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Katherine Dubin of Pocono Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Tobyhanna held Arthur, a Saw Whet Owl, as she spoke to a group in March of 2000 at Rave's Garden Center in Shavertown.

Don Carey

When I opened today’s edition of The Times Leader, I came across the obituary of Dallas resident Robert A. Rave Sr.

Many people in the Back Mountain and Wyoming Valley knew Rave. But if you didn’t and for some reason his name sounds familiar, it’s because he was the co-owner of Rave’s Garden Centers.

According to a 2004 story in The Times Leader, Rave and his brother, Lou Rave, started the business in 1950, on a small lot near Caddie LaBar’s on the Dallas Highway. There were eventually three locations with stores on Route 309 in Shavertown, Route 309 in Ashley and one in Chinchilla. Rave’s sons, Robert Jr. and Scott, bought the business from their father in 1996. Lou Rave died in 1998. Robert Rave Jr. and Scott Rave closed the stores in February of 2004.

Although they were garden centers, I associate Rave’s with Christmastime.

As a child, I recall going to the Wilkes-Barre Township Rave’s every late November/early December to look at the Christmas decorations. Racks of ornaments and bows caused me to become even more excited for Santa Claus’ visit to my home.

But what I really wanted to see was the back room that was full of realistic but artificial Christmas trees. In the late 90s, my family finally bought an artificial tree from Rave’s after chopping down a real tree for several years. I was never a fan of watering the tree, stepping on pine needles and vacuuming twice a day. That’s probably why my sister and I still put up that very same fake tree every December.

When Dec. 26 finally came around, Rave’s was “the” place where my relatives purchased Christmas decorations on sale. They would pick out decorations days beforehand in the newspaper circular and arrived early before all of the items they wanted were gone.

Places such as Rave’s are constantly disappearing. Competition from chain stores often makes it difficult for family garden centers and home improvement stores to stay in business. I find myself frequenting the mega chain stores, but the customer service and sense of community just aren’t the same.

Although I didn’t know Robert A. Rave Sr., I will remember his stores for years to come. I’m sure many others will, too.

 

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