More boring.
(Purple Phrogg Records, North Lima, Ohio 5.25.2008)
As a young punk I used to drive by this place everyday on the way home from work at Cycle Sales. There wasn’t much of a punk collection, and I remember a ton of guitars for sale. The rumor was that the storefront was used to launder money from weed sales.
Whether that’s true or not, it was by far the only interesting business in the area. The owner, a stereotypical middle-aged, small town hippie, was always friendly. I’m surprised his business lasted as long as it did.
Nowadays, North Lima, located south of Youngstown and near the Rt. 76 exit closest to Pennsylvania, has an abandoned grocery store, a strip club, and a brand new Arby’s. I asked some kid at Arby’s what happened to the Purple Phrogg.
“I dunno, they smoked too much weed, I guess,” he said.
Like all towns in this area, things are slowly getting worse, or at least more boring. These are bleak times in deed, you know that’s true whenever the phroggs die.
May 27, 2008 at 9:42 am
Ha ha, that’s an awesome story. I wonder why an Arby’s would crop up in a place where everything else is becoming abandoned.
I like your blog; I will have to remember to check back here.
July 6, 2008 at 11:17 am
one word as to why the store closed: Yoko.
January 10, 2009 at 7:16 pm
Good luck Al where ever you are, you should of stayed home.
November 1, 2009 at 2:34 pm
I actually live in this town, everything you say is true. This town is dying more and more each day. However, growing up in this town i do have to say that purple phrogg is very close to my heart. I remember going in there when i was 12 and talking to him about black flag and him selling me an indigesti cd and a gang green lp for dirt cheap. I think he really had a great passion in what he was doing and he was always super personal with everyone that came in. I can honestly attribute alot of who i am today with visiting this store on a weekly basis.
Anyway, I remember this place closing down, it was a gloom day if you ask me, since the one good thing about this town is gone. However it has been closed for about three years now, but this storefront is still up with hours faintly etched into the window. Hell to this day i still hope it opens up! So Purple Phrogg, if you read this, OPEN BACK UP!!!! After all, I never picked up that Fugs record….