Union has had several self-service car wash businesses. First, in 1971, Mark Herrington opened a hand-held operation located next to the Colonial Inn (Toads and Tutus today) on the southeast corner of old Hwy. 15 and Hwy. 494 below the overhead bridge. He remodeled it in 1979.
Then in 1980, Freeman Hollingsworth opened another handheld car wash on the SW corner of South Decatur and James Streets. It was closed and demolished around 2006.
A tunnel car wash was opened behind the Spaceway convenience store on Jackson Road.
Finally, Al Easom tore down the two-story house first built in 1940 for a Lions gas/grocery on the SE corner of Hwy. 492 and W. Walnut and built a handheld car wash. Still operating today, the car wash has five bays open 24 hours a day.
• Tommy Atkins bought the fruit stand building that had been built next to the Time Saver at 502 S. Decatur Street. His son Luke Atkins, who had previously opened his taxidermy business in Hickory in 2006, moved into this building in 2012. He still operates his business at that location.
• In 1963, Nan Clark, an artist who taught public school art in the Union Public Schools and gave private lessons for many years, opened Nan’s Art and Ceramic Shop at her home at 903 E. Jackson Road. Miss Clark was the granddaughter of Sydney Stribling, who began the Union Appeal in Boler’s Inn in 1910.
• Pressing shops were prevalent in the early days of Union. Iva Miller bought Griffin Pressing Shop in 1925.
• Dub Rainer began Union Asphalt Paving Co. in 1972 at his home with four employees. In 1976, he moved to Old Decatur Road and doubled his number of employees.
• In 1927, E.J. Edgar sold Edgar Gro. Co. to Jim Luke Sr., Ernest Prince, and Perry Stribling, whose partnership was called Luke & Company. Then the next year, Edgar built a two-story wholesale grocery store on Jackson Road facing North Street. Today it is owned by Jim Ogletree and is painted bright yellow. Jim uses the back room on Friday nights where he grills steaks.
Then in 1928, Luke & Company sold that recently purchased brick building on Main Street to Ed M. Luke and built a concrete building for their wholesale grocery business just west of Hotel Parker on the SW corner of Main and Front Streets near the railroad tracks. It opened September 1, 1928. Painted yellow today, this building with the sign Union Tire Company is closed at the current time.
J.S. ‘Junie’ Luke Jr. first opened Luke’s Furniture Exchange in that same Luke & Company building near the railroad. Then in 1960, he bought the building at 209 Main Street when McMullan Hardware Store closed and moved the furniture store to the new location. Luke’s Furniture Exchange, which sold new and used furniture, stayed there until 1984. The building is vacant today.
• Pat Patterson worked for D.A. Toney in Shuqualak, Mississippi, when Toney decided that he wanted to open a lumber yard in Union. Patterson moved his family to Union in 1965 while he was still working for Toney. At some point, they became partners, and then Patterson eventually bought the lumber yard outright. His daughter Pat “Little Pat,” who had attended school in Union, was working for him in the office when he closed the business in 2005.
• In 1972, Union had a Cross Trails Square Dance Club, which met at the Union Community Center.
• Mike and Ruth Ross opened Mike’s Drive Inn beside their home on Hwy. 492 near the Neshoba County line in the late 1940s. It was opened for about six years before Mrs. Ross began her teaching career first at House School and then at Union. After they ended operation, they rented to Dewey Petty for a short time. Then the building was turned into a house that they rented.
If you have memories, send them to me at teresablount26@yahoo.com or 601-774-5564.
