Opportunity Knocks Twice; Chapter 4
Editor's Note: Utah Pulse is serializing the book, 'Opportunity Knocks Twice,' by Don Hale, as told to Mark Hale. We'll publish two chapters a week. You'll enjoy the wit and wisdom of one of Utah's great entrepreneurs, founder of Hires Big H. To buy the book, click here.
Chapter Four
Getting Settled
That trip my friend and I took to California after high school made me absolutely crazy about the state. I loved everything about California—the ocean air, the blue sky, the orange groves, the palms, the beaches, the waves, the bustling cities, the highway-side fresh orange juice and fruit stands, and the restaurants. And speaking of restaurants, I fell for a hamburger in California. We stopped at Bob Wian’s six-stool hamburger stand, Bob’s Pantry (later named Bob’s Big Boy), in L.A. I thought his burgers were the tastiest I had ever had. Even though I was barely out of high school, this experience at Bob’s started me thinking, almost subconsciously, about getting into the restaurant business.
After returning from California, I enrolled at the University of Utah. During my college years, the United States had begun to build up its armed forces in light of the controversy in Europe. I felt I should try to do my part for our country, so I signed up for the Air Corps. The Corps rejected my application after the discovery that I was color blind. Red looks green to me and green, red. So I continued my studies at the University of Utah and my work at Hale’s Market. In 1940 or 1941, the draft board issued me a number and then selected it. The draft board gave me a physical and discovered a curvature to my spine. The board debated back and forth whether or not to accept me into the armed forces but eventually decided against drafting me. I was issued a 4-F rating which kept me out of the army. This rejection by the armed forces gave me extra years working and saving money that my peers in the military did not have.
I struggled with sociality during my college years. Although I had a few friends, I was not well known, and I felt self conscious—more comfortable alone than in a group. I hated the walk between buildings on the university campus between classes. Everyone else seemed to be walking and talking with someone. I walked alone and could not wait to get to the building for my next class.
I thought joining a fraternity might help me become more socially adept, so I pledged three of them hoping to make one of what I thought were the top two on campus. I failed to receive a bid for either of them. I gratefully accepted a bid from the third fraternity, but in the end I did not participate much. I just could not get comfortable around a lot of people.
I decided to try one more opportunity to join a group while I attended the University, so I tried out for the marching band. I did not play a band instrument, but I thought, “how hard could it be to play the tuba?” I made the band, and had fun practicing, playing, and marching in formation. Playing during the games was great fun for all of the band members as we got into the spirit of the music and the flow of the game. I played tuba in the band for two years, and I learned to hit most of the notes. Even though the band was a good experience, I did not develop many friendships from it, because I usually quickly left after practices and games to return to work. Any extra time I had needed to be devoted to raising my mediocre grades.
It took me five years to graduate from college because of my involvement at Hale’s Market—I did not attend to my studies as much as I should have. In 1941, I graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in business management and helped to make up that part of the class that made the top half possible.
Nineteen forty-one was a good year for our family. I graduated from college, my sister got married, and my dad received a new drug (cortisone) that helped him breathe freely. My dad also received an invitation from Governor Herbert Maw to serve as the executive secretary of the Utah Fair Trade Commission, which he promptly accepted.
With my dad leaving the family business to work for the State of Utah, my mom and I were the only ones left to work the store. Having graduated from the university, all my time was now available to Hale’s Market, so I took over for my dad as the butcher and helped my mom manage the market on a day-to-day basis.
Working with my mother became quite an opportunity. She was always upbeat; she drew people to her. I continued to observe her skills because everyone seemed to know her and like her. I figured I could really learn a lot from my mother. For example, whenever she went to parties she gravitated toward younger people, thinking people her age and older were too old for her. Moreover, she seemed to take a particular interest in my tutoring. She always built me up and rarely found fault with anything I did. Consequently, fortunately or unfortunately, I grew up thinking I was always right. It has taken me a lifetime to realize that I am not always right.
In addition to the experience of working closer with my mother, I met a lot of interesting people at the market. One day a well-dressed man came into the market, placed his hands on top of the butcher counter, and ordered four thick T-bone steaks. I was so taken by the beautiful diamond ring he wore, that I could focus on little else. When I finally started to cut, trim, and wrap the steaks for him, I promised myself that if I ever made enough money to buy a diamond ring like his, I would.
My mom was a saver, and she spent her money wisely. With cash in hand, my business-minded mother now turned her attention to real estate. She had seen how the purchase of the home and garage—now market—had financially helped our lives. My mother started to inquire and then acquire parcels of real estate near our home. Over time she acquired several homes, some apartments, and a vacant building across the street from us. She rented the homes and apartments and started a variety store in the vacant building. She called it “Hale’s Variety” and supplied it with bargains she found all over town. For example, one day after bargain shopping, she came home with 50 pairs of shoes she had purchased at a department store close-out sale and promptly placed them for sale in her variety store. She often went to auctions or garage sales looking to pick up anything she figured she could turn into profit. But truthfully, most of it was junk. Eventually she closed the variety store because she found it difficult to run both Hale’s Market and Hale’s Variety simultaneously.
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