Country/Community Stores

[Seavee]

We still have a store like that around here. People cash there checks ,run tabs, and buy crickets. Good stuff in a small town.

[jwilly3879]

We only take checks from certain people and tabs are pretty much gone. It's a great way to lose any profit.

Gas is a good example, had a local person who bought regularly and then asked to charge it for a week until his finances got straightened out. One week turned in two and pretty soon he owed over $300. Cut him off and he never came back, he was paying cash in another town.

A $300 hit like that, while it might not seem like much, means the profit from the next 2000 gallons sold will go to that debt. Have that happen a few times and no one gets to run a tab.

Many people think a store like the wife's a great money makers but the margins are low on most items. Her store burned in 1999 but she chose to rebuild as a service to the community and it has been appreciated by many. It is a small town of about 700 people but there are quite a few who have never set foot in the store and some who only come to try a cash a check that needs to held until payday.

[sandsawmill14]

our last one was sold to the indians that have moved in around here. they will take over on or around march 15 is what current owner told me when i payed my gas bill :(  thats makes the 4th and last one in the area. 3 of which are within 4 miles of each other :

[Keith Shirley]

WVSawmiller,       Have you been to the Cool Springs store on Route 50, east of Grafton?
It's what you talking about, been around since 1929, they have everything from peanuts to wood stoves. Antique farm equipment, trout stream. I've been there several times on bike rides and camping trips.   



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[WV Sawmiller]

Keith,

   Not yet. Have not spent a lot of time in that part of the state. We live in the southern part. My daughter may have been through there while she was at WVU. If I find myself near there I will look it up as it sounds like the kind of stores I remember and love. Thanks for posting.