The Connecticut Store

When I first moved back to Connecticut I decided to explore the downtown of Waterbury. All the stores I remembered as a child had closed. As with most small industrial cities, very little business was left in the center of town. Intriguing me was the Connecticut Store, housed in the first floor of an old department store. The edifice is a beautiful brick late 19th century structure. My spirits had risen in expectation of what might be of interest inside. There were perhaps two or three old wood and glass display cabinets in one corner. To the side of them stood an old elevator door with a see-through sign that at one time had a light behind it to announce its purpose. Some filtered light came in from around the walls in the front display windows and cheap small clip-on incandescent light fixtures were attached helter-skelter, creating an even drearier atmosphere. On the other side of the room was a dark void. Inside the displays were men's ties with the University of Connecticut (UConn) logo as a repeat pattern, flat pewter ornaments of places in Waterbury and dried flowers. I do not remember more. Disappointed and now somewhat depressed, I quickly left.

A few years later, my friend Pattie from Berkeley stayed with Steve and me during an internship she had in a nearby town. On one of the first days of her stay I came home to find her in shock and despair in the living room. I went to her and asked her what was wrong. She said, "I took a walk downtown and ended up at the Connecticut Store." When she left, she still could not shake the store from her head. Nor could she forget that down the street they sell a drink called "Dreaming Death."