February 2012

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Jan Mast, manager of retail for the Old Country Store in Intercourse, Pa. Locally made products do well for the shop.

ere the word crisis not inserted in every other conversation about the economy, environment or jobs, this country store gift trend story might read completely differently. As is, it could have been written back when folks made their own gifts and stopped in at a local variety store to purchase needed supplies. Many of today’s consumer buying practices are modifications of what they were in the past and several country store merchants identified their own practices that keep the spirit of giving alive during hard times.

As the call to save gas and the environment spreads like wildfire, many storeowners like Debbie Hurst in Andover, Conn., recommend buying product “as local as you can get.” “During the current economic climate, customers are glad to keep the Hurst Farm Country Store going,” she noted.

	An exterior view of the Old Country Store. Cutomers are willing to pay more for the shop’s handmade merchandise.

“Everyone needs food and the maple syrups, honeys, jams and jellies we sell are much more tempting to buy than commercial brands.” Customers interested in locally made, quality products at affordable prices are attracted to the gift baskets of mix and match food items.

The store, built on the Hurst Farm, presents a pleasant rustic country setting, where visitors can feel what their shopping for, projected Hurst. “Nothing flashy, it’s New England style.”

Left: Inventively displayed dishes at the Old Country Store sit atop an old stove that contributes to the authenticity of the atmosphere. Right: Quilted home décor pieces at the Old Country Store. Old-fashioned textile products are in demand by the store’s customers.

It is just as well the memories that flood grandparents’ minds remain a mystery when they buy their grand kids Candy Sticks at the old-fashioned candy store attached to the Wayside Country Store in Marlborough, Mass., the oldest country store in the country. Little kids today do not know about pretending to smoke the formerly named candy cigarettes, nor how fond kids used to be of filling their pockets with horehound drops, Boston Baked Bean, molasses puffs and other confection treats they could buy for a few pennies, yet are available at Wayside by the piece.

On the country store side, food is outselling the gift department said Debbie Eager, store owner since 1975, particularly sour pickles, Stonewall Kitchen Products and ginger snaps. However, in the gift category, small wooden plaques inscribed with humorous sayings and Byer’s Choice Carolers products are popular sellers. It all adds up to bring in over $500,000 annually for the store built in 1790, moved to the present location by Henry Ford in 1929. Eager maintains the antiquated mystique with old-fashioned décor, furniture and a potbellied stove.

	Left: Dolls of all shapes and sizes dominate this colorful display at the Old Country Store. The shop features the wares of over 300 craftspeople. Right: A quilt and fabrics make for an impressive exterior view of the Old Country Store. The People’s Place Quilt Museum is located on an upper floor of the building.

At one point, Jeremy Over, third generation owner of Over’s Country Store in Martinsburg, Pa., found it necessary to diversify the former family feed business started in 1930, tucking a gift department into now 50 percent of the 14,000-square-foot warehouse store. Today, in-store sales have reverted to the farm. “The way the economy is going, people don’t have money to spend on it. Rather, he added, his customers regularly return for the lawn and garden, pet and farm supplies. “Everybody will feed their dogs.”

Over sells giftware successfully wholesale all over the world, particularly rusty bell and tin items. To get through hard times and stay in business Over is a firm believer in friendly, person incorporating the disc-shaped yo-yo stitch, sock monkeys, redware, traditional stoneware and handmade Christmas ornaments.

“People value and treasure handmade and in our experiences are willing to pay for them. Our emphasis is on handmade and local,” noted Mast. She recommended those in the country store business focus avoid dabbling in many areas, yet maintain wellstocked inventory in areas of strength.

Shawn and Heavenly Littleton, owners of Cottonwood Village Antiques and Country Store in Gainesville, Ga. Playing music from the 1940s adds to the ambiance of the shop.

The historic building site, accompanied by an upstairs People’s Place Quilt Museum, features wares of over 300 craftspeople, many Amish and Mennonite, and sets the stage where a potbellied stove, an - tique artifacts, and furniture displays create an old country store feel.

The biggest draw to Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores is the eat-shop motif, said Kevin Kenyon, manager of the Savannah, Ga., location where the only difference from 90 percent of the other 583 nonfranchised chain of company stores, is that the door is on the left and the retail shop is on the right. The display planogram is the same whether large or small store, with old advertising signs, farm equipment, early kitchen appliances, and photos.

	A customer examines a display of Jill’s Jams and Jellies products at Cottonwood Village Antiques and Country Store. The Cumming, Ga., company is in the same county as the shop. Locally made utilitarian products bring customers back for more.

The thousands of items in the well-stocked retail don’t follow trends, the number of unique product lines is limited, which lends well to selling, and many are in the old time flavor, like the original rubber ducky and Slinky, Kenyon said. Areas that sell consistently are women’s wear, wallets, purses, jewelry, and as per the location, University of Georgia apparel and gift items.

The eat and shop set up is the attraction into the store and the service leads to sales, said Kenyon, advocating visible, knowledgeable staff, able to talk and make customers comfortable in shopping experiences. “Basically, if anyone comes in, they’re interested. They start out browsing, then friendly staff accustomed to dealing with the public and steering customers in the direction they want to go, assures sales.”?