Chisholm: A family of entrepreneurs
Bright and chirpy at 83 and with a sense of humour to match, North Side resident Erena Ebanks goes a far way in promote that warm, friendly and welcoming way of the Caymanian people.
She is the owner of a family run establishment that has been serving the people of North Side since her father opened Chisholm’s Supermarket in 1954.
Needing to make a living after returning home from sea, William Chisholm started the little grocery store to make ends meets.
For the next 28 years he would run the tiny one room store on the seaside just opposite Hutland Road in North Side, making sure residents were supplied with basic items such as rice, corn meal, flour, sugar, canned milk and some bulk cloth.
When he passed away in December 1980, the store was handed down to wife Ida. Ida ran the store for several years with her two daughters Erena and Della until she passed away at age 89.
By this time the family of entrepreneurs had enlarged the building and grew the stock to accommodate perishable items. Wanting to keep that traditional family feel to the place, very little changes were made to the way business was run.
Today Erena Ebanks operates the store along with daughter Cathy and granddaughter Sheena.
“In those days we did not sell local produce because most of the community was growing their own ground provision,” Mrs. Ebanks said. “Sometimes we would get in Irish potatoes at the shop but most of the items were nonperishable because there was no electricity in the district to run a fridge in those days,”
The store still carries basic items with a few extras. Some things are not carried because the shelf life is too short, sale is slow and too much has to be bought, so it is not profitable, explained Mrs. Ebanks.
What makes Chisholm’s a popular place to shop is the credit it offers to customers.
“That was something dad did over the years because there was no money around in those days; only what the seamen sent back home. Sometimes it took weeks before the money came in. During that time resident would make a little money from selling thatch rope,” she said.
According to Mrs. Ebanks, the store was popular for children to come in and buy and it is the same way today. “Everyone that comes to the store stops to chat just like they do today. We had good customers back then and we still have good customers today,” she said.
She shares a laugh with those who enter the store. Everyone that comes into the shop usually says she doesn’t look a day older than when they first met. With a laugh, she tells them it’s because she avoid mirrors. “To me I still look like sweet 16,” she said.
“I love it! I enjoy going to store each day to meet and talk with people. I love all my little children in the area who frequent the store and I don’t want to think about a morning that I cannot get up and go,” Mrs. Ebanks said.
Asked what would become of the store after she retires, Mrs. Ebanks has not decided that yet.
“I would like to hold on to it as long as I can, but I am not getting any younger these days. None of the family has shown interest in taking it over because they are all busy with other jobs. Unless one can tend to the business you might as well not have it; so for now we will see what will happen,” she explained.
When Mrs. Ebanks is not taking care of things at the store she occupies her time at home with daily chores but always looks forward to heading out to the shop to put in her time at work.
Old Man Bay Grocery store: a treasured item
The Old Man Bay Grocery has been in existence since 1945. It is a treasured item not only for owners John and Rhoda Smith, but residents and visitors who have supported the small establishment over the years.
The sign above the store with its twisted letters reads Old Man Bay Grocery store 1945.
Besides a few local bars, the small store was the only place of commerce in the tiny town in the 40s. Situated next door to the North Side playing field, visitors find it both interesting and intriguing.
The store sort of looks like a house and a shop all in one. Green wooden shutters decorate the pink washed out building. The door of the store is made from the same green wooden material with no door handle. A metal slide bolt locks the door from inside, but once inside one cannot help but feel that worn and warm feeling of a distant Cayman.
The owners are pleasant and make people want to stay and chat. It is a step back in time to meeting a friendlier Caymanian people.
As I enter the store, at first it seems empty of human presence. On the wooden shelves are a few household items. A few bottles of drinks, a couple bars of soap, some tissue paper, seasonings and of course candy. “Can I help you,” he ask with a smile. This was owner Mr. Smith.
Sadly he said there was nothing much he could tell me about the store and its previous owners. He said he bought the store some 40 odd years ago from Mr. Green. Before that time he heard it was used by the family as a dwelling home to raise their children.
On any given day visitors to the store find Mr. Smith and wife Rhoda working to keep the doors open despite other competitions. He hammers at a wooden shutter to keep it in place before it is lost to the wind as wife Rhoda attends to customers with a welcoming smile.
“We do not depend on it for a living but it is looking to be that way as time goes by,” she said. “We thought of selling the place because we are both getting older but just can’t bear to part with it because of the history and important landmark, not only to us but the people of North Side,” Mrs. Smith said.
She explained how, as a kid, she frequented the store to purchase candy and the sun melting it before it was eaten. “The candy was either wrapped in a piece of brown paper or placed straight in the palm of the hand; imagine how sticky that got from Cayman’s hot sun,” she laughed.
Mrs. Smith also recalled the last Caymanian lady operating the shop and what a sweet person she was. Sadly she passed away.
“She had such a friendly personality and way with the people who came in. On any given day she would stop what she was doing to help a tourist along the way or share a piece of Cayman history. That was the highlight of the day for her; not worried at all about what was bought from the store.”
This and much more is what makes the place worth keeping.
According to Mrs. Smith, a shopping experience is quite different today with employees not taking time to be friendly and accommodating.
The past
If we think of it, most of us can remember a little grocery store in the neighbourhood.
Little shops like these were owned by individuals who operated them with pride. When you bought something, you were not just getting an item, but a whole lot more.
A pound of flour cost less than a shilling; stores didn’t take credit cards and a penny could have kids chomping on sweets the whole day; times change, prices change, stores come and stores go.
Most shopkeepers of these little grocery stores had a tale to tell, whether it was about who caught the biggest fish or just passed away. One thing for sure is, you would come away with a lessons in things Caymanian.
They were hard working folks and, after years of dealing with an unpredictable public, they often cultivated hard-crusted personalities but still with a welcoming word and friendly face. They were characters.
At the store all the grown-ups knew all the children and who their parents were. They never failed to ask how they were doing and sent something extra along. Residents sometimes gathered to just exchange tales or to see what new was in the shop. They gathered to just hang out the shop window
or to buy meat, produce and staple goods.
The stores had a little bit of many things, interesting smells from salted fish and homemade goods, candies and ground provision. It was quiet and the store clerk always said hello, most of all to strangers who happened to enter. They were focal points for communities.
Thinking back then the community of Bodden Town seemed like a comfort blanket wrapped with people who cared and shared whatever they had.
Mama always gave me a penny when she sent me to get the half pound flour, half pound sugar and a thick slab of baloney sausage. I always got a telling out when I ate the middle out of the sausage and most of the sugar before I got home. It was very little supper for me that night, but it didn’t matter. I adored how important Mr. Logan made me feel as I purchased the meagre items while taking in the stern warning of “now you take that right on home to your mama and no pinching a piece,” calling out in his cheery voice and often adding an extra paradise plum or two behind the sound advice.
Life, it seemed, couldn’t get much better than that.
Those days are pretty much gone and the corner stores in my area have all but disappeared.
Today, a shopping experience is quite different, sometimes employees could care less and customers often appear to be people in distress. It is crowded and no one has the time to ask what mama is doing.
Related Videos
