MILDRED — Charley Pogue of Blue Mound frequently drives the 10 miles to The Mildred Store. When family members from Lawrence were visiting this weekend, he brought them to the store’s 10th anniversary celebration.
They walked around the car show, enjoyed food and grocery specials, and played Bingo. Later that evening, the crowd danced to music and entertainment provided by fiddle players from Oklahoma and a former American Idol contestant.
“They’re not used to the small-town life,” Pogue said of his relatives. “They’re having a blast.”
That’s the goal for store owners Loren and Regena Lance. When they bought the store in 2014, their intent was not just to save the 100-plus year-old business. They wanted to preserve that old-fashioned ideal of “small-town life.”
THE BROWN Brothers opened the store in 1915 selling hardware and as an auto repair shop as the town of Mildred boomed thanks to a cement factory on the edge of town. At the plant’s peak, as many as 375 men toiled at the Great Western Portland Cement Company and 2,000 residents called Mildred home. The town once boasted two hotels, two barbershops, elementary and high schools and a movie theatre.
The cement plant in Mildred shut down temporarily in the late teens, then permanently in the 1920s.
Business floundered. The last high school class graduated in 1944; the post office closed in 1973. The population dwindled and is now below 20.
Through it all, the Browns’ store survived.
After World War II, the second generation took over.
Charles Brown came for a visit with his wife, Lucille, and acquired the store in partnership with his brother, Kenneth, from their father and uncle, according to Register archives. They sold more groceries, along with appliances and hardware.
Charlie and Lucy ran Charlie Brown’s Store for several decades after Kenneth’s death. The store became known for its deli sandwiches, piled high with meat. The store also was known for its community Christmas parties, where Charlie and Lucy made sure every child got a sack of candy.
A 1982 article published in The Register claimed, “Lucy never lets a child leave the store without getting some free candy.”
When Charlie died in 2001, his grandson, Michael Becker, took over. Marilyn Colgin managed the store for him for many years.
The store closed in March 2014. That’s when the Lances stepped in and purchased it on June 2, 2014.
LOREN recalls gathering at Charlie Brown’s store for “jam sessions” when Becker owned the building. At first, it gave them something to do during the winter when business was slow. They sat in the deli section and played guitar. They drew the attention of music lovers and soon moved to another section of the building, currently used as a gathering space, to host a larger crowd.
