100 Years Ago
Ralph and Dorothy Middlemiss arrived in Golden in November of 1924. He was 29, she was 27, and they had both grown up in Canyon City. They opened a variety store at 1106 Washington Avenue and called it The Fair. Three years later, the Fetterman Variety Store closed, so Ralph and Dorothy bought the entire building and moved their store a few doors down the street. In later years, they lived on the second floor, above the store.
The term “variety store” isn’t used much anymore, but they tended to be small town stores that sold a wide variety of inexpensive items. In later years, they were called dime stores. Today’s Dollar Stores fill a similar niche, though those are generally national chains.
The Middlemiss family settled happily into the Golden community. They had three children who attended Golden’s schools and they were active members of the Methodist church. Ralph was a member of the Oddfellows Club, and Dorothy was in the “Good Neighbors Club.” Ralph played the violin, Dorothy played the piano, and they both enjoyed providing music for church services or weddings.
Their oldest son, Ken, began helping in the store when he was 11. By all accounts, he was a bright kid, making regular appearances in the Transcript’s honor roll lists. (He also made a school record for his typing speed.) Ken received a scholarship to attend CU Boulder. His academic career was interrupted by World War II, and after the War he transferred to DU. Then he returned to help his parents expand the store.
In 1949, they built an addition to the store in the formerly vacant lot next door. In 1955, they became part of the national Ben Franklin chain, but in 1967, they went back to being “The Fair.” (The Transcript commented that “all of us old-timers are happy to go back to calling the store by its right name again….”)
Ralph died in 1986 and Dorothy followed him in 1988. Both are buried in the Golden Cemetery. Their son, Ken, ran the store until he retired in 1997. He sold the building to a company that made children’s clothing, so the Fair ceased to exist.
It was a delightful store–creaky wooden floors, toys, sewing supplies, hardware, school supplies, and a huge display of old-fashioned candy.
Thank you to Wendy Weiman for sponsoring Golden History Moments for the month of November.
