581 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn, New York
I wish that I had better memories
of Myrtle Avenue and the “Sharman’s” Tea and Coffee store, but Grandpa Sharman
(Albert) died in 1955 and the store was sold along with all the wonderful
contents. Between the ages of eight and ten, Grandpa would take me to the store
on Saturdays about twice a year. The bus ride was an adventure in itself and we
had to transfer from the Flatbush line to the Myrtle Avenue line and get off on
the corner of Myrtle and Classon Avenues. Myrtle Avenue was always in“shadows”
since the Elevated trains (which are now gone) covered the street about twenty
feet above the roadway. Whenever the subway trains went by, it was not only
deafening but shook the glass in every window of the store.
As you approached the store, with its
up-side down sign over the door (....when my great, grandfather, Edward James
Sharman originally opened the store he insisted that the sign be hung up-side
down...a great advertising gimick..."go buy your
tea and coffee from the guy that has the
up-side down sign"...) the entrance door was flanked by two huge store windows.
In the left window were signs advertising the prices and types of coffee and tea
that were available inside while the right window revealed a HUGE (In the eyes
of an eight year old) roasting machine. This roaster, which sat high off the
floor, was fired by gas and rotated by a noisy electric motor with a drive belt
linking the motor with the roaster. The door opened into a different world of
sight and smell.
If you can imagine combining the aroma
of fresh ground coffee, loose tea, roasted peanuts and a variety of spices from
all over the world into one, and assaulting your nose all at once, this was
Sharman’s! Looking to your left, was a long, high, wood counter with a red
coffee grinder at one end and a wooden bin at the far end. In this wooden bin,
fresh roasted peanuts were stored, but only small amounts because Grandpa always
insisted that his customers get “fresh Roasted” peanuts like the sign
advertised. As mentioned in the newspaper articles, all customers received a
handful of peanuts as a thank-you for shopping at Sharman’s. Behind the
counter, along the wall was a row of “teak wood” bins that contained numerous
varieties of coffee beans and different varieties of ground tea. Most steady
customers would order anywhere from a pound of coffee to just enough for a days
supply. Grandpa would know just how many beans of each variety of coffee or
pinches of tea to“blend” the correct taste for each individual customer then
grind it on the spot. Above the teak-wood bins were shelves with large glass
storage jars of various imported spices. Under the counter where the paper bags
were kept was the cash drawer. A wooden pull-out drawer where the cash was kept
and next to it was a large “billy club” which I assume was the state-of-the-art
security system that Grandpa had!
On the right side of the store was the
large roaster and along the wall, a few barrel-back chairs for customers to sit
and visit. Next came many one hundred pound bags of Virginia peanuts, bags of
coffee beans and wooden boxes of tea. Along this wall about half way up was a
hand painted mural (about 10 feet long and 5 feet high) of an Oriental Garden
scene. The store was divided at this point and proceeding through a large
doorway was the kitchen area and pot-bellied stove. This was the dining area for
Grandpa and me which was also a highlight of my day at the store. Grandpa would
send me to Danny’s Italian Delicatessen for two “Hero” sandwiches. Fresh baked
Italian bread with fresh cut meats and cheeses. I’m not sure if I was ever
able to eat an entire “Hero” by myself. This was my “pay” for sweeping the
floors and being company for Grandpa on a Saturday.
There were two floors above the store
which were empty in my day. They were complete living quarters for the Sharman
family from the late 1890’s till about 1938. On each floor, in the main living
area was a large fireplace and you could also see the gas fixtures on the walls
which lit the rooms before electricity was installed. As I think about it,
I’m sure some of Edward and Alison’s children and some grandchildren were born
above the store. At 5 o’clock, it was time to lock up and take the long bus
ride home. It was sad to leave the store and all the great things to explore
and smells to breath-in but I knew that Grandpa would once again ask me to go
with him to work at the family store. It also helped when he placed the
two-pound bag of fresh roasted peanuts in my hand as a thank-you for being
there.