DOE RUN STORE CLOSES
SINCE 1896 IT'S BEEN A 'STOPPING PLACE'
By Roger W. Forsythe
Daily Journal Staff Writer

On Sept. 25, she sat with a troubled mind and turned to Psalms Chapter 25 and 26, which reads in part: "Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths...O bring thou me out of my distresses...O my God, I trust in thee."

It was then she decided to face what she and her husband, Dale, had postponed since January. On Oct. 15, Bess' Store will close its doors for the last time.

Built in 1896, the granite-faced building has served the Doe Run community in more ways than as just a stopping place for a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread on the way home.

To buy fire tags, to sign up for water and waste water services, to rent the community building in the Doe Run Park, to donate to the local cemetery funds, and to visit with friends seated on the front bench inside the door, everyone goes -- at one time or another -- to Bess' Store.

Well, not everyone. If that were so, there would be no need for the store to liquidate its shelves. Times have changed considerably since the booming lead mining town could support an opera house, a theater, three stores and a barber shop -- all in the same, historic building.

As Mrs. Bess wrote her farewell last week "to the dear people of Doe Run," cars sped past on Highway W -- busily coming to and from Farmington and the Arcadia Valley.

"Please understand that we have a deep love for our community and we want to see it go forward," she wrote. "For the past 25 years, we have served as a local bank in cashing checks, a communications center for messages, a collector for the cemeteries, fire department, water district, rental of the community building, information and directions for delivery trucks, and -- oh yes -- we sell groceries, fresh meats and produce, too.

"As to our faithful customers, we want to express our deep appreciation. Your patronage has kept up in business. It's sad to say there is only a small percentage of the townspeople who support us regularly. We may only see some of them once or twice a year. There is little concern about having a grocery store in Doe Run.

"After much prayer and deliberation, we have decided to close the store as of Oct. 15. We thank our workers and all of our volunteers. 'All things work together for good to them that love the Lord' (Romans 8:28)."

Taking time out of her busy schedule Thursday afternoon -- between meeting with sales representatives, babysitting children and tending shop -- Mrs. Bess stressed that she has no ill feelings and hopes a prospective buyer may be found to continue the tradition.

"Money is not the primary problem. There's just a lot of work involved in running a store like this, and I don't want to see it become a convenience store," she said. "When we first bought it, J. Lacey told us the only thing we had to offer was service. And that has been our motto the whole time.

"You get to feel like your customers are family. That bench (inside the front door) is full of people all the time. My kids have grown up working here. My daughters -- Janice Vandiver and Kelly Ketcherside -- volunteer their help. The only employees we have are the two grandchildren, Ashley and Diana Stevens."

She paused, then continued: "As far back as I can remember there has always been a store here. It started out as a feed store. Then, milk and bread and other groceries were added, so it just kind of evolved. But back then it wasn't self-service. You gave them your list at the counter and they went to get the items for you."

Dedicated as the Doe Run Odd Fellows Hall in a special ceremony featuring "the famous Doe Run Military Band," the building originally comprised of three stories. Later, the top stories were removed and used to build two houses in Caledonia. Both are still standing.

Over the years, a succession of owners have come and gone. These have included Mrs. Yohn, Ralph and Gladys Edwards, J. and Elva Lacey, Don and Peggy Nye, Dale and Jane Bess, and Ted and Sally Barnhouse.

"It's like losing a good friend," Mrs. Barnhouse said Thursday afternoon. "It just seems like it was inevitable. I loved the work; it was exciting. And running the store was a real help to me the year after my husband died. But it was a release once I sold it."

With her husband set to retire in three years from I.S.P. Minerals in Annapolis, Mrs. Bess is looking forward "to being a grandma again," enjoying family dinners, and working with the school her church -- the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Doe Run -- operates.

"I don't want to close it," she said as she and Mrs. Barnhouse made plans to attend Thursday night revival services. "I'm not not sure if we're going to hold a farewell thing or not. We haven't talked about it. All I'd do is cry if we had one. I'm not real good at goodbyes."

Published by THE DAILY JOURNAL, Park Hills, St. Francois Co. MO, Fri. Oct. 7, 1994.