Memory Lane

Part VII

Living less than a mile from his pet shop, Jim Evans enjoyed commuting to and from work on his Nishiki ten-speed bicycle, where he could spend over 12 hours a day.

As I mentioned earlier, my childhood friends and I frequented Evans Pet Shop in the 1970s and 80s. We’d enter the store, say hello to Billy the parrot and eagerly make our way down the left-hand aisle, where the critters were kept, to thoroughly examine each cage and tank for new or interesting inhabitants.

“A big fan of Mr. Evans here,” remarked John Danser, formerly of Haddonfield. “I’m a chatterbox so I got along swell with him. He appreciated my knowledgeable interest in what he stocked. I bought two anole lizards from him while in third grade; ‘Champ’ and ‘Leon.’ Champ lived to the ripe old age of four-plus years and ate mealworms provided by Mr. Evans.”

Part IV

Part III

This week, we continue our visit with Jim Evans, who operated a popular pet shop in Haddonfield for over three decades.

Part II

Those expecting Part II this week of “Hello Shoppers... Memories of Evans Pet Shop,” will have to wait until next week for that, as this week I would like to acknowledge the passing of a good friend and major contributor to this column, Tom Hanson.

Tom passed away two weeks ago at the age of 65.

I often meet people who say, “Mr. Evans, do you remember me?” Jim Evans reflected with a chuckle as we sipped lemon ice water looking out over his beautifully- landscaped backyard in Haddonfield.

“It’s a great life.”

This week we continue with the story of Nelson Brittin, of Audubon, who lost his life during the Korean War.

Part II

Memorial Day is a day to pay tribute to the men and women who sacrificed their lives serving our country. Each year we reserve the Memory Lane column to honor someone from our area for just that reason. The names below were taken from the various war memorials in the local towns covered by The Retrospect. Please take a moment to read and recognize them.