We lived on the east side of the railroad tracks...a mostly Polish/eastern European ethnic neighborhood. Bill Owczarski's luncheonette/ice cream/candy/toy/bike store was on the corner, directly next to Hoosac St School. My brothers and I spent so much time there. Bruce was Bill's buddy, the kid who had to test every new bike that Bill put together. He would sit for hours while Bill patiently put togther the latest Schwinn or fixed up an old bike to resell it. Bill would let Bruce take it for a spin to make sure everything worked and Bruce would be in heaven. Bruce learned how to ride a 2-wheel bike at age 4, all by himself. Bill gave him an old beat-up bike and in no time, Bruce was motoring himself all over the neighborhhood.
Bill and his wife, Louise, made their own ice cream...flavors that you couldn't find anywhere else. My brother and I would sit on the front steps of Owczarski's store and wait for the latest batch of soft ice cream to be ready. Bill and Louise would bring us a small cup of the batch they were working on. It was just like Dairy Queen soft ice cream and so good!
We would sit on the stools at Bill's counter to ask for his wonderful cream sodas...Bill would put in the syrup, add a half glass of milk, stir, and fill with seltzer. The drink would be topped with a squirt of whipped cream. What a treat! They also made such wonderful sundaes, always topped with a huge mound of cream. High school and elementary kids were allowed to go out for lunch and many of them would end up at Bill's for a sandwich, burger, or hot dog. Bill did a great business and he was a great friend.
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