Author Archives: Bob Lawrence

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About Bob Lawrence

artist, photographer, reader, postcard collector, jazz listener

Skoby’s World

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This is a matchbook from Skoby’s World in Kingsport TN:

skobyfront
skobysinside

Skoby’s, on Konnarock Road in Kingsport TN, was a treasure.  Started in 1946 as a barbecue joint, the restaurant became the place to take an out-of-town guest or to just enjoy a civilized dinner.  Skoby’s World came about when Pal Barger donated Skoby’s to Virginia Intermont College in 2005.  The place was demolished in 2010.
Back in the 70s, one time when I had gotten a raise at work, I took mom out for dinner at Skoby’s.  Reserved a room and everything.  Now, mom was a small little critter (wore a 4B shoe) and I was not a heavy eater.  When the waiter brought out the salad and the warm yeast rolls, mom and I tucked in.  And when the waiter brought the steaks and baked potatoes, we realized that we didn’t have much appetite left.  In true foodie fashion, we offhandedly mentioned to the waiter that we would like a takeaway tray.  Instantly provided.

And their crème brûlée was, honestly, just drag in the casket and die for it…

Matchbooks

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matchbooks

Four survivors of a bygone era.
1) on the back of the Fuller & Hillman: the logo and Kingsport Tennessee.  Fuller & Hillman spelled out in its official font face.  Then “We Now Have Our Largest & Most Complete Selection – COME IN TODAY”     on the bottom: Tri-City Adv. Co., Kingsport

2) On the top of the Quickway match book: “While U Wait” and, on the back: QUICKWAY PRINTING CENTER  KINGSPORT – 247-5134  KNOXVILLE – 546-8161  on the bottom: Superior Match Co. Chicago, U.S.A.

3) on the back of  the (unused) Dobyns-Taylor book: “SERVICE AND QUALITY SINCE 1922”  On the bottom: TASCO IND. DALLAS TX

4) on the back of the 1st Nat book:  (star symbol) SERVING THE BANKING REQUIREMENTS OF THIS COMMUNITY SINCE 1916 (star symbol)(star symbol).  On the bottom THE DIAMOND MATCH CO. SPRINGFIELD MASS.

Businesses gave out matches because it seemed that everyone smoked, urged on by relentless marketing by certain companies to the effect that cigarettes were entirely safe and that all that coughing and dying was caused by, well, maybe carelessness? After all, early thinking was that diseases were transmitted by bad air.  And, if one remembers, Kingsport had it some bad air at times.

Shortly after we moved to Kingsport, Mom and I were walking past a restaurant when we caught a lungful of pew.  Mom said, “Gosh, I wonder what they’re cooking in there?”

But we got used to it.

Kingsport, TN WBA

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kptwba

I ran across this at a flea market near Sevierville.  Not being into kegling, I had to look up “WBA” – Women’s Bowling Association.  It was organized in Kingsport in 1954.  I don’t know what year this is from.  The outline of the state of Tennessee is one  inch wide  –  from Memphis to Laurel Bloomery.

I paid a buck for it.  Last of the big spenders…

Willis Supply

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Willis Supply, a subsidiary of Willis Supply of Knoxville, opened its office at 801 East Main Street in 1960.  Its manager was Manford Willis, a native of Kingsport.  The company wholesaled electrical, plumbing and boating supplies.
willis

This is plastic specialty piece that fitted over the dial of your rotary phone.

It has what look like three badly placed thin pieces of paperboard on the back, perhaps there to stabilize the piece. The notch in the lower right accommodated the finger stop (actual name).
I haven’t been able to determine when this company closed, but this item would have been pretty much outdated by the mid-1960s, as the  push button phones took over.

In a 1968 ad supplement to the Kingsport Times-News, this company bragged of “Selling GOOD Products in the Best DAMMED Valley in the World”.

Remember the dial tone?

 

 

 

Bays Mountain Golf Course lighter

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Look in the dictionary for “rough shape” and you’ll see a picture of this lighter.
It’s a “Mi-Lite Korea” issue, probably early 70s.  The lighter is a little over 1-1/2″ wide and a little over 2″ high.  Altogether, it closely resembles a Zippo.
I can, through back issues of the Kingsport newspaper, find Bays Mountain Golf Course, about 2 miles south of Church Hill, in business in 1964.  It’s mentioned as an attraction for the area.  That location would put it somewhere behind McPheeters Bend School.  I think that’s the land that Bays Mountain Park acquired to extend its hiking trails

This once belonged to Sam Assid, who owned a well-regarded custom furniture/restoration/refinishing shop on East Sullivan Street for ages.

JBR Buick GMC

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jbrknife

A 2.25″ pen knife.  These were generally given out to customers or potential customers who were a little above the ordinary “hearty handshake” group.  I’ve received several of these over the years, not from auto dealers, mind you.  The blades will cut butter, once or twice.  After that, the joins begin to decouple.
JBR, owned by the Belle family for three decades,  was absorbed by Courtesy Chevrolet in 2010.
I did at least one remote broadcast from JBR on Lynn Garden Drive.  I was in the showroom, facing the street through those big windows.  It was a morning remote and business was slow. At one point, the manager came over and handed me five one-dollar bills.  “Tell ’em that the next five people who come in for a test drive will get a one-dollar bill,” he said, “that’ll bring some in.”
Sure.  I recall that one guy straggled in after I’d put out the word a couple of times.  The rest of the time, I could almost hear the crickets outside.

I can hear Daffy hissing, “Ingrateth!”

General Shale Brick Display

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generalshale

Back in 2011, before the police got touchy about people wandering around the old General Shale property (there had been a LOT of vandalism), I would walk over there with my camera and take pix of stuff lying about.  This is apparently a display showing the different colors that General Shale could product on exposed brick surfaces.  These are all stringers.  No headers are shown, so I don’t know if they were also treated or if these were just for decorator areas.