Review Variety Village 2 (Ronnies Fruit Stand) In indiana, united-states
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Variety Village 2 (Ronnies Fruit Stand)
600 E Columbia St
Vanderburgh,Others
Indiana,United-states - 47711
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Detailed description is Ronnies Fruit Stand Over the years, My Father worked this business and turned it into what many people call a landmark for the city of Evansville.
Most people remember it for the rock floors or the selection of hard to find candy items, but more than anything many remember the man who turned this simple little building into his own empire.
That man was my father Ronnie.
My father dedicated his life to this business.There did come a time when Ronnie married and soon started my family.
My mother Mary Jane also dedicated much of her young life to help build this business as did many of my family members.
My mom and dad had three children My brother R.P.
Sister Chris, and me Rhonda Being the business man and hard worker that my dad was he spent a lot of time in that building and guess what? If you spent time, no age was too young just how he ran his business.
Even if it meant standing on a crate to check out a customer, or sitting on a pile of potato's to pick out the good ones, Everyone seemed to be proud everything they learned.
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My father continued over the years to expand his business building a wall here, adding a door there, hiring a new face from the neighborhood or bringing something new and different into the store to sell.
That's something i was always amazed at, that man could sell anything.
as years past the business continued to grow, we saw more and more new faces everyday and it didn't matter who you were or what your color, my father treated everyone with great appreciation, because without all of you over the years he could not of ever kept the business doors open.
after 20 years or so my mother and father chose to go their separate ways, but remained good friends.
I can remember on or about the time, my dad decided to sell the business (not the building) so he could open a lager business on the East side.
What a shock that little store of Columbia and Garvin was now under new ownership of a new man, and the name Ronnie's Fruit Stand was no more..
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It wasn't long before my dad met my step mom, Harla and they were married.
the new business on the east side was opened and the new name Variety Village.
After a few short years the man who purchased the store had let the business to almost nothing, and with my dad still owning the building, he and Harla stepped back through those doors and once again started with nothing- and to build it back to where he had left it.
The only thing different was the name, Variety village but the people knew Ronnie was back and he was there to stay.
When he bought the business back he and Harla added so much more.
dad over the years had always found himself tinkering with different things suck as plants and fireworks, but not with the same volume.
They were now truing this little fruit stand into a variety of things.
with every day of the year adding a little spice in it.
My family members remained true to helping my father, but back then Aunt Janet was always always the one person who stuck in my mind, she was my dad's rock, no matter when it was or how hard or long the task was.She never let him down she worked her butt off and I think her and i are a lot a like having the same goals and knowing hard work pays off.
i can honestly say over the many yeas i have learned everything about running a business from 2 people.
My father, being the first person and the last before his passing to teach me almost everything he knew about running a good business and my aunt Janet who many say I'm like, when it cokes to not being afraid of hard work.
She always told me to approach every job i do with great pride and as long as you put your very best in everything you do you will always shine and do well.
THANK YOU BOTH, because i was truly blessed with being a hard dedicated worker..
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The years were passing by quickly and none of us were getting any younger.
I remember dad's rock was offered a job working in the clerks office and we couldn't be any happier for her.
We were sad but we all know in time that all of this would change.
sometimes change is good because it makes who are in line for a higher position of responsibility step up to the plate.
We did several changes when Aunt Janet left and had many to move many employees to different area's .I don't think it ever went back to the way it was.By this time there were 2 seasons (3 if we counted fruit baskets) that's a super bust time.
so around April 1st through December there was never a dull moment.
most of us stayed very busy.
In April plant season opened my father and Harla also had a greenhouse on Oregon street where they had a large plant wholesale business to run.not to say that the plant business at the store was growing bigger and bigger each year.
We sat records each season.
we had customers from Kentucky, Illinois and many other places stopping by to see our large Variety of plants.
Many fell in love and still shop here to this day.
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while we finished up the plant season, in another building, many were preparing silk flowers for memorial day and getting buckets ready for the fresh cut flowers that the farmers would be bringing in.
My fathers other sister Carolyn and her husband Jim took much pride in this job, and have ever sense they retired from their job's.
they have continued over the years to build a nice business, and are also still making beautiful arrangements for the cemetery.
Before she even gets to the last day of selling flowers, there's always one of us who is trying to move her along because we need to get ready for the biggest next thing.
they already took at least 23to 4 weeks to sell, and it will take a lot of hard work to prepare for my fathers favorite time of the year, the 4th of July.
He took much pride in his fireworks, I can remember each year-got bigger and bigger and required extra hours from everybody.
Even dad's rock took vacation to help him.
The last 3 days of the fireworks were always the worst, and if you slept 8 hours in those 3 days you were very lucky.
but each year we made it very successful with our hard work.
There were a couple of months that passed, and things would get back to normal, but with winter coming on it meant Christmas was near and orders would start for the fruit baskets.
I could remember years ago we made thousands of baskets and we sold thousands of Christmas trees.
But as the population grew and the economy began to change, we discontinued selling live trees, but we still to this day make baskets-now only about 400 a year.
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The new year would come and just like a routine we all started all over again.
Only each year the demand got greater.
On or around 2003, my dad along with Harla, decided to close Schneider greenhouse because it was becoming very difficult for Harla.
They had a few years before they hired they hired her sister Sherry to maybe take some of the strain off her, but she's another one of those stubborn ones, that never listen's to anyone.
It became a priority dissension to close that business up but keep it going, and she still had her fireworks to do.
and this also is still done yearly at the forth of July.
At the end of 2006 my father started slowing down and his health, and his health not being great, and him not doing right with his diabetes, he was constantly up and down, so we began to see a big change in many things, and the man we saw everyday was started to fade, but never without a fight.
It was about this time he started to reach out for a couple of us, because he knew he had to start showing and teaching us the many things it took to run the business.
There weren't many who stepped out , but with help from Sherry and I he knew he could get it done, she took on opening the store everyday and kept everything in order learning slowly from dad how to maintain and order tobacco and cigarettes.
I myself pretty well knew all the basics, but there was a lot I didn't know, but together we managed very well, and yes many of our employee's helped also.
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Everything for the next couple of years stayed about the same there far as the business but at the beginning of 2009 dad started going downhill and to sit and see him close himself in an office and do nothing but sleep scared the hell out of me, and it was then i knew i was loosing my dad he always talked to me with his eyes and, i could see the tears of embarrassment because he was such a proud man and was now becoming someone who had to ask for help.
There weren't who didn't want to help him and make him happy.
I seems as long as he was in his little store he continued to smile thru all the pain.There were many times dad lashed out or said something mean to the employees and there were some customers who caught hell but please know dad was in great pain and didn't mean anything by it.
He truly cared for everyone.
Dad made it to almost the 4th of July 2009 but ended up in the hospital and then rehab for a long period of time, and only returning to the store a couple of times.
We lost that great man March 15, 2010.
My mind remembers that day so well because i had to say goodbye to my mentor, my father.
the man i looked up too my whole life, and who taught me the meaning of hard work, and how too keep a business up and running.
Now i know my father raised me to be tough and stay focused and to keep in mind that today is about keeping the business up and running., and to continue his dream or maybe i should say his legacy.
This was not the time for me to mourn that when the day was through and I was alone and the time was right it would happen.
I can honestly say a year later I still don't think I have mourned my father maybe there are some who think I don't have a heart or those who its about greed, or even maybe some who think my dad just didn't matter to me.
Well you are the ones who are clueless and totally empty not me.
I know my father has remained with me everyday, and I find much peace and comfort in everything I do..
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My dad challenged me on many levels when he was still with us.
We butted heads, said mean things to one another raised our voices, and even at times walked away from one another and didn't speak for a couple of days.
I believe he knew time was running out and God had a new life for him and it wasn't going to be long until he started his journey.
Even then the only thing he worried about was making sure that small little grocery store that for 50 plus years would continue to serve all of those who either relied on it or just shopped there, and through all of his ups and downs he wanted to make sure there was someone he truly believed in that would no matter what, worked hard and continue on with what he spent his whole life building.
I felt that he did choose me, and yes now I do know I have mourned my father, but only in the way he wanted me to.
There hasn't been a day that I have lost faith just gave up totally on pushing me every step of the way.
Even when I've come to something I wasn't taught, I figured it out, "It's him" so this is where my story to all of the community, about this wonderful caring loving man comes to an end, and as I write on it's to my father..
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To My Friend, My Father, My Hero.
March 15th - Your Special Day.
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Two years ago March 15th, God was walking through his precious garden, and found a glorious spot right on a corner lot with only you in mind, so after a tough fight from you God called you home to your new fruit stand.
There hasn't been a day go by that your wife, your children, your family and your many friends and customers don't speak, shed a tear, or just a simple memory about you.
We all miss you bunches!!! Wow, dad, when we think of important people or someone many idolize, we never include ourselves.
As a child growing up, I've always known you were a people person, and no matter where you were, you were never a stranger to anyone.
I don't think you really knew just how much this community loved and cared about you..
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Over this past year we have on many occasions listened to so many wonderful stories about how gracious of a man you were.
You believed in all people it didn't matter how many mistakes you made, everyone could change, you fed many who were hungry, gave a drink to a child who was thirsty, paid for a motel room if you were homeless, taught many if you were hungry to ask not steal, because there would always be some sort of punishment he would pull from his pocket, and it was a memory you never forgot! "HA HA" He taught youngsters how to work hard and appreciate the money they made, and most of all if there was something in your heart you want, work hard and you will achieve it.
Dad you had many things you did over the many years some that I knew of and then there was some I had no clue about.
I've listened carefully to many stories and I would like to say to you that you were truly a great business man who excelled straight to the top, but you get your biggest award for having the "Biggest Heart".
You were caring, a generous listener, a teacher, son, brother, husband, father, I could go on with many more words, but there's only one word that comes from my heart - you were a true man..
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Thank you dad for all the years you taught me and for truly believing in me when I didn't think you did.
I know I have shown you over the years I'm a hard worker and there's nothing I can't do, but now that you're settled in your glorious little corner lot, and you have time to look over all of us.
I hope we are all making you proud.
As a team your legacy and your business lives on.
Over the months we've made changes, some you'd probably like, and some we know you didn't.
One particular instance was I wanted to close for the first time on Christmas Day, boy did you decide different.
It was heads or tales, heads we stayed open, tales we closed, that dollar piece went straight to heads; we knew you were there and we were opened.
Its moments like this that you look around at your employees or your costumers and see a smile on their face, because they're thinking just like me.
About you!!.
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As another year comes and goes, and no matter how tough things get in our economy, or however long God chooses me to stay here on earth, I promise I will do everything I can and work really hard to continue on with our legacy.
I tell many people if I can do half of what you did for our community, I know I will make you proud.
With this being said, I go back to important people or someone we idolize and throughout the year on, our calendars we recognize those different dates by celebrating such as a birthday, wedding, Valentine's Day, or even the passing of a loved one like you.
So to honor you for all you stood for and have done for our community and your family, I wanted March 15th to be Ronnie's Day and to honor this day for my hero, my father, the store that has only been closed one time in the fifty plus years will continue on the 15th of March each year to be closed in memory of you..
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Love Always, We Miss You.
Rhonda.
Writen by the Evansville Courier and Press March 15, 2011
Established in the recent years Variety Village 2 (Ronnies Fruit Stand) in vanderburgh , indiana in united-states.
This is a well known establihment acts as one-stop destination servicing customers both local and from other of the city.
Over the course of its journey , this business has establihed a firm hold in the [category].
The belief that customer satisfaction is an important as it products and services , have helped this establihment garner a vast base of customers and continue to grow day by day
Foods is provided with high quality and are pretty much the highlight in all the events in our lives.
Sweets and food are the ideal combination for any foodies to try and this Variety Village 2 (Ronnies Fruit Stand) is famous for the same.
This has helped them build up a loyal customer base.
They have started a long journey and ever since they have ensure the customer base remains the same and growing month on month.
As they are located in favourable location , becomes the most wanted space for the tourist.
For any kind and assistance , it is better to contact them directly during their business hours.
Premises has a wide parking area and need to avail special permissions for parking.
Pets inside the premises are not allowed and require additional permission.
Cashless payments are available and extra charges for the credit cards are levid.
They are listed in many of the food delivery networks for home delivery with appropriate charges.
They accept cards , cash and other modes of payments
Tips are not actually encouraged but customers are willing to offer any benefit as needed.
There you can find the answers of the questions asked by some of our users about this property.
This business employs inviduals that are dedicated towards their respective roles and put in a lot of effort to achieve the common vision and goals.
It is a effortless task in communiting to this establishment as there are various modes available to reach this location.
The establishment has flexible working timings for the employees and has good hygene maintained at all times.
They support bulk and party orders to support customers of all needs.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Location