The wooden floorboards of the Walther Store didn’t just creak; they groaned with the weight of a century’s worth of secrets. Built in 1878 by twenty-six-year-old Henry Walther, the store was the beating heart of Gibson. In those days, if you couldn't find it at Walther’s, you probably didn't need it.
As the decades rolled by, the store became more than a business; it was a sanctuary. While Henry handled the ledgers and the livestock, the local children remembered the store for its sweeter side. In other Walther-run shops of the era, it was common to see the owner’s wife, perhaps like Faye Walther in a different branch, sitting over the candy counter with her Bible, offering a kind word to every child who came in with a found pop bottle to trade for penny candy. walther-store
"I need supplies for the winter, Henry," Silas said, laying the furs on the counter. "Flour, coffee, and a new set of traps." The wooden floorboards of the Walther Store didn’t
