Thomas Bros Country Store

I understand the previous post about how cluttered it was, but the late Marion was in her 80’s running the store with the help of one person. She was unable to do much but keep everything like it was. If you had any sense, you would have sit down with her and chatted about her younger days and the history of the store. Her stories were worth hearing, and made the visit memorable. It was and is a treasured time capsule. I’ll go back this year and take a look I believe it’s under new ownership.

While this store may have been great way back when Ike & Mamie Eisenhower went there, a trip there this week was a complete waste of time, and not very good for allergies, as it is filled with dust and mold. Don’t let the old advertising photos fool you, this place is an absolute mess. It is full of un-​sellable merchandise leftover from decades past. While that may sound like a gold-​mine, there is a reason some merchandise does not sell, and this place is filled with it. It has not changed (nor been cleaned or arranged) in 50 years. It appears later items were just plopped on top or in front of whatever remained. An old woman sits in a chair at the door and tells you, while she’s eating, how Ike and Mamie shopped there and how wonderful her store is. Most items have no price, and another woman follows you around to tell you constantly that items are not for sale. Anything with a price is so expensive, it’s obvious the old woman does not want to sell anything. A not-​very-​old tea towel for $ 29.95? An old bottle for $ 38? I realize this place is also called a «museum», but «museum» is certainly not the word I’d use for it. There is a corded off room in the back filled floor to ceiling with old cans of paint. There is another blocked section filled floor to ceiling with old shoe boxes (with shoes in them I presume). There is also a section of grotesque prom gowns from the 80’s in colors like fuschia and pale green — these are also draped on 2 mannequins in the front window — with nothing else. I believe the word to describe it is macabre. Perhaps M. Night Shyamalan would be interested in doing a movie there, but the health department and fire department should do an inspection first.