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Denise Stewart
Hatteberg's People
Reporter: Larry Hatteberg
| April 3, 2005--On Hatteberg’s People, life is always changing and so it is for a little store in Hamilton, Kansas. Years ago, I profiled the woman who started it. Last week, I visited with Denise Stewart, the granddaughter who now owns it and has had to make a life-changing decision. |
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“Come on in Mary Ellen.”
Everybody likes a place that knows your name.
“Coffee?”
Here they do.
“I thought you were bowling today?”
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Hamilton, Kansas in Greenwood County is home to 350 people, middle America in every way.
At Holmes Sundry in Hamilton, Kansas Denise Stewart is a third generation owner of this little place.
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“It’s an old fashioned original 1920’s soda fountain. It was built in the mid-twenties. Much of the things in here are still original.”
Her grandmother Hazel Holmes started the little business over 50 years ago.
(Grandmother) “It was different then.”
Then Denise’s mother Donita Edwards took it over…after her grandmother and mother died the running of the business fell to Denise.
“It’s family, because most of these people here knew me when I was little. They knew my parents and my grandparents. It’s just an extension of home.”
(Customer) “You like where people talk to you and visit with you and don’t snub you.”
(Customer) “Without it, we wouldn’t have much of anything.”
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But time is sometimes cruel to family businesses. Denise found that running the store and helping her husband operate his business was just too much for one person…and now she has decided to sell it…or close it.
“It’s been a very emotional long heart-wrenching decision. That has been the hardest part, making that decision. It’s been the biggest hurdle.”
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(Customer) “It’s an all-around good place, you just hate to see it shut down.”
For now, the coffee is still hot, the jewelry still shines and friends like Tammy Ratcliff are always there.
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“It’s very tough. This is Hamilton! This is the fabric of the town.”
So by May if the store isn’t sold, it will close. Denise doesn’t want that to happen…she’s hoping a buyer will appear. The hard part is remembers the good times when her mom and grandma greeted each customer, but nothing ever stays the same.
“You have to move on.” |
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