupted.
“We went to Wawbeek one day,” he said, bringing a chuckle from those around the counter. Even at 84, his humor is quick-witted.
Cooper’s Store adapted over the years to changing times. They once stocked a full line of groceries including fresh meats, hardware, clothes, shoes and animal feed. The store sold gasoline until just recently, and they also added a pizza/deli counter. “We would sell so much back then,” he said, from suppliers like J.U. Blacksher, Flomaton Wholesale and Lewis Bear.
The meat and cheese scale is still at the front counter — mostly used to weigh babies, she said.
Mrs. Doris’ own children are no strangers to the store, with all having worked behind the counter at one time or another.
“It’s been our family for all these years,” she said. “I’m going to miss seeing all the people in the community. They are like our family.”
NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Comments
58 Responses to “End Of An Era: Cooper’s Grocery To Close”
I worked for the coopers on the produce truck alone side of Walter West in 1957 and 1958. would break open a box of grapes by maybe droping it. enjoyed working for the coopers.
This store closing is so sad, however, it is a sign of the times. People cannot work forever as much as we’d like to.I moved here when I married a Bratt boy in 1958. We traded with the Coopers and yes we often made a ticket for our purchases until payday. I love Doris and Lawrence and their family very much and I will miss their store very much. We wish them well in everything that they do and a safe trip wherever they go.
I HAVE ONLY LIVED HERE FOR ABOUT 5 YRS IN BRATT BUT SURE DO LOVE AND WILL MISS COOPERS VERY MUCH ! GOD BLESS YOU BOTH AND YOUR FAMILIES !
that to bad i have always liked going there on my to my grandparents. sometimes we would go there if we forgot something or needed things from there. we will greatly miss them being there.
To Uncle Lawrence and Aunt Doris,
I hate to see this happening, but I do wish you two the best of times from here on out ! I cannot start to remember all the good times from growing up in Bratt, at least for while, and many of them coming from yall’s and Pawpaw’s stores. I loved hanging around and listening to the “oldmen” telling the hunting and fishing stories, and the ladies, I know better than to call them old, telling their various tales. But mostly, it was playing in and around the store with Marion, Todd, Greg, and who-ever else happened to be around. I remember stopping in the morning on the way to school , as it was still safe for young kids to ride bikes back then, and buying candy to resale at the fence before going onto the school grounds. All those chocolate footballs, grasshoppers, cinnamen toothpicks, candy cigarettes, wax harmonicas, and all the good stuff that kids don’t get to experience today. Thanks for letting me hang around while Mom worked in the beauty shop, too. I know Denny and I were probably much more of an annoyance than you will ever admit, but yall always were nice to us, unless we mis-behaved, which we frequently did, and the discipline was quick and just. Thanks for that , too, as it no doubt helped to insure I grew up to be as successful as I have . I think I will really miss the visits, as in-frequent as they are, that I have had since leaving Bratt in 1976. I has been great getting to stop by to see you all, and catch up on what all my classmates are doing now. A little bit of America will surely die when you close the doors.
Best of wishes to yall and Godspeed !! I too, will be waiting to hear that you have came to see us in York, SC !!
All our love,
Bill and Cindy Davis
Just think how many wonderful mom and pop businesses you could all
have in this town if you all boy-cotted just walmart!!!!!!!!!!!
let alone k-mart and so-on and so-on.
the money would stay local too
Thanks, Darryl for the link- I signed up for the newsletter!
I’ve never met the Coopers, but they sound like great folks. I remember Tanner’s Grocery in Pensacola was very similar, cold Cokes, hoop cheese, fresh cut meat and hand-written charge accounts! I wish these folks well. They deserve a rest.
I moved to Bratt from central Fla 20 years ago. Both of my children grew up knowing the Coopers, my baby girl is a graduate of northview class of 2007 and recently we moved to be closer to her back to Winter Garden…The economy played a big part in our decision…We love the change but nothing compares to the friendships we gained over the years, some made right there in the Coopers store. Very seldem was there a time I needed something from fixing a pipe to just getting some ketchup that Doris or Laurence couldn’t bail me out.. They always remembered me and asked how both my children were doing…I truly love those two like my own grandparents, I hope them many years of wonderful retirement and traveling….Marion we are gonna miss seeing you and the boys in there too.
Very sad to the Heart ! There is only a handful of GREAT places and people like this left ! This is glue that link’s us to what America once was! Thank You GREAT PEOPLE ! {{}}
O K Marion……time to step up to the plate son…….this is on your shoulders. You can do it!!!!!!!! Get Todd & Byron involved……
why doesn’t the son keep it going, he’s still in the community isn’t he?
No more Cooper’s for a Coke…the world will be diminished.
Hope the Coopers have a good and long retirement, and God be with you both!
I’m sorry to hear of you closing the store after so many years, but I can truly wish you the best. I can remember the days when my mom and dad owned the store and Uncle Lawerence and Aunt Doris and Grandma lived across the road in the two-story house. I would come home from school and mom would give me some type of fruit(because she thought I was too fat) and daddy would slip me a coke and maybe a candy bar to the back feed room and send me home to do my homework. I would go out the back door and Grandma would be sitting on the front porch and call me over. She would holler and tell me she needed me to help her do something. That something was to help her get me a piece of cake or a cold biscuit with a hole punched in it with syrup poured in it and I would always hug her and thank her and then go out her back door into our back door to do my homework and whatever else ………sure holds a lot of memories for me and my sister(Polly). We had too work in the store a lot just like your kids and now it means a lot to us. May God bless y’all and I expect to see y’all driving up in my driveway in York, S.C. real soon……………I LOVE Y’ALL…………………
My son, Nathan, and I have such fond memories of Cooper’s Store. I taught at Bratt Elementary from 1963_1996 and Nathan went to school there from K_8th grade. We enjoyed stopping by there before and after school buying gas and other things. Nathan walked over to the store after school every day for a drink and snacks and waited for me to pick him up when I was ready to go home. He kept a charge account for his after school goodies and I would stop by and pay it once a month. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper are two
of the nicest people I know and always treated everyone with kindness and respect. I taught Carl, Judy. and Marion and enjoyed them very much. I’m sorry that Nathan won’t be able to bring his little son ,Will, by and show him his daddy’s hangout after school. I wish you good health and much happiness in your retirement. You will be greatly missed. God Bless You!
Have a great retirement. I know you will miss the store but all good things have to end sometimes. The community will really miss the store and you two. May God’s blessings shine on you for a long time.
thinking about coopers closing gives me the headache.
It is a shame to see another small independent business close, and it doesn’t have to happen. Someone could take this building and take advantage of the “buy local” movement, but it would be hard work and require savoy marketing.
As to the comments referencing Walmart, it is a sad fact that the large corporate retailers are in fact causing higher unemployment (average supercenter causes 276 job loses) but the jobs they do create are not paying a living wage. A V. P. of Communications with Walmart stated in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that they do not pay a wage suitable to support a family.
The other issues with major corporate retailers are they do not always give the lowest price but do sell certain products below cost such as CDs to lure people in, thus driving out of business the small independents that only sell these products. The also do not put back into the community as much money as the small independents, with one person comparing them to old world colonial powers who did not try to improve an area they overtook but were siphoning off the resources, in the case of corporate retailers, it is capital. They do not use local banks except for wire transfers, no local marketing, attorneys, local suppliers, etc.
They are able to not even pay taxes when the tax code change in the fifties allowed them to front load depreciation over a very short time in lieu of 40 years. So the local businesses are doing all the support in the tax base, while some cites have actually given the large retailers tax credits and subsidies to build.
Suggest anyone interested read “Bid Box Swindle”.
http://www.bigboxswindle.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Big-Box-Swindle-Mega-Retailers-Independent-Businesses/dp/0807035017/
God bless the Coopers!
Hate to see it go. The best thing used to be getting the drinks out of the old drink box and then popping the tops off using the built in bottle opener. Those were the best and you couldn’t beat that Sharp Cheddar Cheese.
coopers is a part of americanna that you only see any more in reinactment ghost towns.it was nice to have while we had it, we will miss it when its gone!!everyone needs to go on down there before they close and buy yourself a little souvineer of times past to hold onto. take your picture in front of the store- yourself, family andgroup of friends! send it in to north escambia, help share history
This is a shame! Bratt will not be the same. Your article talked about a bunch of men that went there every morning for coffee and daily gossip- maybe they could get together and buy it out? Leaving the store as is!
i dont live in the bratt area but coopers remind me of my childhood i have stopped there twice to ask directions and it was like going back in time i would have liked to spend some time there the store and the people just made you FEEL GOOD
When I was a mere ten years old I walked up to Coopers one morning. Seeing as how smoking was the thing to do as all the grownups seemed to like it, I thought I might as well get started. I purchased one bag of Bull Durham and one pack of OCB rolling paper. Also one can of Prince Albert for my sister and our neighbors children. Hid it snugly in the ditch bank so mom and dad would never know. I lied to the Coopers and told them it was for my uncle that came to visit. Later in the afternoon my dad came by and someone just happened to mention the purchase. Well, after some investigating the story came full circle. When my dad finished with me as he always said” When I get through with you your tail won’t hold shucks”. Well he was right and to this day I have never touched another cigarette. Thanks Mr &Mrs Cooper.
I love this store i cant belive the communtiy is slowly sliping awa y from the places we live!!
aww i can’t believe its closing!
thanks for the memories
This makes me laugh and cry.
Oh my…how sad that is, such sweet people and the Heart of Bratt! It will be missed, loved going in there and talking to Mr. or Mrs. Cooper. I just want to cry, since I was a little girl growing up in Bratt and we went to that store just about everyday. I rented an appartment from the Coopers and just had great convience there. I loved telling people who wonder where in the world is Bratt, Fl, that Bratt consisted of 1 caution light and a country store. And the store being the Heart of Bratt, Fl. You seen anybody and everybody there on the corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper God bless and thank you for serving the Bratt Community for over 50 years! Love you both very much.
Jake, I agree that it’d be nice if someone would buy and operate the store; providing the Coopers would sell out.
I wonder if the community would support it under other management; all other things being equal, of course.
Just wondering.
i grew up in Bratt and when i was in Northview i would make trips to cooper’s sometimes 3 times a day between my morning coffee drink to bands practice snacks and drinks and a old drink on the way home from school at night. i live in Virginia Beach now and miss having a place like cooper’s to go to. I’m sad I won’t get to visit the store one more time before they close.
God Bless the Cooper Family
I’ve only been in the area about 5 years but my husband grew up in the area and went there alot. Everytime we were in the area we would stop at Coopers. At one time they were selling used CD’s & other things like that, and I got a few CD’s for like $2 each and my husband also bought me a pink John Deere keychain from there. I agree with Jake that maybe they will sell the business so someone can keep it running in the community. Bratt is in the middle of everything, and it’s a shame to have to drive all the way to Flomaton, Atmore, or Century to go to a grocery store or gas station. God Bless the Cooper family as they start the next chapter in their lives!
sad to see you go, BUT, have you thought about selling it so it can remain a part of the community? Certainly someone who loves it could buy it and keep it going…
Experience Speaks!
Maybe the Mayor can enact a proclamation, just because of the love the
community has for the Cooper Store personnel, that all in the community
drop by and ask if THEY or THEIR RELATIVES have a pending bill and
pay it or offer to pay it. One would be surprised whose names are on
the bills. (Comments indicate they were very appreciated so pay up.)
When my parents closed their store they had a stack of bills and some of
those were from people in their church! People do forget so the reason
for not paying may be only negligence. That is not a good excuse but the
money can be useful, whenever paid.
Thanks Coopers for being good community people.
I will always remember the penny candy counter. We could always get our fill. Mrs. Doris and Mr. Lawrence will certainly be missed in the crossroad. It is just not a trip to Bratt without going to Cooper’s. Thank you for a childhood of memories! Not only did we go, we took our kids and grandkids later on. We will miss you!
AWWW.. POOR NORTHVIEW STUDENTS. THEY ARE LOOSING THE BEFORE AND AAFTER SCHOOL HANG OUT.. THERE ARESOME GOOD MEMORIES IN THAT STORE
I have lived in Mobile AL, Bay Minette AL, Jay FL, Milton FL, Pensacola FL. My church has owned and opperated a campgrounds in McDavid FL, just down the road from Cooper’s. Cooper’s has been a stop for last minute camping supplies, treats and what have you for uncounted years to a lot of folks from all over the South. They will really be missed.
Sad to see them close, they have been there since I came to the community 31 yrs ago. Our school bus driver used to stop at Coopers as a special treat on Friday afternoons if we behaved. They are such nice Christian people. I pray God’s blessings on the Cooper family…you will be sorely missed.
“All they will have is the Walmart Greeter. . . ”
Cooper’s sounds like a mythical, almost mystical place and i am sorry I never got an opportunity to enjoy it and the warm, friendly folks there.
That said. . .
Many of he WalMart Greeters of my acquaintance are elderly, open, kind, friendly and reminiscent of my grandparents, both gone. They recreate in spirit the essence of the crossroads store.
They may be a small gesture in a megalithic enterprise, but love is where you find it.
Let’s not denigrate them too much.
My Cooper’s was Aunt Ruthiebell’s in Munson. One of my uncles would take me to the store when they came out of the fields. I didn’t want candy. I always wanted an RC & salted peanuts. It was years later when I learned she was not an Aunt but a distant cousin.The store is still run by her son Bobby. Maybe someone will buy the store & keep the “home” place open. I live in Pensacola but I have often stopped at Copper’s on my way to Northview.
I worked for Mr. and Mrs. Cooper for ten years and they are good people to work for. I love both of them dearly and wish them much happiness as they close this chapter of their life and move onto the next one. I will miss stopping by Coopers, sharing a coke and catching up on the news!
When I was a little girl (40 years ago) my grandparents also had a small grocery store with a meat market, simular to the Coopers. It was torn down to build the parking lot where the Civic Center now sits. I wish all the time that I had pictures of their store because once their gone, it’s like it never existed except in our memories. We moved up to Bratt,Florida in 1996 and you can imagine my joy when I spotted Cooper’s Grocery Store, almost like the one I remember growing up around. I have thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere and the friendships made here over the years.
Mr. & Mrs. Cooper, as hard as it’s going to be on those of us who love shopping at our community store, I can only imagine that this will be much more difficult on ya’ll. We thank you for all your love and support you have given not only to the community and our children, but also to all of those who have passed through Bratt,Florida on their way to another destination.
God bless and you will never be forgotten!
No Coopers?!! How will I ever get my girls to wake up? I tell them if they wake up nice & sweet…and don’t be a sleepy head….and we aren’t late for school….they get to pick out a snack from Cooper’s on Friday afternoon. They will be missed so much!
yep
That’s the kind of place I remember when I was growing up.
Now replaced by places commercial and impersonal like WALMART,
PUBLICS, and SO ON….
Another wonderful thing that won’t be there for our grandchildren to remember.
All they will have is the Walmart Greeter.
ARRRRGH!
I will miss you all at Coopers Grocery !!! I have been here for 5 years and they have been my “Go To Store”. I will miss Marion and his son. My grandaughter will miss them too. We ALWAYS go to Coopers when she visits Nanna. She tells everybody that she goes to “Coopers” when she goes to Nanna’s house. WOW !!! You will really really be missed. Good Luck in your future plans. We wish you well.
I’m kind of new around here and have only just found the place, i haven’t had a chance to try one of your pizza’s. So sorry that you are going away. GOD bless to you both and your future plans.
i have never been in your store that i know of .but it sounds like a place i would have loved. i pray that god blesses you in all that you do.the rest of your lives
At 77 and 84 it’s understandable that they are ready to “hang it up”. The little cross road stores are becoming a thing of the pass and this store as well as others will be truly missed. I hope this nice “young” couple can have many more years to relax.
Bratt will not be the same without Cooper’s Store. I’ve had more than my share of candy from that counter. Cooper’s Store was a daily part of my childhood. Best wishes to Mr. & Mrs. Cooper.
I will miss this place so much I love goin in there now and especially when I was little I love y’all mr. And mrs. Cooper y’all have been great to me and my family
My family and I have only lived in Bratt since January, but the Coopers have made us feel like family since our arrival. I’m going to miss just going in and talking about all the events of the day. My prayers are with the family as they begin life outside of the store. I know God is going to bless them for they are special folks.
Kevin Stott, Pastor
Shiloh FWB Church
Growing up in that area,hearing this is sad! My family had a “Ticket” there when i was a kid that was paid every two weeks. Mr & Ms Cooper cared about the people of the area! This is how we should treat each other people! I miss those days. My Family was poor but i can never remember them asking anyone how long before you pay. I will dearly miss them!
My PawPaw was a usual in Cooper’s for many years until he recently passed away. When I was little, I went with him up there to catch his local “gossip”. I didn’t go for the gossip of course, I went for the candy. I know there are a lot of fond memories in that store. The air seemed to be clean from the laughter that always was floating about. I really care for Mr. and Mrs. Cooper. They’ve been good to my family and have always talked to me when I go in there. I really hate to see it close, but we all should be able to understand how difficult it is right now to own a business and still make profit. But I certainly do hope the best for the Cooper family
Mr. Cooper is the sweetest man! I recall having a “ticket” when I forgot my wallet one morning. Of course, I paid it later that day, but it was really nice knowing that they care enough about the people to help them out! It will definitely be sad to see them close, but I wish them luck. Have fun with your traveling Mr. and Mrs. Cooper. We will miss you!
Thanks William for doing this story.
I just wish that I lived close enough…that I could have made one last trip to “Cooper’s.”
Say it isn’t so….my family and I are going to miss this place. God Bless the Coopers and keep them safe in their travels. Going to miss the pizza on Friday nights.. it was the best. Its going to be sad to go by and not be able to stop and get a Pepsi and see the Coopers and talk for a few minutes. Going to miss seeing the kids chillin out back in the morning and afternoons. Bratt will not be the same anymore.
sad,sad,sad
No more tomatoes!? Noooooo!!!! Where will I get those awesome tomatoes now?
My best wishes to the Coopers.
Coopers will be greatly missed. Has always been a great place to stop by to pick up almost anything, especially a quick lunch.
I think I’m going to cry. Everybody knows and loves Cooper’s store, and everyone know’s and loves the Cooper family. You have touched the lives of many, and I know this is going to be a big impact on the community. But Cooper’s will live on in the hearts of the children, the teens, and even the elderly. We will all remember how caring and friendly you always were, and how great it felt just to walk into your store. God bless, and good luck. You will be missed dearly.
These type of community landmarks are quickly going by the wayside. My hometown of Lacon, Al consisted of this type of store (Gas, post office, bait, grocery, dry goods). I drank many RC cola’s in the front of that store. My first cane fishing pole and pair of shoes were also bought there.It finally closed ten years ago after being open for nearly 80 years. It was the hub of the community as Cooper’s is. When these places close a certain continuity and spirit goes with it in the surrounding area. These places are stories that we tell our children and grandchildren about. These are places where everyone knows everyone and your not just another number. Lots of memories and history have walked in and out of Cooper’s over the years. We should never forget these hubs of many small communities and towns slowly slipping away from us.