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Throwback Thursday: A Joe Knight Story Unlike Any Other
By Eric D. Tudor
Most folks around here know the Joe Knight Drug Store. It’s that corner building where Madison meets Commercial. These days, it’s home to Mel’s on Madison, and if you’ve been downtown lately, you’ve probably noticed some fresh updates made possible by a partial Historic Preservation Grant.
Plenty has been written about the building’s history, but today’s story isn’t about bricks or business licenses. This one is personal. And not many people know it.
Joan Hart shared it with me. Her husband, Milan, once worked in the barbershop in the basement of that very building. He saw it all unfold firsthand. As you can imagine, break-ins were a common headache for downtown business owners. But when you’re running a drug store, the stakes feel a little higher. After being broken into one too many times, Joe Knight had had enough. And instead of just fixing the windows, he came up with a new plan.
Joe used what he knew, chemistry and clever thinking. He made his own tear gas traps and placed them at the windows and doors. His idea was simple. If someone tried to break in, the gas would stop them before they got inside. No injuries. Just a strong deterrent. It was a good theory.
The problem came the next morning. Joe showed up around 8:30 to open the store, keys in hand. What he forgot was his own trap. As soon as he opened the door, the gas bomb went off. He covered his face with his shirt and ran to warn the other people in the building. But it was too late. That gas was strong. So strong that people walking past on Commercial Street started crying without knowing why.
The barbershop downstairs had to close for the day. So did several other businesses in the building. City officials ended up blocking off the entire 200 block of West Commercial and even part of the 100 block. No one was hurt, so no charges were filed. In time, folks laughed about it and forgave the whole thing. And the story turned into one of those classic downtown tales that gets passed around over coffee.
But like a lot of good stories, this one has started to fade. So today we’re giving it the spotlight again. Because downtown has always been full of big ideas, strong personalities, and stories worth sharing. And this one? It’s right up there with the best.
