Eagle Concessions, Incorporated was formerly known as S & S Popcorn. What started as a one man operation in 1964 by Garvis Strickland when a small carnival came to Shelby, became a mega east coast, 13 state business! That's a lot of popcorn and fair food folks!
In 1964 Garvis put up an old tent, used a gas grill, and old refrigerator for that very first small carnival which he got permission to feed. What began then, lasted for a half century and became the biggest purveyor of popcorn, carnival food and drink. Quite frankly the business exploded into the biggest on the east coast.
Garvis passed away in January of this year and his brother Earl is fulfilling the agreement they had. It was when one passed away, the living brother would divest the business of all assets. That time has come. The end of an era.
Looking back, S & S Popcorn Concessions and later named Eagle Concessions tells quite a story. The Strickland family lived in Shelby. William Strickland and his wife Ola had six boys and two girls. They were sharecroppers. Their diet was mostly pinto beans and biscuits. When I spoke with Earl he told me they started picking cotton and working in the fields at the age of three. When he was fifteen years old, Garvis went to work as a curb hop for All-Da BBQ, from 2 pm to midnight for $3.00 a day. That was in 1950. He worked there until 1956. He then went to Florida and worked for Pet Dairy from 1956 to 1961 and then came home to Carolina Dairy from 1961 to 1964.
Garvis bought a retail outlet building at 2230 Hoey Church Road, worked from 8 am to midnight. They had 10 food trailers and 8 trucks always on the road in one of 13 states. Garvis needed help and got his brother Earl to join him. That's when S & S Concessions became Eagle Concessions, Incorporated. In addition to their own business, they also supplied others with both wholesale and retail. Earl said: "it's time for us to go, but in a way you can't deny it was a good and rewarding business." It also took a lot of hours, hard work and full time commitment.
On Saturday, April 11th, the equipment auction will be held at 2230 Hoey Church Road. It will be the end of 50 years of great memories for those sharecropper boys from Shelby who "popped to the top" of the concession business!
- M. A. Andrews