Recently, while going through an office junk drawer - yes, MUSEUMS have those too - I happened upon an old ruler from Duke & Ayres. A Taylor child of the 60s, I remember many downtown stores from Gellman's to the Twin Shop to Luhn & John's - everybody frequented these shops. But, the one store I remember more than the others was Duke & Ayres - pronounced DOOKINEARS if you were also a Taylor child from the 60s!

From what I can recall, the store was full of things that a little girl would love - toys, ribbons, crayons, stationery, candy, trinkets and costume jewelry. Nothing in the store cost very much and my brother and I were often allowed to purchase a cheap toy that was conveniently located near the cashiers. (We also did this at Quick Way Grocery on 2nd Street.)

Duke & Ayres was a school supply Mecca too! I truly remember buying the first Big Chief tablet that I ever owned there and can honestly picture looking at it while sitting it in the back seat of my father's car on the drive home. I felt so grown up with that writing tablet preparing for 1st grade with my red school tub, crayons, paste, cigar box, big fat pencils, lots of erasers and I'm sure a ruler very similar to the one I found in the drawer.

Duke & Ayres was a staple to downtown Taylor shopping for so many years and is a wonderful memory for me! It's funny how one simple object can make memories flood into your heart.