About Easy Way 5 & 10 Cent Store

Located at 137 Bruce St., the Easy Way 5 & 10 Cent Store was part of a chain of stores owned by the Moncier family of Knoxville, but day to day it was Audrey and Edgar (E.R.) Dodd who kept the store going. The couple ran Easy Way for many years with E.R. hand building a lot of the store’s displays and even hand painting specials on the windows with water soluble paint.

The Dodd’s granddaughter, Patty Marshall, says she can still remember the sights and smells of the store. “I can still walk through the store from memory, smell the linseed oil from where they had cleaned the floors, and see the old push button cash register.”

Her favorite section of the store was the candy counter. It was the first thing on the right when you went in the store and candy was weighed out by the pound. In fact, that’s how she first learned weights and measures.

Besides candy, the store carried general merchandise like underwear, nylons, sundries, sewing notions, school supplies, magazines, and comic books. Toys were a really big thing at Easy Way, too. They also had baby clothes, cloth diapers, and crochetted layette sets that included a sweater, cap, and booties made by Mrs. Dodd herself. Of course, the shop carried a few cosmetics as well.

Many locals also remember that Easter was a big deal at the Easy Way 5 and 10. The candy counter loaded up with jellybeans and marshmallow eggs, Mrs. Dodd made elaborate Easter Baskets, and the store also carried baby chicks.

Uncle Buddy

Audrey Dodd’s brother, William “Buddy” Alexander, was the fix-it man at the shop. Gifted at working with electronics, Buddy would mostly operate out of the Dodd’s house on Cedar Street, but would sometimes come to the store to work on items, too. Crippled from a childhood disease, most likely polio, he was unable to walk and made his way through downtown in a wooden wheelchair.

He’s pictured (above or below) in front of the shop around Christmas time.

The Dodd’s left the store in the late 60s and the shop continued operation for some time before the Moncier family sold the business.

Dollywood

Today, the Easy Way 5 & 10 Cent Store is also part of Dolly’s tribute to downtown Sevierville in the Jukebox Junction section of Dollywood. It is one of several locations memorialized theme park style throughout that area of the park that recall the important businesses and locations of Dolly’s beloved Sevierville.

Downtown Rhythms

Smalltown life in the 1950s and ‘60s had a certain rhythm. The Sevier County Courthouse was the center of activity where men gathered on the front steps to trade pocket watches or knives or just catch up on the latest gossip. Several pharmacies, dime stores, restaurants, banks, and even two movie theaters helped provide everything folks in Sevierville could want or need. While Saturdays were a big deal with plenty of people coming to town, businesses made sure to take some breaks each week, too. On Wednesday afternoon at noon, the Courthouse fire siren, affectionately called Ol’ Glory, would ring signaling it was time to close up shop. Banks, downtown businesses, and more would lock up and employees would head home for an afternoon of rest before Wednesday night church. This tradition continued until the 1980s when many businesses moved away