LITTLE GOODYEAR —
The old Roy Neal Grocery store in this historic black community on Neal Road, which is being torn down by owners after the Picayune City Council condemned it as a public nuisance, brought back memories to some residents about how important a part Neal’s business played in the growth and support of an historic black neighborhood in Picayune called “Little Goodyear.”
A Picayune Item photographer tried to take a picture of the building before it was torn down, but owners would not allow any pictures of the structure. The owner would not say why.
Said local resident George Janet, who worked at the store in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and pointed out its historical significance, “The City of Picayune’s effort to remove blighted property from sites in the city continues with the demolition of Mr. Roy Neal’s old grocery on Neal Road. Mr. Roy’s grocery served as the cornerstone to the ‘Little Goodyear Community’ during the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s.”
He added, “Mr. Roy Neal (who was white) was a trailblazer in integration of the workforce and in race relations here, especially in the grocery business here in the Picayune area.”
“I ran a courier service for grocery deliveries from the store to senior citizens of the neighborhood. ‘Little Goodyear’ is one of the oldest black neighborhoods in Picayune” Janet said.
“Roy Neal was warm and loving, had gray eyes and a big heart. He was an honest man who set an example for everyone he dealt with, his employees and those he served, his customers,” he said.
A good day’s pay during the old days for Janet, who ran the grocery courier service, was 50 cents.
“The work ethic and honesty I learned from Mr. Neal and from the seniors I served in the community of ‘Little Goodyear’ has been a part of my character and success since those days, about which I have fond memories. They are responsible for who I am,” he said.
Neal’s grocery was for decades a landmark along Neal Road in West Picayune.
The old grocery is completely dilapidated and there appeared to be no way to salvage it.
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