Following on Gene Scott's story last week, "Penny Candy Store Days: Memories of Lawrenceville's Good Ol' Heyday," a brother and sister offer their memories:

I want to thank Gene Scott for his story last Friday about Lawrenceville's penny candy stores.

Here's another Lawrenceville story for you:

My dad worked hard in the steel mill for many years and suffered a heart attack in 1960, which forced an early retirement. To support our family of five children, he turned to his entrepreneurial side. He looked around Lawrenceville and saw a spot that needed a neighborhood grocery store -- with a large selection of penny candy, too.

Around 1962, he opened Carl's Market at 52nd and Keystone; after several years, he moved to a larger location at Duncan and McCandless. Fond memories of the corner penny candy store came flooding back to me as I read Gene Scott's story. It was, of course, a much simpler time.

My father was an early adopter of consumer-reward programs. He told the young kids in the neighborhood that they could come in each week for five free pieces of penny candy. I remember my Dad giving me the task each Saturday of bagging it up to be ready for the week. His hope was that when the kids got their allowances, they would come back to the store and spend it with us. (Most of them did!)

He also would regularly reward good report cards with an additional five pieces of the penny candy.

The parents of these neighborhood children were mostly mill workers and on a tight budget. Dad carried around with him a yellow tablet. He would extend credit for staple goods like bread, milk, eggs and record the purchases. On mill paydays, he'd get paid, too.

Kids in those days learned at an early age the value of just one penny, as well as the importance of carrying home the precious cargo for supper at night. For me and my sisters, we learned a strong work ethic by helping out at dad's store after school. At the young age of 10, I was already learning sales, which I took through my life's work.

In 1973, at the young age of 64, my dad passed on and his corner store closed. We still have the fond memories of a wonderful simple time of penny candy, smiling children and grateful parents in a time of trust to the next payday.

-- CARL GASPER JR., Monessen (cjg120@comcast.net)

I am the daughter of Carl Gasper Sr., the man behind Carl's Market in Lawrenceville. Thank you, Gene Scott. You have really taken me back to the good ole days.

I worked in my dad's store from the age of 11 until I married in 1970. Fresh lunch meats, chocolate pop, orange crush and of course penny candy.

My brother is right -- that experience gave me a good work ethic, and it helped me to talk to and read people.

My dad would pay kids to shovel snow. The special ones that he trusted would help out in the store. The people back then would come and talk to Carl, spend time, talk of their troubles and have a place to go just to help them get by.

Carl's Market and many of the penny candy stores have gone by the wayside. But all of us who had that experience will never forget how those little corner stores helped make our neighborhoods close and secure.

-- KATHIE VECCHIO, West Mifflin (kathievec@yahoo.com)