At the busy intersection of South Cashua Drive and Second Loop Road, you can easily say that both CVS and Walgreens have cornered the market.
However, cornering memories may be a difficult job.
“It feels different when you ride by and don’t see her things there. It’s kind of weird seeing it cleaned and changed the way it has,” mentioned Clint Miles, who work down the street from the abandoned property at Mullins Tool Rental.
“It was a mainstay here. It was a landmark I guess you would call it. You knew you were in Florence when you saw the pink Cadillac; you saw Mrs. Ruby’s property. You knew who owned it. You’ve seen Mrs. Ruby from around town,” he added.
For many in the Florence community, it’s been several years now since Ruby Kemmerlin’s house, affectionately known as “Mrs. Ruby’s Corner” has been a mainstay.
“I just remember riding by on the school bus and passing by and seeing the lot…of course on the other side of the rode we used to pass by the chickens,” said Lateasha Damon, owner of Exclusive Designs Styling Salon which sits almost beside the property.
“She used to have chickens and goats over there on the other side of the road,” she stated.
Kemmerlin was full of stories and subject to rumors over the years.
However, last week the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation bought the two acres of land for $1.1 million.
They have plans to build a commercial business.
“I knew it would move on. I knew it would change. I didn’t want to see it change but I knew in my heart it would…maybe they can bring back the pink Cadillac and build a park around the Cadillac,” Miles suggested.
“It’s just sitting there so something needs to be done rather it be another wooded area. If they build it up and make it in to something and it brings more money on this side of town…I think we would all be happy,” Damon explained.
No concrete plans have been made for Mrs. Ruby’s corner.
With the busy intersection, the Drs. Bruce and Lee Foundation says it’s valuable because of its location and, right now, calls the purchase an investment.
