Jan Whitaker's Consumer Society

As a child I dreamt about my neighborhood, its movie theater, clothing stores, taverns, and coffee shops. I loved the show window in the mom & pop grocery store where trays of jelly doughnuts and cheese cakes appeared each morning.

and everywere I lived -- the city, Maplewood, Clayton, Webster Groves -- I was near a neighborhood shopping area. I walked or biked to the stores often. As a child I saved my allowance to buy doll house furniture from the Ben Franklin dimestore. In Webster, there was a fresh fruit and vegetable stand with fabulous Arkansas and Missouri tomatoes.

When I was 13 I finally earned the right to go downtown with a friend. We rode the bus and went to the three big department stores, Famous-Barr, Vandervoort's, and Stix, Baer & Fuller. Each store took up a full block and, like true rubes, we got lost when we came out a different door than we entered.

I'm still within 20 minutes walking distance of downtown. Even though I live in a small town, I enjoy a shopping area that is lively and interesting. There are plenty of restaurants, food stores, bakeries, theaters, and still an independent bookstore or two.