'When Your Ready For A Taste Sensation It's On A Bagel At the Station' (part one)

Well the title of this series was our tag line for the restaurant that was to be our next stop in this journey.  After Ella Mae and I sold the fruit truck we than decided that the casino in Verona would be a good place to find employment.  What I didn't tell you in my last post was that as we were winding down that business I began taking classes at night in Rome, NY to become a 'blackjack dealer'!  It was quite a leap from the fruit we sold on our truck to the fruit depicted on the spinning wheels of some of the slot machines that lined the casino floor.  EM landed a job there first, as a remote cashier.  She and her cart would travel the casino floor where gamblers would give her money for her to apply to their card so they could play those slots.  I was hired about a month later.  We would commute from our home in Clay usually in 2 vehicles because we worked different shifts.  That fall of 1995, the winter came on with a vengeance where it  snowed every day until late April!  We needed to end this commute especially the winter driving adventure we had just faced.  EM's girlfriend whom she had worked with years earlier, had a home in Oneida and it had an attached apartment in the front and it was perfect for us to rent.  Our daughter continued to live in our home and she and her husband eventually purchased it, which was how we were able to purchase the 'Bagel Station'.  First things first though.  I started my shift at the casino at noon everyday and since I was use to hitting the streets very early I would use this time to check out the area.  Well one of my favorite finds was this small 'mom & pop' coffee shop in Sherrill.  It became my regular stop each day before I went to work. Earl and Helen were the proprietors and we became 'friends'.  Earl could be a little grumpy at times, but we managed to develop a relationship bound by our love of being entrepreneurs. He was a no nonsense character who in his day had run some very successful restaurants around the area.  Helen was hard working and she was the driving force that kept the place running and customers happy.  Her daughter Jackie worked along side for which made for a family affair.  After realizing that the casino was not a place for me, I began to yearn for a place of my own again.  EM was not thrilled with my desire to start all over again but her unwavering support in all we did, shone through as it always had.  I then began to pursue this dream of mine of owning that bagel shop.  What they say about "everything has it's price" proved to be very true.  So I asked 'do you want to sell'?  Yes, and sell they did!  We used the money from that sale of our home for a down payment and off we went!  Jackie stayed on for the first year and when she left it was time to bring EM on board.  She left the casino and helped me build this sleepy little shop into a pretty busy and successful operation.  We opened July 1, 1997 and we never looked back until we sold it on October 1, 2001.  When EM came on the 'place' really took off.  We added some seating, a flat top grill, some outside tables w/ umbrellas and a staff that grew from 2 - 8!  What fun we had and what friends we made.  Sherrill, (the Silver City) was the home of Oneida Limited which made world renown silverware and related food service products.  It is the smallest city in New York with a population of 3000 or so.  It has that 'Mayberry' feel, because of it's quaint size, parks and clean streets.  This is a place to raise a family and where you will find many of your friends and neighbors strolling the sidewalks, which line both sides of the street.  They celebrate with a concert and the most spectacular fireworks display in mid - July, where everyone turns out.  We did purchase a home during our time there and we even had a small pond in our back yard that was stocked with coy.  As you can tell we loved Sherrill and most especially it's inhabitants. The 'Bagel Station' took on this home style feel right from the start.  When you came in we would take a photo of you and your group and than place it in the collage that was pasted to the walls along with all the hundreds of others.  Folks used to love to search for theirs and those of their friends and family on their next visit.  We always tried to make you feel at home and anticipate your needs. Coffee refills were endless as were my many tirades and the news and 'gossip' of the day.  City or not, this was small town America with all it's function and dysfunction alike.  Our main stay was breakfast sandwiches on a bagel and our desire to give you enough of a serving of any food entree that it would make you seek a quite place to nap after being so satisfied...lol.  We sold bagels by the 1/2 and whole dozen. They were made fresh and delivered to us 7 days a week from Utica. Running a restaurant is also "no piece of cake" but it is no excuse for my intensity.  So I now have to apologize to all the great employees who endured and did one heck of a job for me.  We soon started a delivery service and this really helped to boost sales and yes, the stress level.  Sam was our delivery man, and he did this as a second job and was as dedicated as can be.  I affectionately and appropriately called him, 'Sam, Sam the delivery man'.  He was a kind and gentle soul during all our time together and kids loved him.  Jose was another co-worker who also became our friend.  He had an affectionate smile and was eager to please me and the customers. He even lived upstairs in one of the two apartments, so getting to work on time was never an issue.  Scott ( Jackie's husband) would work Sunday's so EM and I could get a day off.  He along with Dave  a friend and co-worker of his would eventually buy the place.  Several local teens also worked for us which made for an interesting mix of young and old behind the counter.  Stacy and Angela Sam's daughters worked with us for a time also.  Stacy in the shop and Angela helping with the now overflow of deliveries.  I came up with a unique and different way of letting customers purchase gift certificates, 'Bagel Bucks'.  They were available in one and five dollar denominations and could be used just as cash for anything sold in the shop.  The next post will complete the 'Bagel Station' days.  I hope you will come back because after all 'For a Taste Sensation It's on a Bagel at the Station'......Thanks to all......