To the editor:

I grew up in Lawrence. In 1959, at age 25, I moved away. At that time, Mass. Street was all retail. You could buy anything from a new car to groceries, a new suit of clothes or even visit a lumberyard

I returned to Lawrence in 2001 and was disappointed to see all of that replaced by beer and burger bars. Recently, though, I had a pleasant surprise. Breakfast at Ladybird Diner was a unique experience menu-wise, and exiting onto the sidewalk at 10 a.m., across the street, was a three-piece ensemble playing really good jazz.

But for me, what was truly unique was a visit to Ernst & Son Hardware in the 800 block of Mass. I had a shower head that had become clogged. It was fairly new, so I wanted to get more use from it. Not wanting to be pressured into buying a new one at the big box stores. I went to Ernst.

I was greeted by a young man and also the smell of a real hardware store — like entering the old Green Brothers Hardware and John Deere store that used to cover most of the west side of the 600 block of Mass. I told the young man my problem and he said, “See the old man over there.” He took the shower head, looked in over, handed it back to me and said, “Why don’t you take it home and soak it in vinegar overnight and try it?’

I did and it’s working just fine. Try getting that kind of service at the Legends in K.C. or even on South Iowa Street!