Drake is transferring to the Bloomington Lunds store, and Freeman chooses to work elsewhere, but both wanted to stay with the New Brighton store until it closed. Drake likens these waning days to a funeral. Gone is the plum pudding, the gourmet-brand Irish whiskey cakes, the crown roasts for Christmas dinner, the musical quartet that entertained up front in the bakery department for holiday customers. Meat cases, produce racks, bakery shelves are barren. Grocery shelves carry canned soups, bottled juices and bar soap lined up single file.
Freezers are mostly empty except for fish sticks and beef kidneys.
Customers won't receive small bunches of daisies as they leave, either, as they did sometimes. The flowers bloom elsewhere now. They were 30 percent off,'' he said. Customers and friends helped buoy her spirits through a long illness some years ago, with greeting cards, phone calls and little gifts.