John Adams hosted lunches in the back of his Adams Paint store, which recently closed after 50 years in business.

When we interviewed John Adams for a story in the 2011 September Advocate about our neighborhood’s most outstanding older people, it didn’t seem as if the 80-year old was ready to throw in the towel.

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After all, he was having so much fun working a few hours in the mornings framing art and photography and in the afternoons hosting lunch for several of his pals.

One of his regular guests, a retired postman named Dick Barber, told us that the lunch table in the back of the store had “solved many of the world’s problems.”

Adams said the lunches had become part of the daily business at Adams Paint, located in the southeast quadrant of Northwest Highway and Abrams.

“You see — they are not just my customers,” Adams told us. “They are my friends.”

But it seems he’s ready to move on to the next stage, because the store closed last week, not long after celebrating 50 years in business.

In a White Rock Weekly article a few days ago, Adams said he closed the store for health reasons and added that he now plans to travel with his wife Edna.

The closure will no doubt leave an empty space not only in that little shopping center, but also in the hearts of Adam’s longtime customers/friends.