Judy’s Blog

Brooke Alderson recently sold her building–owned jointly with Rick Shaver and Lee Melahn of Mercantile–and is retiring as shopkeeper in Andes.  But “retiring” doesn’t feel like a word that fits this energetic, creative, and let me not omit to mention funny-to-the-third-power woman.  When she retired from acting twelve years ago–the public’s loss and Andes’ gain–she settled in here to single-handedly encourage, mentor and help out a surprising number of people considering setting up a specialty small business, all the while of course running her shop, Brooke’s Variety.  The store attracted kids in search of penny candy and old-fashioned toys, lovers of oil-cloth, and folks who couldn’t resist  the shabby-chic furniture and the quirky objects she was always unearthing and giving show time.  She was also on everyone’s case to make sure Anti-Rent War history got preserved and promoted,  and insured that harvest festivals and Christmas Tree lightings and Community Day “Guess the  Weight of the Pumpkin” contests happened.  Without her urgings for meetings to plan the next group ad or brochure or community event we would all likely have each toiled separately. Not as effective, productive or nearly as much fun would that have been. 

Both variety and contrariety extend even further with Brooke.  A bit of local history;  a dab of cutting edge.  Wild colors on the wall;  fading milk paint on attic finds.  Warm and generous, the queen of y’alls;  and a sharp judge of those who don’t deliver on what they’ve implicitly promised.

She took it upon herself to organize a small scale farmers’ market to which she donated space adjoining her shop, part of her commitment to locally raised meat and produce.  I know she would have loved to see an artisanal cheese-making operation in Andes, or a dairy museum.  When there was a local conference where these kinds of projects were encouraged, she’d gather up a group of us to join in.  She set up a book exchange on the old loading dock, just ’cause. 

Every so often the “curtain would go up” on a totally re-designed display window at Brooke’s Variety:  One month it would have a baseball theme, a passion of hers;  another it would be festooned with little hand drawn, pasted-on flowers;  always in late October a version of her Mexican Day-of-the-Dead collection would appear (now showing!).  The display rarely seemed to have even the remotest connection  to merchandise for sale.  Not that she and pal, Beverly Archer of the former American Street, didn’t travel far and wide to root out antiques and other odd and charming objects to haul back in the Penske truck, and later fix up and artfully display, each in their own space.

But her vision of the Main Street proprietor was bigger than that of a person purveying merchandise:  it  included an unstated mission to provide an ambiance of vitality–good for business, maybe, but also good for the community and the people in it. 

Her space, and the spaces of many of us, offer an added social nexus where people can learn what’s happening, have a laugh or a conversation with the owner or a fellow browser.  Bump into old acquaintances and maybe even get introduced to someone new.

On a day when you see young and old strolling along Main Street, couples toting babies, dog owners chatting up a storm at the farmers’ market, people exchanging quips and information and delighting in their finds, the porch cafes sprouting laughter and conversation, you can credit Brooke Alderson with being an important one among many who stirred up some excitement in Andes.  Small town life, that these days includes a generous portion of newcomers and visitors, along with everyone else in our local mix, is alive and well in our little hamlet.~