Poster: "Traditions of a Changing Downtown Auburn"

Description:

Places are traditions. They hold onto the past and change with the people around them.
Those that remain over time show what a community values. These buildings show that places
change with communities. Businesses have a place in tradition. Businesses can have traditions or
become them when they are a part of the landscape of a place. People ultimately decide which
traditions they want to keep.

The community of Auburn, Alabama has shifted. This has changed the face of
downtown. The difference has also caused many businesses to change or shut down. The student
population of Auburn University has grown. Businesses have slowly changed to focus on
students. Students have changed the landscape of Downtown Auburn. They have changed how
businesses function, and if they last. This process has been seen in other communities and
college towns around the world. It is known as studentification.

The Auburn Hardware Store was a business that recently closed. It was important to the
community and the tradition of downtown Auburn. This store was a longstanding monument in
downtown. In the 1940s and 1950s, this store sold nails, screws, wire, and bolts to local people
and businesses. The store also supplied paint and plumbing supplies, as well as mule shoes. The
store changed and sold Auburn souvenirs and items that were not hardware as the community
and era changed. This store closed earlier this year. This store met the needs of residents who
bought the stuff they sold. Yet, it was less useful to students and tourists despite its’ efforts. The
store also faced competition from nearby hardware franchises. Like many other local hardware
stores in the country, it has since closed its’ doors. The store tried to change its’ focus away from
hardware which students did not buy often.

Other businesses have changed and grown to fit the new residents of Auburn. A drugstore
was bought by Sheldon Lynne Toomer in 1906, and would later be known as Toomer’s Drugs.
The building was sold to McAdory Lipscomb in 1974. Toomer’s Drugs was a soda shop, and a
spot for young people as early as 1913. Toomer’s Drugs had a specific focus on prescriptions
and medicine. Alongside medicine, the store sold bandages, Kleenex, soap, nail polish,
envelopes, and hairbrushes. The store provided necessary items for the community of Auburn. It
was also a supplier for the university and university organizations. Toomer’s also offered credit
to customers in the community. Toomer’s is no longer a pharmacy. It has been a landmark and a
gathering place for generations of Auburn residents. It has become an iconic place in the idea of
Auburn and has changed from what it was originally. It has value as a symbol of the past. It is
useful for tourists and students as a landmark, and to residents as a continuing legacy. Toomer’s
Drugs changed its’ purpose from selling medicine. It now does something else for the
community. The meaning of this location changed and the myth of Toomer's was created. In this
way, a new tradition was created while an old one was lost. People no longer get medicine from
Toomer’s. Tourists now have a tradition of stopping by for lemonade.

Abbey Kleiner

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