Saturday, July 9, 2011

General Stores: Hays Ten Mile Store

I have a soft spot in my heart for general stores. Anyone else with me on this? Last weekend we visited the cutest li’l general store.. lovingly preserved in its near-original state. Hays Ten Mile Store is near Ten Mile, MO (tiny spot in the road) in Macon County.

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The store was built in 1902.

Mr. Hays, shown in the photo below, owned the store for fifty years – from 1946 until the late 90’s.

hays

Back in the day when Mr. Hays owned the store, you could buy dry goods and porta-huts (for livestock). Today, the store has a good selection of antiques and a few odds and ends such as dog food for sale…

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And about a million bucks (or more) worth of pure vintage charm. You just can’t put a price tag on something like that.

stoves

The pink stove followed me home (I’m not quite sure how these things happen).

signage

The present owner, Wade King, talking business with a customer.

owner&customer

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Here is a nice video put together by our rural electric cooperative’s magazine, Rural Missouri, which interviews some of the regular card players at this history-rich store.

If you’re ever in Macon County, Missouri (northeast portion of the state), take a trip just a little off the beaten path to visit this charming piece of history.. frozen in time. From Macon, travel north on highway 63 (3-4 miles), take blacktop DD east about 4.5 miles and you are there! The store is on the northeast side of the crossroads, and is open Saturdays only from 10-5.

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30 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

quaint with a capital Q. :)

Cheryl @ TFD said...

I love the little general stores. I haven't seen this one and it looks like it would make a nice day trip. BTW, sorry about Grady. Have a nice weekend!

Karen said...

We don't have many little places like this where I live. I wish we did. My great-grandfather had a little grocery store in New York city. I've often wished someone had taken a picture, it would be fun to see what it looked like.

Chris at Red Gate Farm said...

Oh how I'd love to stop in at a place like this.... even just for a picture on the green metal two seatter and the king feed sign!

It looks like a fabulous place.... with so much history!

~Chris

PS the pink stove would have followed me home too!

Rita said...

I'm from Minnesota and remember visiting a couple of general stores when I was a kid. Hard to find them any more. There's just something about them--the wooden floors, the old display cases, the sense of community. This was a great post and I loved the video! :)

Staci@LifeAtCobbleHillFarm said...

General stores are just so charming, aren't they? It's such a cozy feeling stepping into one. Lovin' the stove.....super cute!

Patty Sumner said...

Oh what a great trip. I would love to stop and see this wonderful little store. I can remember growing up walking daily to a store just like that one. I would stand on a homemade stool and look inside the glass candy display and pick out what we would want. I would love to have an old coca cola cooler. Thanks for sharing and bringing back some wonderful memories. Blessings!

~from my front porch in the mountains~ said...

I love this post, Tammy! And how awesome to be able to visit this beautiful, old store.
The cute, little, pink stove knew just who to fllow home, didn't it :)

Tammy, I am so sorry for the loss of Grady. I know how your heart is hurting. We try to protect our *kids* as much as possible but, sometimes nature has it's own plans. Please do not feel guilty...Your a wonderful mama and Grady had a wonderful life.

xo, misha

Heather's Blog-o-rama said...

Oh my word, this is cute. I LOVE general stores. I wish we had something like th is where I live. In fact, I've been watching reruns of The Waltons on tv lately...and I would to shop at a general store like Ike Godsey's in the show ;) :) Thanks for the photos..What a lovely place ;) :) Have a great weekend. Love and hugs from Oregon, Heather :)

Debi said...

Oh yes, off the beaten path you still can find small town USA general store. Like you, we have to take these pictures just for the sake of what it is. Great job in these pictures. Debi

Leslie @ Farm Fresh Fun said...

Aaaah, thanks! I just decided not to post some pics of a fab general store in the Adirondacks. My pics weren't nearly as nice as yours and my post is already way too long. Love yours!
hugs,
Leslie

Lynda said...

I really like the look of that store - - - outside and in. The inside has a lot of stuff - - but it is organized neatly.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

There is something truly romantic about general stores. I remember fondly one we used to frequent way down the backroads when I was a kid. My brother called it the Sucker Doggie store because the old man that ran it always gave him a sucker, and he had an old bassett hound that laid on the stoop.

McVal said...

How sweet is that little store!?! The closest we get around here like that is in the living history museums.

Melinda said...

Oh so cute. I love these little stores, they are so fun to go through.
Isn't it funny how things just happen to come home with you! Cute little stove.

Melinda

Kilauea Poetry said...

Hi Tammy..boy I'm getting slow in blog land! This was full of charm and nostalgia..glad to see they're still playing cards and selling antiques! I enjoyed the photos/vid and wondering where you put your pink stove (lol) Wishing you a fantastic week-

Anonymous said...

This is certainly a charming little store. I lived about four years when I was very small above a general store, but it is gone now. I love the card playing in there. Truly the store used to be the center of the community.

Teresa

Kritter Keeper at Farm Tails said...

i LOVE little general stores with wooden floors and that old smell. there is one in randolph vermont that we kids would visit all the time during our vacation visiting our grandparents. my sis and i still talk about the times we would walk down and buy candy and send postcards. :)

Anonymous said...

Tammy that is a great day trip idea for us. Thanks! I am so sorry about Grady.

Jenny said...

Oh wow. What a wonderful post. I thought I had commented here before. Has summer captured you in its busy grip? You haven't posted in awhile. Hope all is well with you and you're just busy admiring that super sweet pink stove.

Blondee said...

How quaint! Like stepping back in time...and your cute little stove, I have one that is very similar, it belonged to my oldest cousin when she was a child...and she's pushing 50 now...but my stove is a blue color. Neat!

Farming On Faith said...

Oh I so enjoyed seeing your pictures ~ what a fun post.

I am catching up with your blog tonight~ sure enjoyed my visit!

Julie Harward said...

Hi there, thanks for your visit. I love the old store here, I grew up with just such a store, wish more were still around. :D

Eggs In My Pocket said...

What a charming place! I would love to visit here! Have a great weekend coming up!

Eggs In My Pocket said...

Had trouble posting this comment, so if it repeats, sorry. This is such a charming place! I would love to visit here! Have a great weekend coming up!

GardenOfDaisies said...

Oh I LOVE places like this! I bet the floor boards squeak when you walk around. It reminds me of a five and dime shop not far from here. I can certainly understand why that little pink stove followed you home!

Parsley said...

I would have loved to visit this store with you. So charming. And I'm afraid I would have had to fight you for the PINK stove. ;-)

hens teeth said...

Living in the middle of England, I found this post so very interesting. Thank you.
viv

Linda ★ Parker's General said...

Dear blog friends,
I am trying to put together a bloggers board.
This board would contain the name of the blog, the first name of the author ( last name, if you allow ) and birthday-- month and day only.
Once I get this put together, I will email to all participants.
If you know of others who would like to be listed, please give them my email address so I can add them.
I just think it would be handy to know when our friends birthdays are so we can send them our best wishes.
Those of you who have not yet sent me your address, please do. These will not be part of the blog board, but for my own personal address book. I like to send cards now and then.
lindanuts@yahoo.com

sorry about your goose

Catherine said...

I'd love to come and buy vintage in that shop! the small cookers are so cute!

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