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​55 Strangers

#17  The Cry Baby Guy!

8/2/2012

2 Comments

 

The Pawn Shop
I met "Mr. Cry Baby" while browsing in a pawn shop with my mother and sister.
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We 3 were on a mission, as we headed down Highway 90, southwest of Houston.

Rosenberg, TX
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Hwy 90 in Rosenberg, TX, is rich with dollar stores and pawn shops!  My sister and I were determined to help my mother find an old typewriter. We grew up hearing the clicking of Mom's typewriter. Soothing to us and to her. Writing always brought her so much satisfaction.
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It was 2006 and Mom was new to Texas, still missing her home of St. Louis and many of the "things" she had parted with in the move.  We headed down 90 and took one look at the crying baby on the funny yellow building and pulled into the lot!

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No Typewriters
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Once inside the shop, it was clear that we would not be finding a typewriter. ​
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But there was lots of other stuff to look at.
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​How About Tools?
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We wandered the dusty wooden floor looking through bins of  hardware.  We amused ourselves trying to identify the rusty tools on the sagging shelves.   
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We shivered as we searched for the perfect treasure in the unheated building which had once been a general store and then a pet shop.  Mom  has always loved treasure and junk shops. She's always loved interesting people encounters. Suddenly the owner of the shop ("Mr. Cry Baby") chuckled as he watched us. Then he began to tease. 

​"What you looking for, anyway?"
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Mr. Cry Baby ( I didn't learn his name) in his oxford cloth shirt and cardigan, was happy to strike up a conversation. My only question for him, was about the sign out front.
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"That's me." He began, "An artist painted that sign using a picture of me when I was a baby."  But why?  I still didn't understand why the store was named Cry Baby's. "That's because there's so much stuff in here... it can make a grown man cry!" 

"Tex" 
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Cry Baby's partner (or friend?) stepped outside with us, for a little more story telling. Tex told us about his beloved Stetson Cowboy hat, which clearly defined him, "...especially with the ladies and the sheriff." He told us the hat made him dapper with the ladies and gave him clout with the sheriff.  He told of a time he'd been drinking and stood outside hanging onto a pole.  
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A sheriff came up and asked him to walk a straight line. He answered the sheriff, "Well, Sir.  If I was to do that, I'd have to let go of this here pole and I think I might fall on my butt."  He said the sheriff ended up driving him home, so I figured the hat had somehow saved him. He laughed when he recalled stepping inside his home and seeing his reflection in the hall mirror. "My Stetson had been on backwards all that time!" Clearly not a dignified look! 

​Thanks, Mr. Cry Baby (& Tex)

I'm so happy we got to chat a little. We didn't find a typewriter, but we heard some good stories. I'm not exactly sure if any of those stories had much truth. But every time I drive down 90 and spot that yellow building, I think of that chilly January morning and the fun time we had wandering in the shop and gabbing on the porch.   
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Your sign is much more faded and peeling now. I noticed your shop has closed. Hopefully you're both retired and making some grandbabies laugh (not cry) with some of your good stories.

UPDATE:

It is 2025 now, 19 years after our visit to Cry Baby's Shop. Just today I learned from a comment below, that the shop's owner Lloyd Cryer, was killed in 2010. When I wrote this blog in 2012, I had no idea that the sweet guy with the teasing humor, came to such a tragic end. I had pictured him retired with grandkids and leisure time. I'm so sad. I'm honored to have met the sweet guy. in the bright yellow shop. RIP Mr. Cryer.
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2 Comments
Dixie Pancakes
5/7/2025 07:26:18 am

Cry Baby's was the quintessential pawn shop next to The White Elephant in Rosenberg. Cry Baby himself was murdered in the ally behind the shop and the killer never found. Then the building was demolished from what my brother told me. Love your story and lists.

Reply
Beth
5/7/2025 09:36:48 am

Oh no! I had absolutely no idea there was a tragedy that caused the shop to close! I read your comment and right away searched the internet and read numerous sad article. I feel so sad to know what happened to Lloyd Cryer. He was so kind and playful when we visited with him. I never even learned his name, which now gives me clear hints about why he named his shop Cry Baby's.
I wrote this post in 2012, 4 years after my encounter with Mr. Cryer. As I wrote, I didn't know he had been tragically killed 2 years before. I feel like I should change my write up, with one that is more respectful. But I kind of feel like the man with the playful laugh, would prefer I keep it the same.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Lloyd

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         FIFTY-FIVE
        STRANGERS

    To celebrate my birthday in April 2012, I decided to reflect on the past with a different kind of list.  I've met a lot of people in my 55 years, but I'm going to stop and remind myself about the strangers I've met.  These are  people I met by accident, not through friends or work.  For some  reason, these  strangers dropped into my life.  Even though we may have only spent a few minutes together, these people have never been forgotten.

    Each week, I'll spotlight  someone I met in the past, who in some small way, made me stop and think.

    MY GOAL: 
    Remember 55 Strangers

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  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!