Back in the 1940s, the H&H Variety Store stood on the corner of Main Street, Nisswa, where Lundrigan’s is currently. The H&H stood for Howard and Helen Storm, the owners whose family lived in the back of the store. Jim Storm was their son, and he recounts his long and storied life in his memoir, "Boy from Nisswa."
Storm will host a half-hour walking tour of historic Nisswa at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 26. Those who wish to attend can meet him at Turtle Town Books and Gifts. There will be a book-signing following the tour.
Storm writes, “We lived in that cozy space behind the variety store for six years. The slot machines in the front of the store (legal in Minnesota) were of far less interest to me than the bins of candy and ... an endless variety of toys and games in the back.”
He describes the joy-filled summers swimming and living on Round Lake; Sunday baseball games; and the creation of the liquor store from a chicken coop, (now and then) “The Pickle.”
As a teenager Storm’s family moved to Mankato, where he enjoyed sports and attended Gopher football games. Eventually he got a master’s degree in social work from the University of Minnesota and married his wife of 46 years.
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But as rich and wonderful as Storm’s life was, he also describes the heartaches: debilitating panic attacks; the death of his first child; the death of his wife from cancer.
Whether readers are Nisswa natives or recent fans, "Boy from Nisswa" is a nostalgic snapshot of a small resort town and a life that was far from small.
