Mainstay uptown business to close after owner's death

An Athens business that's been a constant for over 50 years will soon disappear from the city. It's a small, utilitarian place. It was open later than most bars. It had wall-to-wall merchandise, cheap cigarettes and a calm, weary dog. A half-lucid voice at the counter never failed to ask, "You want matches?" If you haven't already guessed, it's the Campus Sundry on West Union Street, and by 2012 it will be a memory.

Campus Sundry owner Paul Abraham died suddenly on Sept. 28, 2011 in his home; his beloved dog, Star, by his side. Good business was Abraham's pleasure and passion. His commodities included thought, conversation and deals. He left the store stocked and thousands of adoring customers wondering what happened.

The first-time visit to the Sundry was usually confusing. A quick scan around the store typically missed the item you really needed. Thus another glance followed the first. Eventually you would lose track of what you needed as signed posters of celebrities or nudie magazines caught your attention. Then Abraham would walk up from his back office, jar first-time patrons from their inquiring daze and tiredly ask if he could help with anything.

Once an item was on the counter, things started to smooth out. If Paul was in a good or talkative mood, a conversation about current events, pop culture or just about anything could last as long as a patron wanted to continue it.

Conversations could get especially long and fiery when the subject of discussion was corporate business versus small business practices. Abraham despised the greed he saw at the corporate level and would passionately share his distrust of government and higher-ups. He poured his thoughts on business into his book, "A Case for Small Business." Abraham worked on the book for 10 years and only recently finished. Coincidentally, the day after he died, a publisher approved the book for print.

Abraham was in business for the people, and their satisfaction was his highest goal. He often would tell customers to pay him later if they were short on cash instead of denying them their items.

Ray Abraham of Athens, Paul's brother, said that people still come by trying to pay their small debts to the store.

THE ABRAHAM FAMILY, WITH SIX brothers and one sister, were all born and raised in Athens. The Abraham children were born on North Court Street, above what are now the former Junction and the Pub.

Their mother, Philomena Abraham, died in an automobile accident in 1939 on her way to a family funeral in Michigan, according to an Athens Messenger article. The family moved to the west side of Athens shortly after Philomena died. Their father, Joseph R. Abraham, was a businessman who came to the U.S. from Beirut.

The family went through the Athens public school system. Thirteen Abrahams, including Paul and Ray, graduated from Ohio University. Two more relatives are currently enrolled at OU and slotted to graduate within the next two years.

Joseph, the family patriarch, ran Abraham's Cafe on Court Street after coming to Athens. It was reputedly the first restaurant to get a beer permit in Athens. It was also the first restaurant to get a liquor permit and a D5 liquor permit, which allowed the restaurant to stay open and sell alcohol until 2:30 a.m.

"And we were never once cited by the liquor police," Ray Abraham said, adding jokingly, "Of course, we got four lawyers in the family."

Paul was an avid weightlifter in his youth. While flipping through a memory book that Ray put together, a page turn revealed a young, bronze, muscular man flexing in a skimpy bathing suit outside on a snowy day. It was Paul with a sly grin on his face. He made a Christmas tradition of stripping out of a Santa costume down to his briefs during the holidays for his family. "He never got cold, though," Ray recalled.

THE SUNDRY HAS BEEN OPEN since 1960. During the 51 years of its existence, many things happened in Athens. Unsanctioned Halloween celebrations on Court Street began raging in 1974, according to an Athens NEWS article. Two large floods, both carrying more than 30,000 cubic feet per second of water, struck in 1964 and 1968, according to a book documenting the second century in Athens County. Ohio even saw a smoking ban pass in 2006.

The Sundry outlasted 11 U.S. presidents, six OU presidents and seven Athens' mayors.

Paul did make one change to the store, which otherwise stayed comfortingly the same decade after decade. A few years ago, he got a credit card machine. Previously, the store had been strictly cash. Paul would complain that now he had to add a surcharge for using a credit card onto patrons' bills. Ray also said he used the cash to keep the store always stocked.

Paul covered the Sundry's walls with signed posters. Athletes, actors, models and media personalities were all there, including the famous poster of former Bobcat Paul Newman (wearing an OU T-shirt). Some were Sundry frequenters, some worked at the store, some passed through, and some never came in at all. Richard Dean Anderson, aka MacGyver, worked at the Sundry throughout his OU college career. "Today Show" host Matt Lauer lived in an upstairs apartment on South Court Street (across from the College Green) and frequented the Sundry to play pinball in the back, according to Ray.

Miss America for 1972 Laurel Lea Schaefer became friends with Paul and Ray and visited the shop frequently. Nancy Reagan and her daughter even stopped into the shop during a college visit while Ronald Reagan was governor of California.

Paul Abraham acted as a constant while Athens traveled 50 years in time. Inside the Sundry, an assortment of wayward worldly goods, gummy worms, political debate, cheap cigarillos and laughs continued.

It's now the Sundry's final month of existence. Ray and other family members have been slowly taking down the shop. Many of the shelves are now bare due to charitable donations.

The family gave all of the store's remaining candy, some $500 worth, to Athens County Children Services. It gave all the store's school supplies to Athens City Schools, and any OU clothing back to the university. Anything left will be sold and given away.

By the new year, the bodega will be dismantled and its pieces scattered across Athens. The 50-year constant and its operator will be a memory.

In tribute, Paul Abraham's classmates in the Athens High School class of '54 and family members donated money to add a plaque honoring him to the school's Hall of Fame.