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| The "Old Store" stands as a symbol of Bristol's commercial past when it was a major riverport. |
High on the bluff overlooking the St. Joe River since the 1840's, the old store
front on Vistula Street was once called H.P. App & Sons Co. Goods like flour, wheat and whiskey were warehoused here and shipped down river as far
as Chicago to the west and east through the other Great Lakes.
From the 1840's through 1870's, it was run by a legendary character William Probasco
who was said to weigh over 350 lbs. and when he died had to be lowered through a hole
cut in the ceiling. Present day owner Mike Stoll enjoys showing visitors the evidence
of that in the ceiling of his workshop. He likes to serve tea in the bay window overlooking
the river.
Still known to many as the King Store, residents remember shopping for groceries
there from the mid-1940's until the store closed in the late 60's or early 70's.
Mike Stoll bought the building in 1977 and established his business Record/Play
Tec. He builds digital voice recording and retrieval systems for a number of
emergency services users like cities, police and fire departments all
over the United States.
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