Khoury's the store with a 'HEART.'

Please allow me to take you back in time with me when I remember my first memory of Khoury's at age 12.

That summer was my first year to work in peaches at the Wilson Peach Packing House, pulling leaves off the peaches! My skin still itches just remembering that agony, but, that isn't the reason for this letter, only mention that part because it was where I earn the spending money for my first vacation.

Our Aunt & Uncle Myrtis & Homer Jackson offered to take my older brother and I to Daytona Beach with them on our first real vacation. Oh the excitement!

Back to my story...........After work that day and after collecting the wages for my labor and adding it to what I had been saving for the vacation. Aunt Myrtis took me to Khoury's to buy a bathing suit and some other clothes for the trip. It was late and the store was ready to close so we hurried through and made the purchases and left.

It wasn't until later on it was discovered that I had laid my little purse down with all my vacation money in it and left it at the store! (a 12 year old cried)!

The store was closed but Aunt Myrtis called someone and explained the situation and that someone made a special trip down to open the store to let that little broken hearted child retrieve her purse and her hard earned money. Of course the purse was right where she left it.

Precious memories were made that day by a very happy child. I have forgotten through the years who the person was that believed the child's story and took the time to come back after a hard day of labor to make those memories possible for me to recall with fondness of a store owner with a 'Heart.' (I like to think it was Mrs. Khoury)

Mine is only one story but I am sure there are many more out there.

Congratulations to the Khoury Family on a wonderful heritage and may it continue through many, many generations.

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Congratulations on being such a major part of the history of not only Fort Valley, but Peach County and its environs! Stores, and families, like yours have been and always will be the backbone of small-town America, especially in the downtowns of small-town America, and I thank you for all you and your family have done to sustain and support downtown Fort Valley.

Like Frank Dean Martin III, I, too, am from Thomasville where once our downtown was sprinkled with family owned and operated stores like yours. Sadly, most are gone now, and I think with them went the historic heart of the community. Kudos to you all for keeping that heart beating so strongly in the Valley.

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editor's note

It's interesting that both of these ladies mentioned the same theme about the Heart in their letters to the editor. These are the types of traits that our parents tried to instill in us over the years. We were taught to treat others as you would like them to treat you and to be fair and kind to everyone.

The Khoury Family wishes to express our sincere thanks for these and all the other gracious letters sent in to help us commemorate our 70th Anniversary in Fort Valley.

The Khoury stores could not have been successful for this long without the wonderful support from the people of Fort Valley, Peach County and the surrounding areas.

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