IN THE PIPELINE:

There might be other places for a cup of coffee at 6 a.m. in the Route 66 town of Seligman, Ariz. — but I doubt there’s one better than Historic Seligman Sundries.

My son and I stopped at this wonderful emporium the other morning and were transported back to another era — one of candy counters, curios and old-fashioned service and decency.

Sitting up front with owner Frank Kocevar, I asked why he thought Route 66 culture continues to keep travelers under such a magical spell.

“The simplicity,” he says. “We miss the simplicity and innocence of days gone by.”

As good an answer as there is, I suppose, and what got me thinking about our own little piece of nostalgic bliss in Huntington Beach — Springdale Country. In the same way Route 66 evokes a comfortable, nostalgic, bygone era, Springdale Country makes one feel as if he or she has stepped into some marvelous, wistful scrapbook.

Proprietors Harold and Karen Marcus came to Huntington Beach from Montebello, after Harold was drafted into the Army in the 1960s. He started here as a pharmacist (the country-style pharmacy had opened back in 1962) and in the mid-1980s when it became available, he and his wife jumped at the chance to own it. They’d been inspired by a trip to Northern California, where they saw an old-fashioned pharmacy-antique store.

The avid antique collectors envisioned not just a pharmacy, but an old-fashioned gift emporium designed to transport customers back to the cozy warmth of yesteryear. And that’s what they created.

The big moment came when they won at an auction the complete interior of a circa-1800s English apothecary. The ornate fixtures, 10 major pieces in all, became the building blocks of the store design. Today, they are all still in place, maintaining the soul of the store.

The impact of the revamped store was immediate, Karen said. Folks from near and far were charmed by the memory lane milieu, so much so that customers began adding their own artifacts to the mix. Harold, who still defines the wise, trusting pharmacist/shopkeeper, explains how people have donated pieces from their own lives, in some cases to keep memories alive.

One woman whose grandfather was a country doctor gave the store his old satchels. The pieces of the past hang on the wall today. Another woman’s beveled glass case holds skeins of colorful yarn. And there are the other pieces accumulated by Harold and Karen over the years.

Karen showed me one case she and Harold picked up in Portland, Ore. back in the 1970s and relates how it had to be squeezed in the family VW van among their five boys.

Over time, gifts and clothing replaced the pharmacy in Springdale Country (Harold still works locally as a pharmacist), and it was oldest son, Trent, who then stepped in to help manage and oversee buying at the store.

To try and list all that you’ll find in the Springdale County would take more space than I have here; but if you can imagine a place bursting with gifts, clothes, cards, old-fashioned toys, books, candy, jewelry, antiques and home products, set among antique counters and display fixtures, you’re on the right track. The family will visit six to eight buying shows a year to keep the place brimming with feel-good items. Karen says she knows who her customers are — mainly women in their 40s and older — and she likes to spoil them.

Then there’s their famous candy counter, featuring a jaw-dropping selection of gummies, licorice, taffy, sugar free, mouth-watering chocolates and truffles. Every child in town should have at least one chance to stand, gawk and choose from this counter.

Within the store is a full-service U.S. Postal sub-station. It’s a convenient spot to buy stamps and mail letters (cash only), but it goes beyond that, too. The post office at Springdale Country has become an official sort of cracker barrel, a place for locals to swap stories, bits of gossip, or just catch up with friends. And now the store boasts yet another facet. In keeping with the “community services under one roof” theme, folks will now be able to hire Trent for his legal services right at the store (he earned his degree and opened a local practice not too long ago).

Harold says it only makes sense because over the years customers are always asking what Trent is up to anyway. That’s what years of trustworthiness and reliability do — they make people come back for more.

Perhaps the most valuable thing Springdale Country has brought the community is the opportunity for young people to get their first taste of what it’s like to work — to learn about responsibility, customer service — and life.

More than 165 Marina High School kids have worked here, along with hundreds of locals. It’s an old-fashioned learning environment that’s like a school in itself, and this summer, Trent’s oldest daughter will start work here (there are 14 grandkids in all and one senses that at some point, all will help be a part of the store legacy).

Tess Joyce, who’s been working there for 12 years, still loves to come to work.

“The great friends among our staff, the constantly changing displays and merchandise plus the nicest customers in town make me feel so lucky to work here,” she said.

Much like what I encountered on Route 66 the other morning, a visit to Springdale Country is like a bit of time travel back to the gentility of small town Americana. If you’ve been, you’ll know what I mean. If not, you owe yourself a visit.

Springdale Country is at 15802 Springdale St. Contact the store at (714) 893-6513. I’ll be doing a book signing there this Saturday from noon to 2 p.m., including the titles “Roadside Baseball” and “Huntington Beach.” If I can sign a book for Father’s Day, please stop by (My new book, “Huntington Beach Then & Now” may have arrived by then. If not, you can pre-order it for Dad, and I’ll sign it for him when it arrives next week).

CHRIS EPTING is the author of 12 books including the new Huntington Beach Then & Now. You can write him at chris@chrisepting.com.