Ben’s Bargain Barn

It’s a treasure hunt at Ben’s! That’s what makes it fun — you never know what you might find — and if you have the pleasure of meeting Ben — you are in for a treat! However, if you prefer the boring, cookie cutter norm — keep on shopping at Wal-​Mart.

A little of everything and a lot of some things. Ben’s seems haphazardly arranged until you start squeezing yourself through the cramped aisles. Things are separated as much as they can be in a place like this: Furniture in one room, records and tapes/​tape players in another. Cast iron skillets and general pots and pans, drapes, upholstery fabric bolts are along the walls near the front door. Glassware and china are in yet another section. In between the rooms, scattered along the aisles, are miscellaneous items such as fans, vacuum cleaners, paintings and the general flotsam of lives mis-​spent or lives well-​lived.
There are some real finds here if you’re willing to take the time to look. In the music section alone there are hundreds of vinyl records, both 33 and 45 rpms (and even what looked like 78s), each for a dollar. If you’re handy with a hammer and nails or woodworking in general, there were a couple of nice rocking chairs, broken, but fixable.
No one era is represented, but the computer the employees use when you’re ready to buy, looks strangely out of place. After any time here, that computer is a pretty stark reminder of how times have changed.