Imagine yourself two years ago, entering a building with these words etched across the front: "Hebron Pharmacy." A typical pharmacy containing medicine, holiday and birthday cards, candy, and comic books. But there's something more. You make your way to the back, and hanging on the wall are pictures. Pictures of sports teams. Sports teams that Hebron, specifically the Hebron Pharmacy, sponsored. Everyone knew where the pharmacy was; it was a centerpiece, and trademark of the town, aside from Ted's.
Flash to the present day and we see an empty building with nothing there. Across the street, past the new streetlights, lies the relocated building, now named CVS. Inside looks much the same. Many items are similar to what the Hebron Pharmacy offered and sold. But there are some minor differences. There's no more sports teams pictures- the sponsors are gone. Just plain wall, except for some posters supporting CVS.
Today, just ending in 2013, and starting in 2014, we see the Hebron Pharmacy relocate to a bigger store across the street from Ted's. Two years ago, the store was known as the "Hebron Pharmacy", and it was located right in the Ted's lot- the lot with the largest hustle and bustle in the town. Now that lot may be challenged.
The Ted's lot is still the most prominent and widely known lot in the town, but across the street, the new CVS store is generating some buzz. It is a bigger store than the original store in the Ted's lot, and right outside is a large parking lot, similar to the kind you'd find at a Manchester or Glastonbury retail store. On the street, right in front of the store, is Hebron's new stoplight. Six months ago, Hebron had two stoplights. Now the town has three.
It might not seem like a vast difference, but to those who imagined a more rural farm town are surprised to see a built-up suburban town.
Hebron, known for its quaintness and agricultural make-up, is easily becoming more commercialized right before our eyes. What was once a small farming town with a rusty high school, two small gas stations, and a bakery is now replaced with a new and improved high school, a large gas station with a convenience store, a Dunkin' Donuts, and a CVS.
A lot of these changes have just happened in the past twelve years. It doesn't really feel like that much, but if one were to go back and look at Hebron 15 years ago, several parts of the town would look a lot different. So, the new stoplight isn't a big change; however, it is a change to the town, and a reminder that the town might just be headed in another direction.
Whether you hope Hebron will remain the small farm town that it has always been, or you hope the town will advance to a larger more commercialized suburban town, one thing is for sure. Hebron is changing, just like the world is changing all around us. As we enter 2014 and put the past behind us, we must learn to embrace and accept our town as we move forward with these changes among us.
