Friday, January 30, 2015

Once There Was a Little Country Store


This one sits in the front yard of a now abandoned house in sight of our mailbox.  Burder still lived in the house when we first moved here but the building had been turned into a storage place long since.

 At least I think I remember being told it was a store . . . I'm writing this late at night and have no one to ask if I'm making this up.

At one time little stores like this dotted the roads -- before cars were common, almost everyone had a store within walking distance.

Of course, with progress and cars, the little stores have died out, just as the larger family run groceries, drugstores, etc, are falling before the cheaper prices and larger inventory of big box stores.

And even the big box stores are feeling the cold wind of change generated  by the internet . . .

I'm going to have to find someone who might remember when Burder's store was open and can tell me what might have been for sale there.

Always assuming that it was a store . . . 


13 comments:

Ms. A said...

My great aunt had one when I was little and I "think" I was told my grandparents, or great grandparents had one on their land, but that was before my time.

What does the word ass mean under the second photo?

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

We had a country store: Lafferty's. I have fond memories of that place. Its where I first heard the store of the brair patch.

Several years ago her kids were cleaning house and came across a photo of me on her lap. Sometimes I miss those simpler times living on those back roads in KY.

Thérèse said...

Big box stores are not my favorites especially when I see what happens to the little box stores...

June said...

U and Me.

Vicki Lane said...

Ms.A -- the wandering ass seems to have escaped from the word assuming in a first draft. I've removed it now.

Vicki Lane said...
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Barbara Rogers said...

I never knew country stores were that prevalent. Being a city gal, I did always have a corner store to which we could pull my wagon full of Dr. Pepper bottles for return deposits...or sit and look at comics which I didn't intend to buy with my allowance.

Barbara Rogers said...

But I also meant to say, that little building needed to be immortalized by your camera...you know good times passed through that doorway!

Frances said...

Vicki, I can remember seeing such little stores when my dad would take us on Sunday afternoon drives on two lane country roads. I am happy to report that I still patronize a neighborhood pharmacy with great customer service skills, rather than shopping at the nearby huge chain drugstores.

Your icy photograph is fabulous.

xo

Jime said...

I remember country stores. In Hendersonville (a town of 2000 souls) we had neighborhood stores. I use to deliver groceries for a store called Jax Pax. It had a bicycle with a small wheel up front with a big basket and a large wheel in the back. I remember making 25 cents an hour and was rich after 4 hours work. Peddling and sweeping. Was owned by a couple of policemen.
You have done it again Vicki- stirred up old fond memories.

NCmountainwoman said...

I remember the little country stores but I seem to remember that most of them had an overhang even if they didn't have gas pumps. One could stand beneath them in the rain.

Brian Miller said...

oh i am sure that there are plenty of stories in the boards and shelves that make up that store...we still have a couple small wayside stores...