Hang On Country Store – We’re Coming!

The old Roosterville, Georgia Country Store

GEORGIA FOLK AND FARM LIFE - There’s been a lot in the news lately about a certain restaurant and their “Old Country Store” and all the changes they’re making to modernize and spruce things up. But truth be told, if I had an old country store, I wouldn’t give it a coat of polish at all.

I’d hire a few old timers just to sit inside—or out on the front porch—to lend the place the kind of ambiance no decorator can buy. The shelves would be piled to the rafters with good junk from generations past, “just in case somebody needs it.” You know the kind—coffee cans full of bolts, odd-sized Mason jar lids, and a stack of oil-stained Farm Journals from the 1970s. No one in their right mind would ever throw it out, because you never know when it’ll come in handy.

A proper store would need a seed counter, the kind where folks leaned in close to talk about planting times and soil conditions. Refrigerated air would spoil the whole feel of the place. A gas heater in the winter would do, and in the summer a cold popsicle out of the freezer case was better than any “store-bought air.”

Country stores like this were never just about shopping. They were community centers where folks didn’t measure life by years but by seasons. The man behind the counter knew what you needed before you asked, and more often than not, he could tell you exactly how to use it. If he didn’t have it, he knew who did. These were experts on everything they sold, and friends who’d stay open late if you came running to town for tack cloth, or a last-minute sack of flour because company was on the way.

The country storekeeper was also your Little League coach, your Sunday school teacher, and maybe, if you were blessed, your friend. Sadly, these places are drying up. Margins are slim, and convenience is killing them faster than customers can keep them alive. It’s too easy to order things online now. And while a website may ship you a pair of Pointer Brand overalls, it’ll never give you the neighborly advice of when to plant your peas.

We’ve covered many country stores here on Georgia Folk and Farm Life, and the sad truth is, most have all but dried up and closed. That’s why we’d like to highlight the ones that are still left. If you’re lucky enough to still have one of these treasures nearby, do yourself a favor and trade there first. Because one day, if we don’t, we’ll look up and find them all gone. And that’ll be a loss you can’t fix with free shipping or a discount code.

👉 Post a picture of your favorite country store in the comments below! Add the name and location too, so we can help spread the word and make sure folks know where to go first. These places are a real treasure, and together we can help keep them around. Sadly images below are from two stores now sadly closed. So let's get to work and highlight some great Country Stores!

Pictures below are from two of our favorites Burson's Feed & Seed and O.A. Hall's, both are now sadly closed.

~Matt Jolley

Georgia Folk and Farm Life