It is no secret that I enjoy writing about nearly every aspect of history, but especially local history. Call me eccentric, weird, strange or anything you may desire, and I will simply accept the verbiage as a compliment compared to other names some folks have chosen for me.
One thing I have noticed in researching history is that the facts surrounding the past are not always conducive to what some people want to hear. There is always the fear of the truth being exposed. Furthermore, I find it amazing the number of people who manage to turn a blind eye or simply bury their heads in the sand, even when they know an action is improper or illegal. It’s as if the rule of law no longer applies anymore. We shall see.
For now, I would like to engage readers with a somewhat sad story of a simple man, and a little history regarding the building he utilized in downtown Logan.
The person I’m speaking of is Michael Esposito, and the building I am referring to is a relic of the town of Logan whose history most Loganites cannot entirely identify with. However, there are fond memories for some of us who once graced the former Stratton Street restaurant there known as Coney Island.
When I was very young, I remember my mother bringing me with her to the town of Logan, which was a very big deal, not only to me but also to my mother, who did not frequent Logan very often. And like most people who were fortunate to be living and who visited Logan during the time period of the late 1950s through the 1970s, one memory always entails that of the former G.C. Murphy’s store that everyone referred to as the “Dime Store.”
The smell of fresh-roasted nuts, the countless amounts of candies available, and of course, the tanks of goldfish that were viewable and for sale in the rear of the store, are certainly pleasant memories.
My mother and I would travel to town and return to our Verdunville home via a Trailways bus, which was a common sight throughout the county at the time. The bus station was then located at the present site of Wendy’s restaurant in Logan. Buses regularly arrived and departed from there to all parts of the county. To me, it seemed to be a monstrosity of a building.
But what I also recall is peering into the open doors of numerous restaurants that existed in Logan at the time. Nearly all of them had their doors opened in summertime, and all of them had screened doors to keep flies and other insects from intruding.
It seemed that each restaurant establishment featured a counter or bar with chromium bar stools for those patrons who chose not to sit at a table. What comes to mind is the sight of both men and some women sitting at the bars, usually with a longneck beer bottle in front of them. My understanding is that was a common sight at the time, and I’m not sure when it changed.
Coney Island restaurant was one of the places I remember curiously eyeballing, never daring to venture inside. Some of the places featured jukeboxes, and the music from them filtered onto the streets. The sounds and smells always left me wondering what was beyond those screened doors.
Fast forward nearly 20 years later to about 1980 and I’m sitting at the bar at Coney Island restaurant interviewing its owner, Mike Chryssofos, enjoying every minute of the discussion. His broken English had a distinct Greek tone to it as I jotted down the words for a Logan Banner story.
I have often wondered what became of the recipes for the delicious and unusual food that was served at Mike’s restaurant. By the time I had reached adulthood, beer was no longer being sold at Coney Island, but the food, whether it was an unconventional hot dog, a chili burger or what was referred to as a vegetable plate, was delicious. The bean soup and especially the coleslaw, which did not include mayonnaise, were fantastic. I wish those foods could somehow be revived locally.
Anyway, the building has changed hands seven times since the Ammar Brothers Real Estate owned it in 1948. Today, it sadly sits unoccupie but definitely not empty.
The untimely death of Mike Esposito has left a void in Logan — maybe a small void, but nonetheless a void. After all, Mike’s business that he titled ‘Stratton Street Bookstore,” is not likely to reopen. In the meantime, there are hundreds of books, magazines and other material that remain in the building, which is owned by the Mike Ferrell family.
As I have continued to do in helping to promote local businesses, I interviewed Mike for a story when he first opened his quaint book store. I actually thought the place added a significant touch to the rustic town, although, like Mike, I knew it was not a potential financial gold mine. For him, it was more like a hobby. And it was clear that Mike Esposito was looking for peace of mind, not financial gain.
Like Mike Chryssoffos before him, Esposito was the result of his family’s migration to Logan. He was the youngest of six children and, like three of his siblings, he became a lawyer. However, Mike preferred libraries to courtrooms and quit the practice of law.
Like so many other Italian families in the first few decades of the 20th century, Mike’s family lived in a section of Mt. Gay that consisted of many Italian families. His grandfather opened a store there that was built in 1937 and was torn down within the past 10 years. The two-story brick structure had remained standing after many decades of annual flooding.
“I remember being in the building and never being able to leave when it flooded,” Mike told me in his interview.
After his family moved to the town of Logan, Mike said he made good use of the Logan Woman’s Club Library that has now been dubbed as the Don Chafin House. “I would get a book from the library on a Friday and read it by Saturday so I could get another one for the weekend,” Esposito recalled. “I’ve always known that books were important.”
Mike died April 2 at the age of 63 and was preceded in death Dec. 21,, 2021, by his brother, Tom, a former Logan mayor. Their father, Vito, was a longtime educator and former Logan Junior High School principal.
Not too long after Mike opened his book store, I was doing some research at the local college library and noticed one of the books in the hallway marked as “free.” The library regularly gives books away, usually because they’re not being utilized or they are outdated.
The hardback and thick book featured a photograph of a fellow whose face I had seen on some television show. In fact, it was a TV show that I grew to dislike immensely. Nonetheless, I thought it might be something good to add to Mike’s newly opened book store.
So, on that early spring day of 2016 I took the book that featured the face of a business tycoon that I knew absolutely nothing about to Mike for display at his store. Months later, after the man featured on the book was elected president of the United States, Mike sold the book to a friend for $20. A check on eBay now shows you can purchase the book for from $12.95 to $18.95. It appears Mike made a good deal.
You see, the book is titled “The Art of The Deal” and was written by former President Donald Trump prior to him becoming president.
I have found one Donald Trump quote from the book that I feel suits Mike Esposito quite nicely. It reads, “The most important thing in life is to love what you’re doing, because that’s the only way you’ll ever be really good at it.”
A little town, a little book shop, and a good man.
Another chapter in Logan’s history has now been closed.
Dwight Williamson serves as magistrate in Logan County. He writes a weekly column for HD Media.
