Water Cooler IV: Short's Cafe Memories

Circa the late 1940s/early 1950s @ the Short's Cafe...

'The food is not Stranger and we are never Short on customers'

Not long ago, Cleo Bee Jones' photo taken of Short's Cafe not long before it was torn down, triggered a thread on Facebook; in this thread, people shared their memories of Short's Cafe in St. Vincent...

Cleo Bee Jones I took this picture [NOTE:  See Cleo's photo at bottom of this post] of Short's Cafe when I was in the area singing at the Hallock Fair one year...

Deborah Kopylov It's strange to see this old place and that sidewalk knowing that years ago I walked that sidewalk and went into that Cafe that had so much life!!

Trish Short Lewis ‎Deb, I know what you mean. It sure brings home the passage of time as it relates to one's own life...

Eliza "Liza" Stranger Short

James McC Ah, yes...I have many memories of this building. Known affectionately as simply "Ma Short's".

Margie L. White I had my first orange soda float at Ma Short's. What a treat that was!

Cleo Bee Jones I always feel nostalgic when I see this pic, taken the night before I last sang at the Hallock fair...I was at my Aunt Ruby's and walked down by there with my camera in hand and glad that I did.

Trish Short Lewis I'm very glad you did it also, Cleo. It's just a memory now...

George Howry In the 50's this was the Place..to meet friends..

Trish Short Lewis It was in the 1930's, too, George! That's where my parents met in 1939. Whew...glad they did or I wouldn't be here!

Cafe promo from pre-marriage business partnership in 1930s...

Cleo Bee Jones I can close my eyes and see the interior of the cafe...and I can hear "Ma Short" (as she was lovingly called) - "No beer for you Hallock boys!", and then a little laugh, she had!!

Trish Short Lewis Oh, Cleo I love hearing stories like that. I never saw it when it was truly up and running. Please, can you close your eyes once more and describe what it looked like for us?

Gail Short

Cleo Bee Jones I can see a line of booths on the East side of the cafe...I believe that the door was around that side...and then of course the counter and bar was on the west side of the room. The colors are not clear to me...but maybe reddish booths...but I am not sure.

Trish Short Lewis Man, what I wouldn't give for photos of the interior! I bet my cousin Jean, Gail and Liza's daughter, may have had some, but she has passed away (I met her a few times).

James McC I recall the "Green Doors" at the back. These led to the private larger room. When business was good Ma opened up the Green Doors. Often the full parking lot belied the fact that the front Cafe/Bar was empty; the room behind the Green Door was filled to capacity.

Trish Short Lewis ‎What was going on back there?!

Short's Cafe in its final years, shortly before it was razed
[Photo:  Cleo Bee Lane]