This week, Tina’s choice of What A Treat as the theme for the Lens-Artists Photo Challenge sparked a trip down Memory Lane and prompted me to re-visit and re-capture the glory days of a once-popular tourist destination.
There was a time when we considered spending the day at Long Grove’s historic shopping district a treat. On busy days and especially when there was a Festival in progress you would be lucky, despite the myriad parking lots, to find a space to leave your car. Yesterday it was almost empty.
It was here that we came to buy perfumed soaps and chocolate-dipped strawberries, to eat ice cream in the summer and drink hot apple cider in the Fall. We would browse for hours through antique shops, boutiques and novelty stores.
It was here, too, that I came to find the sort of foods that I missed so much from home; Spotted Dick, Bovril, Oxos, oxtail and Mulligatawny soups (before the ban on imports that contained beef because of mad cow disease and other import restrictions more or less drove them out of business.) Here I stocked up on Christmas puddings, mince pies and Twiglets, and got recent news of home from the proprietor who made frequent visits back across the Pond.
To be fair, the decline in Long Grove’s fortunes began long before Covid arrived, but it certainly didn’t help matters. Remembering the good old days, it was very sad to see all the places that had closed down and so many of the beautiful old buildings falling into disrepair.
Gone is the magical place where you could find all manner of plush toys, much to the kids’ delight, and gone too, the store that sold the best Christmas decorations. No more, the shop that sold every kind of kitchen accessory known to man and, as far as I could tell, even the old apple press (the core of the annual Apple Festival) is no longer functioning.
The old covered bridge is still standing but only just. They had only recently reopened it after having it renovated because of damage caused by an accident involving a delivery truck, when the very next day it was hit by a chartered bus. What are the odds!
But it’s not all gloom and doom. There are still some businesses that are hanging on and people are working very hard to make a go of it. Restaurants and wine bars seem to be the glue that is holding Long Grove together these days, despite the limitations set by the pandemic.
And on the bright side, there is still a touch of whimsy, despite a general feeling of doubt about the future of the place.
I did my bit to help the economy with the purchase of a jar of Marmite (what a treat!) and various other items at Paddy’s on The Square, with a promise to return in a week or so. It may not be how we remember it but, if you are in the area, I urge you to stop by the historic shopping district of Long Grove and sample some of the treats that are still available. Who knows! Despite all adversity there may yet be a chance for the revival of Long Grove’s glory days.
Places like this can rise again. It takes the right people with a vision. I’ve lived in towns that flourished because an artist and an architect drove the project and some that just declined because the local government just couldn’t see the potential.
I do wonder sometimes, just how much help the local government has provided to get these business back on their feet. I imagine property sells for a premium outside the business district in this area and it will only be a matter of time before everything is swept away to make room for high-priced houses and condos. Very sad!
Not a lot of visionaries in local governments, I fear.
This is a wonderful photo essay, Sue. I love your nostalgic and realistic look at this place. It does mark the end of an era, doesn’t it? It was a real treat to see Long Grove through your eyes. I hope you’re enjoying the Marmite!
Thanks, Patti. I hope that Long Grove will eventually enjoy a revival but I’m doubtful. People’s tastes change along with the times and somehow I just can’t image it ever recapturing the atmosphere that it once had. But the Marmite is jolly good!
I’ve tried it, but… Our Australian friends tell us that the American’s love of peanut butter is an acquired taste, too!!
I have never seen a more unlikely looking shopping centre. Thank you for showing it to me.
It really was two treats in one, not only for the shopping experience but just to enjoy the ambiance of the place especially when there was a festival of some kind. One of those things where you could definitely look back on it and say, “Ah, the good old days!”
Well they do say that all good things must come to an end Sue, but how sad for such a quaint spot to fall into disrepair. Many similar places have been revitalized so who knows – it may yet rise again! Excellent overview of it all – the covered bridge story is remarkable
Thanks, Tina! I was curious to see what had happened to the bridge after I read about the second hit, in the news. Thankfully it wasn’t completely destroyed.
Wow. Great old places. I trust they will come back.
They keep trying but the pandemic may just be the nail in the coffin.
This still looks really cute, though I know there are so many places which used to attract tourists and now are pretty dead, even if they look beautiful!
Maybe it’s a generational thing. Most of the people my age who were into antique shopping etc. have ‘been there, done that,’ and it has ceased to be an attraction. The younger generation are perhaps not so much into cute and have other interests. I don’t know how else to explain such a marked drop-off in numbers. Thanks for stopping by, Victoria, and commenting.
This could be true and I feel there is less appreciation of smaller things these days, and people would rather go out and spend a lot off money, or just stay at home. Although this isn’t always the case.
A wonderful treat to take a virtual tour of this special place. So glad the cover bridge was not completely destroyed. Beautiful photos, Sue. 🙂
Thanks, Amy! I was glad I managed to get a few more shots of this area. There may come a time, and probably in the not too distant future, when pictures will be the only thing to remind us of the old Long Grove shopping district.
A beautiful photographic essay of a wonderful place.
Thanks, Anne.
It’s sad to read about businesses that were just hanging on, only to be shuttered because of the added stress of the pandemic. I could see myself spending time in a place like this back in its glory days.
It was always so much fun, listening to the German band playing in the Square at the Apple Festival or stopping in at the Chocolate shop for free samples. Happy times! It will be interesting to see how the land lies this time next year.
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This is my kind of post. We love little towns and byways such as this with quaint houses, old brick sidewalks, and places to buy ice cream! Thanks for sharing with us. Happy times, for sure.
Thanks for stopping by, Rusha. I will be posting more pictures of Long Grove in the near future. It makes me sad to go there and see how it is now, remembering the old times, but it’s one of the few places where I can still get items from back home, and I’m hoping that maybe when things return to somewhat normal, people will start to visit again.
We have a lot of towns like that. Some make a comeback. Some never do. I look forward to your next one.