Cooperative Living January 2015 - 22

" We plan to bring back the Cameo
Theatre to its glory days and use it as our
showroom and a branding site for our company.
We are really excited about this project, "
said Baldwin recently, after speaking to
her design team that morning.
Exmore doesn't have as many restaurants
as other major towns on the Eastern
Shore, but it has an iconic eatery in the
Exmore Diner, first opened in 1954 and
located in an old railcar. With only six
booths and a row of stools at the counter,
the Exmore Diner is usually crowded, but
customers patiently wait their turn for a
booth, or eat at the counter, anticipating the
fresh Eastern Shore seafood and vegetables
that are highlighted on a chalkboard each
day with prices from a past era.
Herman Walker, an attorney who has
practiced in town for 45 years and will be
retiring when he turns 80 in the coming
year, recalls that past era. He admits to
being a vocal critic in the past, but likes the
direction of Exmore's management today.
" Exmore struggles with the issues that
many towns face today in a changing economy.
The thing about Exmore, " says
Walker, " is that there are good people in
this town doing their best through some
difficult circumstances. "
Another town businessman who saw
the glory years of Exmore and still operates
a small pharmacy today is Lloyd Kellam,
the proprietor of Lloyd's Pharmacy, which
for 40 years was the hub of the town. Buses
with travelers stopped there and town gossip
was traded at the lunch counter, sometimes
packed three deep waiting for a seat.
Kellam, now 80, who served as a
pharmacist for Kmart and Rite Aid on the
highway for about 20 years, reopened a
much smaller pharmacy with no additional
services two years ago, using a portion of
the building he still owns. Recalling the era
when he first opened, Kellam says, " I can
remember when there were traffic jams in
town on Saturday nights, especially when
they were showing a Roy Rogers film at the
Cameo. "
Although Duer has been the town manager
for only a year, he had served on the
town council previously and recalls the difficult
times. " We feel good about the direction
of the town, " he says. " We do what we
can with what we have. But we always say it
doesn't cost much to have a clean town, and
it costs nothing to be friendly. " 
Bill Sterling has worked as a journalist on
Virginia's Eastern Shore more than 35 years.
He currently writes for the Eastern Shore Post.
20
Herman Walker has practiced law in Exmore for
45 years and will be retiring in the coming year,
when he turns 80.
Lloyd Kellam, now 80, has been a practicing
pharmacist since the early 1950s in Exmore and
continues to run Lloyd's Pharmacy in town.
Cooperative Living/January 2015
The Exmore Diner, opened in 1954, is
located in a rail car and a popular
eatery in Exmore. The Exmore Diner is
usually crowded with people at all times
of the day, filling the six booths and most
of the stools at the counter.
The Exmore town staff includes (left to right) Mike Johnson, director of public works; Taylor Dukes,
director utilities and zoning administrator; Angelo Martinez, chief of police; Ellen Parks, town clerk;
Robert Duer, town manager; and Doug Greer, mayor.

Cooperative Living January 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living January 2015