The General Store

Four Oaks is a small downtown, it'still sort of And when Austin's general store closed a few years ago, it left a void in the downtown. Then David Stanfield bought the buildings. I've always If I went to a small town, I always wanted to stop in at a general store, the old hardware stores. I always I bought the buildings not really knowing I was going to do a general store. It was a grocery store when it first opened, okay groceries. But then Austin's general store bought it in 1964, 65, and expanded But on the top shelves in here, I got a lot of old antiques and stuff that I've collected over the last 40 years or so. People come in and they say, I remember when, it just takes people back in time. I t I used to come in as a kid in here and get a drink in the moon pie for 15 cents. And I've always been around a bunch of men around the Potbelly Stove if it's in the winter time and swapping lies and gossip, local gossip I guess. He has brought the flavor back to the old store that I grew up in. You'll still find plenty of general store goods Old squirrel nut zippers and old peanut butter bars and Mary Jane's, old candies that we used to have when were kids. But at Stanfields, the emphasis is on local products. Well, I got the North Carolina food products, jellies, jams, pickles, peanuts. The old drinks, the knee The made with real sugar is the old recipe on the knee Dash County cheese, they have real good cheese. So I carry some of their cheese products. The Vine Foods out of Lisbeth town does my jams and jellies and puts my label on it. In addition, Stanfields features works by a n Pottery, jewelry, bandsaw boxes, Lady Does Reeves and Bowes, and a place for the local artists to be able to show and sell their product. I built bandsaw boxes and I never knew what they were until after I retired and I started reading about them and it kind of intrigued me so I ordered me some books and taught myself how to do it and it's addictive. It's very addictive. Take the time to stop and play some checkers on this coin-operated game board patented in 1952 by Lewis Sr. Never seen one before. It didn't work. Got it working. It's a dime. You put a dime in, the board folds up, gives you 30 minutes to play, then it goes back down. And what throwback general store would be complete without a vintage drink box? Got it. It wasn't working so we got it going and people come in and say, I haven't seen a drink box Everybody comes in, seems to enjoy the store and I'm glad I did it. People just come in and feel