Merry Christmas, Benny’s – Michael Morse

by Michael Morse, contributing writer

We had a store called Benny’s, there were a lot of them around Rhode Island and thereabouts, maybe fifteen, maybe twenty, I really don’t know. It was a hardware store, I think, and a Home store too, and it had lots of stuff for your car, when you got old enough to have one that is.

Bought my first fishing pole there, and some fake worms. My first bike came from there, a little gem with monkey handlebars and a banana seat, and a great sissy bar for riders. They had an aisle dedicated to models, and I spent countless hours high on airplane glue while making a mess of little cars, fighter planes and battleships. The one nearest me was on my walk home from high school, and they sold big candy bars, four for a buck. I ate a lot of candy, needed the energy, it was two miles and a little.

Bought my first tool set there, “Benny’s Specials” my Dad called them because they broke a lot. Me and my future wife got our curtain rods and towels there when we moved in together, and I used the tools that survived to make our apartment a home.

Al, the manager watched me and my brother and sisters grow up, and knew us by name. Then he retired and Mike, the assistant manager, took over, and he got to know my kids’ names.

Benny’s didn’t last forever though, and now the old buildings house different stores, with different things. The one near me is an Ocean State Job Lot, and they have lots of stuff too, but it just isn’t the same. Most of our Christmas decorations came from Benny’s, and their layaway program enabled a lot of kids to get a lot of the gifts that landed under their trees, the artificial ones coming from Benny’s, and the real ones decorated with tinsel and stuff from the same place.

I happened to be driving past the store on its final day. All of the clearance stuff was gone and they were selling the shelving. But there was one thing left, and I bought it. Every year I drag it onto my roof, run some extension cords up there and ceremoniously wish Benny’s a Merry Christmas when I plug it in.

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Michael Morse, [email protected], a monthly contributor is a retired Captain with the Providence Fire Department.

Michael Morse spent 23 years as a firefighter/EMT with the Providence Fire Department before retiring in 2013 as Captain, Rescue Co. 5. He is an author of several books, most offering fellow firefighter/EMTs and the general population alike a poignant glimpse into one person’s journey through life, work and hope for the future. He is a Warwick resident.