They are found most often in rural areas of America. in the small towns where businesses are passed on to decendants of the founder. These shops on the town square are more than stores; the become institutions in a community and, even when the family is no longer connected with them, citizens refer to the business by that family’s name for years. This is the story of one such business.
Jacob Sosey didn’t want to go to Palmyra, Missouri, to set up a newspaper. It wasn’t much of a town, in a sparsely populated area. He thought there wasn’t enough demand for a comercially successful paper. The citizens insisted, however, so, despite his misgivings, he went.

AOWM – August 3