If you have been reading my Dad's site, you would know that the story of our family was a rags to riches story. The truth is that it is almost a literal description. B. Barer And Sons had a hand in history that B. Barer could probably never imagined. B. Barer And Sons was named for my Great Grandfather B. Barer and his 2 sons Israel "IJ"(my grandfather) and David. When I was very little my Dad drove the company truck back and forth between home and work. If there was a big job he would bring home the big flatbed. My Dad was out on the road frequently buying. He did not want to be around the store much as Grandfather and Uncle Dave were very demanding. When I was small, I had my mother write "B. Barer And Sons" on my toy trucks and thought that that was as cool as it gets. I loved going on trips with my Dad to Waitsburg, Tri Cities and Milton Freewater.
B. Barer And Sons was located in a seedy section of Downtown Walla Walla between a Tavern and a Richfield service station. The tavern was next-door in the same building. Adjacent to that was a parking lot with a black wire fence going up to a brick building that said "Boss of The Road". Old Transient men used to shuffle back and forth on the sidewalks. The store had a counter on one side and a room that served as the office on the other. Next to the office was another desk then the furnace. The last desk had a wall around it but no ceiling. Behind the store was a large concrete building with 2 steel doors. One door went to where they would process hides. The other door opened to a larger section where the steel was stored. In the steel warehouse, there was writing in chalk from years gone by. There was writing about an earthquake hitting north of Touchet. Most of the writing was dated, usually done in the mid-1955. I remember a drawing of a hatchet and the inscription "I Buried The Hatchet."
In later years, the service station was torn down and the store was expanded through the 11 N 4th building. An oxygen filling tank was put in place to compliment the Industrial Gas selection. The Business encompassed the entire corner of 4th and Rose. Many of the surrounding taverns were closed and also torn down. There were also a couple yards offsite one with a magnetic crane and also an additional warehouse.
In 2000, my dad sold B. Barer And Sons to Oxarc, who had been industrial gas supplier to the firm and that is how it exists today.
Thanks for the story, Mike. By the time I became sentient, Grandfather had passed away, and Dad was spending more time at the store. The gas station was also gone, as were the hides. A bailer was eventually put in the former hide room. I remember the beige sofa in the office, which was often stacked with the Wall Street Journal and trade publications; and the steel desks and filing cabinets. Today, my office in Century City has a sofa, in a slightly more tasteful shade of greyish beige.
ReplyDeleteAlso the Waitsburg Times was on the couch.
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