A Former Publication Of Alderson High School
“Alderson’s Longest Running News Media”
A. P. (Red) Nickell
Alderson’s Ambassador
Clever
A.
P.
(Red)
Nickell
has
quite
a
following
a
his
general
store
on
Riverside
Ave.
in
Alderson.
The
72
year
old
store
owner
whistles
to
the
tune
of
popularity
and his colorful store.
About
the
only
thing
you
can
get
for
a
nickel
at
Red
Nickell's store is five cents in change.
"There's
nothing
here
this
day
and
time
for
a
nickel",
the
40
year
veteran
storekeeper
mused
from
behind
the counter of his colorful store on Riverside Ave.
Born
at
Hinton,
Nickell
came
to
Alderson
in
1932,
working
at
the
old
"Mick
or
Mac",
where
he
served
as
a
butcher
and
manager.
Then
in
1945,
after
serving
with
the
U.
S.
Army
during
World
War
II,
he
returned
to
Alderson
and
started
to
work
at
the
store
owned
by
the
late
C.
K.
Miller
on
Riverside
Ave.
He
bought
the
store and named it the A. P. Nickell Co. in 1953.
Even
though
the
veteran
storekeeper
displays
a
variety
of
fresh
meats,
vegetables,
and
general
merchandise,
Nickell
says
the
real
reason
customers
come to his store is to hear him whistle.
"I
whistle
all
day
long,
all
the
time.
I'm
known
for
my
whistling."
"If
a
salesman
comes
in
and
doesn't
hear
me
whistling,
he's
liable
to
leave,
thinking
I'm
not
here."
"I
whistled
before
I
said
mama."
And
though
he
whistles
most
of
the
time,
Red
admits
he
isn't
conscious
of
his
musical
diversions.
"Half
the
time
I
couldn't
tell
you
what
the
song
is".
Customers
will
ask,
"What
was
that
you
were
whistling
when
I
walked
in?"
"I
very
seldom
can
answer."
Sometimes
his
customers
will
remark how refreshing it is to find someone so happy.
"To
them
I
say
that
I'm
one
of
the
few
people
who
can
whistle
and
cry
at
the
same
time."
Nickell
said,
smiling broadly.
He
went
on.
"Strangers
say,
"Boy,
You
have
everything."
"Yeah,
I
say.
Everything
but
service"
"Most
of
my
customers wait on themselves."
Still,
it's
the
friendly
atmosphere
that
brings
many
Alderson
residents
to
Red
Nickell's
general
store,
customers
say.
"He's
just
an
all-around
good
person,
willing
to
help",
explained
Dreama
Highlander,
manager
of
the
Super
General
in
Alderson,
stopping
in
while
on
her
way
home
after
work.
"He
stays
open
after
5
P.M.,
so
we
can
get
our
lunches
for
the
next
day.
He's
always
nice.
He's
never
rude,
and
he's
always whistling when you come in."
The
clever
Nickell
got
the
last
word
with
a
grin.
"It's
one
of
the
few
stores
where
you
can
get
Easter
candy
during Christmas. People come in aching all over, but they go out laughing"
My Thoughts - Barry Worrell
The
passing
of
Red,
and
eventually
the
tearing
down
of
his
store,
brought
a
lot
of
sadness.
His
store
sat
right
across
from
the
entrance
to
Camp
Greenbrier
and
I
wonder
what
memories
are
still
in
the
minds
of
the
once
young
impressionable
lads,
who
frequented
Camp
Greenbrier
every
summer.
I
always
thought
it
was
a
great
location,
people
coming
from
three
directions
would
have
to
go
by
it.
I
always
knew
of
Red’s
store,
but
never
went
in
there
much
until
we
moved
to
maple
avenue,
a
couple
of
blocks
away,
when
I
was
14.
I
was
in
there
a
lot
after
that.
The
building
was
an
old
place,
probably
before
Red
put
his
store
there.
It
had
a
certain
charm.
It
was
not
only
a
grocery
store,
but
sort
of
a
general
store.
I
even
bought
a
fishing
reel there once. But it was Red who was the real attraction.
He
was
a
man
who
was
always
in
high
spirits.
Always
had
a
smile
for
everyone,
and
the
kids
just
loved
him.
I
think
he
really
enjoyed
having
them
in
the
store.
Even
my
kids,
when
they
were
young
and
would
visit Nana, the first thing out of their mouths was, “Can we go to Reds?”
Seeing
these
pictures
is
saying
goodbye
to
something
that
was
permanent
in
our
lives,
if
not
in
our
minds.
It’s
also
saying
goodbye
to
an
entrepreneurial
institution
of
a
smaller
scale
that
keeps
this
country
moving
along.
First
Red,
and
now
his
store.
The
passing
of
these
things
are
certainly
good
reasons
for
sadness.
But
it
is
also
sad
to
come
to
the
conclusion,
that
Alderson
is
not
the
Alderson
we
once
knew.
-
Barry
Worrell
(Click for larger view)