Saturday, December 8, 2007

Court House Squares in Small Towns

If you have done any traveling at all, at some point you have visited a small town that is a county seat and has a court house, usually in a square. Frequently, these squares are fun to walk around and check out the shops. If you begin to see many antique stores during your walk, this is probably an indicator that downtown is suffering from a blight, and many stores will have closures probably due to a Walmart or a shopping center located away from the center of the town. Usually, the streets are one way, and you can park diagonally before you begin your walk.

One of our pipe dreams is to find a robust town square and court house, and then locate an apartment upstairs with a great view on the square. Then we could get to know all the merchants on the square and maybe even open a small shop. At one time we thought of opening an antique store and contribute to the blight, but since we have sold that business, it will have to be some other venue like a gallery or a shop that sells items needed for stained glass.

This morning we left Kerrville and are heading north for a week in Omaha. Tonight we are staying in Denton, TX, where Kim graduated from North Texas University a few years ago. Denton has a court house and the lovely type of square described above. We walked around the square and then stopped for a beer and finally left the area looking for a good restaurant. An Italian dinner later, we are fixed for the night and ready to see what tomorrow brings. Happy travels.

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