Page 194 - lake-city-florida-a-sesquicentennial-tribute-(h-morris-williams-kevin-mccarthy)-2009

Lake City, Florida: A Sesquicentennial Tribute (2009) H. Morris Williams, Dr. Kevin M. McCarthy

The Little Store run by Miss Lula Mae

One of the teen hangouts from the 1930s to the 1960s was
The Little Store run by the wonderful Miss Lula Mae Pressley, or
simply “Miss Lula Mae.” Mostly teenage boys went there, often for
just a doughnut and soft drink. Miss Lula Mae demanded exemplary
conduct from the boys and that meant no profanity or even loud talk-
ing. She would extend credit to the boys as long as they paid their bills
in a reasonable time. If they did not, she cut off their credit until they
paid what they owed. The Little Store was near CHS, and that meant
that occasionally some of the boys would sneak out of school for a
quick trip to the shop even though that was against school rules.

The Little Store
Only one time did a student not pay his bill in a reasonable
time and in fact moved away with his family despite owing her 75
cents. Years later, the student, then a grown man, returned to Lake
City, looked her up, apologized for running out on his bill, paid his
debt, and gave her a nice gift. That youngster was just one of hun-
dreds of CHS boys that Miss Lula Mae had extended credit to. When
asked why the students were so good about paying her back, she
said, “I’m not sure, but I think those boys loved me, and I know I
loved them - and you don’t cheat people you love.”

190

www.LakeCityHistory.com LCH-UUID: 7C3282B3-DDE1-49C3-985A-3A9C9467368D