Lifelong resident Tom Kohler ponders the past, present and future of the Montgomery Street corridor
By Tom Kohler
I call myself a “born-and-stayed Savannahian,” having lived here for 72 of my 74 years. These days, I usually get invited to talk about how things usta be. Now, I’ll admit up front that “usta” is a made-up word. With that said, it’s a great Savannah word.
On my way downtown last week, I stopped by the Bingville Post Office on Montgomery Street to buy some stamps.
While I was there, I had the good fortune to hear a spirited interaction between a gentleman and the clerk.
“Mohammad Ali — no other like him,” the man said.
“Cash or card, sir?” the clerk replied.
“Nobody before or after like Ali.”
“Anything else, sir?”
“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
“Sir, sign here. Need a receipt?”
“Sweet girl, I usta work at the Post Office. I know what to do.”
“Yeah, and you usta be a rooster too. Next!”
My guy retreated to another counter to put stamps on some envelopes.
I walked over and said, “Hey there, none of my business, but did you grow up here?”
“Nowhere but here.”
“Where’d you go to high school?”
“Proud Beach Bulldog, class of ’64. How about you?”
“Jenkins, 1970. I loved the way you used the word ‘usta.’ I think it should be in the dictionary.”
“Usta — it’s Southern slang just like ‘gonna.’ And if you grew up in Savannah, you’re gonna know about half rubber — invented and played here, and only here.”
“Yes, sir. And how about the word ‘tump,’ as in, ‘I tumped over my sweet tea’? It’s a cross between ‘turned’ and ‘dumped,’ as in, ‘I tumped over my sweet tea reaching for an onion ring at Carey Hilliard’s.’”
We had a couple more quick laughs before he said, “Good to meet you,” and got back to mailing his packages.
Back in the car, I headed up Montgomery Street — past the Salvation Army, past what usta be Tire City, now stripped and abandoned — and I started thinking.
“Usta” and “gonna” are bookends. One about the past, the other about the future.
So, for you writers and English majors, here’s the deal:
Past tense — Usta
Future tense — Gonna
Future past tense — Gonna be usta
Here’s the usta, gonna and gonna be usta of Montgomery Street.
Montgomery Street usta look more like this:
And it’s gonna look more like this:
Here’s a spot that usta be something and is gonna be something else one day soon.
And here’s a spot that’s probably “gonna be usta” soon.
To each their own, but with that said, I’m leaning toward the quirky, handmade feel of how Savannah usta be rather than how it’s gonna be. But that’s just me.
And here’s a little bonus for those of you who read all the way to the end. Try the oxtail pizza at Kool Vibes Pizza & Wings, 4501 Montgomery St.
And pick up a key lime pound cake for St. Patrick’s Day at Donna’s Delicious Delites, 4711 Montgomery St.
Trust me — you’re gonna be happy you tried these two spots.
And let’s hope we don’t have to talk about how they usta be on Montgomery Street anytime soon.
About the author
Tom Kohler has lived in Savannah for 71 of his 74 years. He attended our local public schools, Armstrong and the University of Georgia. He was educated at Jim Collins Bar. The founder and longtime coordinator of Chatham Savannah Citizen Advocacy has been involved in creating a variety of civic organizations thru the years including the Jim Collins Bar Alumni Association, Savannah Rocks!, and Emergent Savannah.
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