I was writing an e-mail to someone this morning, and I mentioned Mickey B. Then I realized that I have never written about him, which seems a bit remiss of me. Seriously, we see him nearly every day. Dylan and Edith see him more often than they see their own grandparents! How can my beloved blog readers not know about him?
Mickey lives around the corner, on Newport. His house has a red front door, and until about 4 months ago he kept his Christmas lights up all year long.
Mickey also owns a shop, "Mickey B's Fruit and Veg and Fancy Goods." It is also on Newport, pretty much directly across the street from his house.
What can I say about this shop? Just this--it is totally bizarre! It is in what would have been the front room of an old house, and it is crammed full of all sorts. As advertised in the name, he sells fruit and veg. All of it is local and most of it is organic (though he can't advertise it as such because the home growers aren't certified as organic growers). He also sells little kids toys, sweets, and tins of things like baked beans and custard. Basically, if you are in the middle of cooking dinner and realize you have run out of a pantry staple, Mickey will have it. At Christmas he even sells Christmas trees! And the unique thing about his little shop is that these staples are not over-priced like most convenience shops. He closes to pick his kids up from school, and will quite often hang a sign in his shop window telling you that he is open--just knock on the door at his house.
He sets up tables on the road outside the shop and sells stuff off the table and the sidewalk as much as out of the house. Everybody in the neighborhood knows this, and none of us park in front of his shop--except on a Tuesday, because he's closed then and doesn't need the space. Apparently, he should technically have a street license with what he does, but the police and town council leave him alone. Why? Because he is a Barton boy, bred and born. He's lived here his whole life, has married a local girl, and his kids are both in the local schools. He is one of the good ol' boys, one of those "salt of the earth" people you hear so much about!
The people in the neighborhood gravitate to Mickey B's to learn the neighborhood gossip and to shoot the breeze. He will talk the ear off anybody who will listen, and he has an opinion on just about everything that he will give to you, whether you ask or not.
Mickey is not someone you would expect to like. But he learns all of his customers' names, and greets us like long lost friends every time we come in--or even if we just walk by. He knows everything that goes on in our nieghborhood. He's broken up knife fights on the street when the police were slow in getting there. And he says hello to my kids every time he sees them. He talks to Dylan in a Donald Duck voice, makes him laugh, and gives him sweets. He tickles Edith to make her smile. He lets me take veg when I don't have any money on me because he knows me, knows I will pay him the next day, and knows where I live if I don't pay him! :)
So that is Mickey. He really is a character, and we always like to see him. Good thing, really, since he's a part of our daily lives!
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