Page 23 - 2019 August The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles
P. 23
The General Store
Staples for Living in 19th Century America
By Maxine Carter-Lome, Publisher
Economy grocery store; 1914; Somerville, MA
T hanks to collectors, the old-fashioned general store It was often in the shop owner’s best interest to barter
and provide credit to the farmers in his community
(also known as the dry goods store or the mercantile)
to help them obtain items they could not
may be gone, but it is not forgotten. These shops
afford until their harvest went to
were a staple in every rural community in the 19th
century during the Country’s westward expansion. The market. Once a farmer’s account was
general store was typically located at a crossroads or in settled with fresh produce and farm-
the center of a village. It served its neighbors in the made items, the merchant took these
community and farmers in the countryside by carrying a farm goods to the closest city to barter for
wide variety of goods—food, clothing, housewares, and new dry goods and other inventory for his
farm equipment—to supplement their lifestyle, especially for shelves. He often extended credit with his
those living in the middle of nowhere. The general store also neighbors in much the same way to expand
served as the community’s meeting place, post office, message his inventory, recapture debt, and barter at
center and source for news and gossip. When the telephone first market. A housewife might barter for goods
arrived in the late 1880s, many general stores housed the only phone she needed using items she made on her spindle or
in a small community. loom. Local craftsman or tradesman might trade the
As the proprietor of the general store, the shopkeeper was an merchant their finished goods in exchange for provisions
important member of his community not only because he was a one-stop or supplies. It was a fluid economy that required precision
resource for almost anything that could not be provided or made by the bookkeeping, another skill that could be credited to the
Antique tabletop
landowner, but because he often also served as the town’s banker, lawyer, general store owner.
oak and curved
and pharmacist.
glass showcase Come into the Store
from Seattle, WA
sold for $2,390 While every store was different, there were similarities
at chairish.com among many that we can readily call to mind when we think
about a 19th century general store. Floor-to-ceiling shelves
filled with all the basic necessities of life in the home and on the farm;
advertising signs promoting everything from tobacco and cigars to soft drinks
and hardware; countertops stacked with fresh merchandise, candy jars, and all
manner of other products. Window displays were filled with notions, fabric,
jewelry, and other items to entice the ladies, and tobacco, tool, and boot
displays for the men. Barrels filled with any number of items, from pickles to
crackers, potatoes, mincemeat, and more candies, covered whatever floor space
could be found. Broadsides were frequently plastered in a corner to advertise
an upcoming event or news for the community. Often tucked away in the back
was a pot-bellied stove, where locals could gather for warmth on a cold winter’s
Counter from a Wisconsin general store circa 1875 selling for $2,975 at Harp Gallery night in the company of their neighbors.
August 2019 21
Staples for Living in 19th Century America
By Maxine Carter-Lome, Publisher
Economy grocery store; 1914; Somerville, MA
T hanks to collectors, the old-fashioned general store It was often in the shop owner’s best interest to barter
and provide credit to the farmers in his community
(also known as the dry goods store or the mercantile)
to help them obtain items they could not
may be gone, but it is not forgotten. These shops
afford until their harvest went to
were a staple in every rural community in the 19th
century during the Country’s westward expansion. The market. Once a farmer’s account was
general store was typically located at a crossroads or in settled with fresh produce and farm-
the center of a village. It served its neighbors in the made items, the merchant took these
community and farmers in the countryside by carrying a farm goods to the closest city to barter for
wide variety of goods—food, clothing, housewares, and new dry goods and other inventory for his
farm equipment—to supplement their lifestyle, especially for shelves. He often extended credit with his
those living in the middle of nowhere. The general store also neighbors in much the same way to expand
served as the community’s meeting place, post office, message his inventory, recapture debt, and barter at
center and source for news and gossip. When the telephone first market. A housewife might barter for goods
arrived in the late 1880s, many general stores housed the only phone she needed using items she made on her spindle or
in a small community. loom. Local craftsman or tradesman might trade the
As the proprietor of the general store, the shopkeeper was an merchant their finished goods in exchange for provisions
important member of his community not only because he was a one-stop or supplies. It was a fluid economy that required precision
resource for almost anything that could not be provided or made by the bookkeeping, another skill that could be credited to the
Antique tabletop
landowner, but because he often also served as the town’s banker, lawyer, general store owner.
oak and curved
and pharmacist.
glass showcase Come into the Store
from Seattle, WA
sold for $2,390 While every store was different, there were similarities
at chairish.com among many that we can readily call to mind when we think
about a 19th century general store. Floor-to-ceiling shelves
filled with all the basic necessities of life in the home and on the farm;
advertising signs promoting everything from tobacco and cigars to soft drinks
and hardware; countertops stacked with fresh merchandise, candy jars, and all
manner of other products. Window displays were filled with notions, fabric,
jewelry, and other items to entice the ladies, and tobacco, tool, and boot
displays for the men. Barrels filled with any number of items, from pickles to
crackers, potatoes, mincemeat, and more candies, covered whatever floor space
could be found. Broadsides were frequently plastered in a corner to advertise
an upcoming event or news for the community. Often tucked away in the back
was a pot-bellied stove, where locals could gather for warmth on a cold winter’s
Counter from a Wisconsin general store circa 1875 selling for $2,975 at Harp Gallery night in the company of their neighbors.
August 2019 21
