Life in the Little Pink House on the Corner
In the spring of 1962, Judy and Paul Smith packed up their lives in Highland Park neighborhood and moved their young family – son Rex (13), daughters Shannon (5) and Gwen (3) their youngest – to Valley Junction. Their destination was 8th and Walnut, specifically “the little pink house on the corner” at 401 8th Street.
Paul’s barber business has been on the East Side, but both he and Judy longed for something different. They wanted the small-town feel they had grown up with – neighbors who knew each other, a school just blocks away, and a community where Paul could walk to work. Phenix Elementary was only a block from their front door, and the sidewalks quickly became familiar paths for litel legs heading to school.
Life on Maple Street
Paul set up shop at 515 Maple, opening each morning with the scent of aftershave and the steady buzz of clippers. While he served customers, his youngest started kindergarten, Rex entered Junior high, and Gwen joined a couple of years later. Eventually, all three would graduate from Valley High School. Once the children were settled in school, Judy began working at KRNT, catching the bus right from their corner.
The Smiths quickly wove themselves into the fabric of Valley Junction life. Paul kept his barbership running until retirement, sometimes moving to a different storefront but never leaving the district. He developed strong ties with fellow business owners, while the children became regulars at neighborhood shops. Rex even worked at Stilwell’s grovery store through high school.
Challenges and Changing Times
The family faced challenges. The economy’s ups and downs hit Paul’s shop hard, and in the 1970s, long hair came into style, cutting into barbering profits. To supplement the household income, Paul began selling antiques and musical instruments from the back of his shop, even giving guitar lessons. For Rex, the challenge was that social living below Vine Street in the 1960’s carried a stigma in West Des Moines. But by the time his younger sister came of age, that judgment had eased. She remembers classmates being surprised that their house was small or that they had only one car, but she also remembers the gift of growing up in a neighborhood that was racially and culturally diverse, a perspective she carries with gratitude to this day.
Deep Roots in Community and Family
The Smith’s community bonds ran deep. Paul played guitar with friends like the Burch family, while Judy built connections with neighborhood women and her fellow bus riders. Their children grew up alongside the Munoz, Murillo, and Farwell families – just a few of the many neighbors who shaped their childhood. Friendships with Shellie Gibson Gamble, Marilyn Septer Coleman, and Carolyn Beveridge Gaston became lifelong.
At home, values were simple but strong: support the family, care for neighbors, honor service. Paul was a World War II veteran, and Rex joined the Navy after high school. Sundays meant family dinners, evenings meant ball games in the street until the light faded, and kindness meant looking out for the elderly neighbor who sometimes struggled– bringing him supper and checking in.
The Joy of Growing up in Valley Junction
The memories from that little pink house could fill a book. There was a time when a movie crew used Paul’s barbershop for a fight scene, replacing his door afterwards, though the film was never released. There were bike rides to Stilwell’s for bubble gum and pop, comic books in band, whipped hot chocolate at Vandenburg’s in the winter, and skating at Legion Park– or even skating all the way there during icy winters. Sometimes they skated right in Shellie’s backyard. After school, the kids would drop by Paul’s shop before heading to supper at the resturant next door, sneaking in through the back door just for the thrill of it. When bikes went missing, the walk to the police station often ended with a reunion behind the building. They were there when Holiday Park opened and stayed until it closed, riding bikes to and from.
Memories from the Little Pink House
Life was full of smal rituals– wearing Blue Bird and Campfire uniforms to school, afternoons at Dorothy Pryor’s house, and neighborhood adventures. Their house, perched on a hill with a tuck-under garage, became a gathering place for kids who came to watch Rex jump the driveway in his truck. In winter, the same hill turned into a sledding slope. Playtime meant Barbies, cowboys and Indians, and games of red light right light that could stretch into the evening.
For the Smiths, Valley Junction was more than a place to live. It was a place to belong, to grow up, to work hard, and to remember with fondness– a corner of the world where the little pink house still stands in their hearts.