Shirley James

Shirley James will miss her “wonderful customers” when she closes Shirley’s Temple Shop at the end of the month.

For the past 17½ years, James has operated the gift and collectibles store at 114 Fraley St. in the heart of Kane’s Uptown Business District.

Six months ago, she sold the building, which includes a roller skating rink in the former Temple movie theatre.

For a quarter of a century, James also operated the roller skating rink known as Shirley’s Temple. Her business partner was her late husband Edgar “Jesse” James, who served as mayor of Kane for 32 years. He died in 2001.

The Kane Chamber of Commerce has named James as its “businessperson-of-the-year.” James will be honored Saturday night at the annual Chamber banquet at Kane Country Club. About 80 are expected for the fete that also will honor Peg Coulter as the Chamber's "citizen-of-the-year."

“I’m very touched,” James said in discussing the Chamber honor. “I appreciate it very much.”

Although she’s 77 years old, James isn’t looking forward to retirement.

“It’s very difficult to give it all up,” she said. “I’ve always worked. It doesn’t hurt anybody.”

James said she has had “good loyal customers” who have come to her store to find “unique gifts.” Most of her customers also come to talk with James.

“It’s been great to talk with people and chit-chat,” James said with a twinkle in her eyes.  “It’s like being with friends. I’m going to miss it.”

James said she also will miss “the men, women and kids who have worked with us through the years” at the shop and roller-skating rink. “They made everything possible,” she said.

James has been involved with roller skating rinks virtually her entire life.

The youngest of four children of John and Vera Evan, James was born in Sheffield in 1931. Her father operated roller skating rinks over the years in Sheffield, Warren, Bradford and Cuba Lake, N.Y.

“I was brought up in a roller skating rink,” James said. “When I was tall enough to stand at the counter, I worked at the rink.”

Because her older siblings had balked at following through with their piano lessons, her father was reluctant to allow her to begin classes at the keyboard.

“I cried and my father finally gave in,” James said.

She faithfully continued with her piano lessons and at age 14 became the organist at her father’s roller skating rinks. “We didn’t use tapes or records for music,” James pointed out.

Playing the organ at the skating rink led to a date with her future husband, Kane native Edgar James.

“He came to Sheffield to roller skate, but I was at the Cuba Lake rink for the summer,” James said. “He saw a photo of me at the organ and told my aunt that he was going to marry me. He wasn't kidding."

They had their first date after her husband came to see her at Cuba Lake. They married in 1952 when her husband was on leave from duty with the U.S. Air Force at a base in West Palm Beach, Fla.

After her husband was discharged in 1955, the couple lived in Derrick City for about five years before moving back to Kane. The couple moved to 100 Edgar James St. in 1960. (The Kane Borough Council several years ago named the one block of Edgar Street between Greeves and Biddle Streets as Edgar James Street in honor of the long-time mayor).

Shirley and “Jesse” James have four children—Becky Lucia of Warren, Edgar James Jr. of Kane, Kathy DeSio of Kane and Laurie Farnsworth of Kane. They have 11 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

“Jesse,” who for years operated the former Modern Way Supply at Biddle Street and Route 321, played a major role in Shirley’s life, both as a husband and business partner.

“I always wanted my own skating rink,” James said. She said her husband supported her plans to open a rink in the former movie theatre.

“We wanted to have a place for kids of all ages,” James said in discussing her plans to open the rink. “It was great.”

Her husband also backed her plans to open her gift shop in a storefront adjacent to the rink.

“He came up with the names for both the rink and the shop,” James said.

James also wears her hair back in what she calls “a big bun” because “that’s the way ‘Jesse’ liked it.” “He said he could always find me in a crowd,” she said with a smile.

The closing of Shirley’s Temple Shop is the end of an era for the long-time proprietor and this year’s Chamber business honoree.

Asked what she’ll do now that she won’t need to work or operate a business, James sadly shrugged:

“I’ll probably be bored.”