Golden recalls working at Big Store as teen

When Karen Golden completed her junior year of high school in 1966, she took a job that summer as a clerk at the historic Big Store on the corner of Jefferson and Second Streets in Minneota. Her salary was just 69 cents an hour.
"I thought that was big money for me," she laughed. "I had been babysitting three or four kids for 25 cents an hour, so this was a big pay raise for me."
Among her many duties at the Big Store was assisting with the front display windows.
Over a half-century later, Golden has again been putting together displays at the former Big Store building that now houses the public library; this time in the south windows.
"It is kind of neat to think about that I'm doing that again after all these years," she said. "I had to stop doing the window displays when the library closed because of COVID, though."
Golden decided to get a job at the Big Store as a 17-year-old (then Karen Gossen) to "make some money for college".
After graduating from Minneota High School, she attended St. Cloud State School for Nursing. She retired following a lengthy career as a registered nurse in 1987.
For 45 years, Golden lived out east, including Maryland and Pennsylvania, until returning to Minneota two years ago.
"It's good to be back," she said. "I really enjoy it here."One of the things Golden brought back from the east was the elegant "tea parties" she used to host and attend. Each of the past two years, a holiday tea party has been held at the Senior Center.
Not many people around the area can say they once worked at the Big Store, which was so named because it was the largest department store from the South Dakota border to Mankato.
"My mother worked at the Big Store, too," she said.
Golden worked in the dry goods/clothing department in the front of the store where the fireplace sitting area is now located in the library. At that time, there were a lot of display cases in that area.
"I remember back then we sold nylons and we would have to take them out of the box to show the ladies in the store," she said. "We also sold clothing, material, thread and sewing supplies."
Golden is now a member of the Society for the Preservation of Minneota Heritage (SPMH) which is currently planning to make improvements and renovate the Opera Hall, which is housed above the former Big Store.