North Carolina Store Owner Hoping To Find A Good Home For Mechanical Horse
I think each generation has their things that remind them of a simpler time in life. Most of the time (at least for me) that simpler time is childhood. And if you want to take me back, have me come into contact with anything that took a quarter to operate. I smile every time I see a stand-up arcade game (specifically, “Pac Man”). And I really smiled when I saw the story of “Critters” in Salisbury closing. No, not because of the business shutting its doors, but because one of the priorities of the owner is the relocation of the mechanical, coin-operated horse that sits out front.
If I begged my mom once to let me ride one of these going in and out of the grocery store as a child, I begged her a thousand times. I haven’t seen one in operation in years. Apparently, I needed to visit Critters in Salisbury. For lack of a better term, Critters is a “novelty” store. “Champion” the horse has been a fixture in front of the store nearly since its opening. It’s as big a landmark as the irreverent store it fronts on South Main Street. And although Critters is saying goodbye, owner, Bob Lambrecht wants “Champion” to stay.
However, according to The Salisbury Post, Lambrecht has a huge condition, “People have been reaching out to me. I could’ve sold it 10 times over, but people want to take it home for their kids in their playroom. I’ve been saying, ‘Nope. Sorry, he’s got to stay on Main Street in Salisbury.’ Or I put him in storage.”
So…anyone on Main Street looking to buy a horse? All it eats are coins. All it does is make people smile. And for some of us, bring back a simpler time.
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