Stull's Country Store

When you visit Meade County, one place you have to make the trip to, it'stull's Country Store right here in Meade County. It's a drive, it's beautiful, but it's definitely worth it. I'm here with Mike Hartley and Helena Embry. Helena here is the owner, but Mike, I want to start with you because you've been here for a minute. You can tell us about the It's kind of a place that when you drive by, you stop, you're There is a story. So what did it look I've been here 45 years. I worked here 45 years and I had to retire three years ago because of my health. And when I started here, I was getting off the school bus in 75 and Stull's is one that I remember the day they Well, as you weren't drinking beer at that age, that's good. Not yet. I don't know if I could have gotten out with it. But has it visually changed a lot over the years? Quite a bit because right down here where the pit area is used to be the original store and we had feed in it. We had all kinds of hardware, bain, all kinds of stuff. And then the Stulls bought it from the bars. And then when he bought it, it was double the size in 1980, I t What kind of t Maybe we sold everyt Anyt And then, of course, In 1980, Marvin Stull, the Stull family, they added onto the store, double the size. Then when Marvin's daughter bought the store from her dad, we tore the old part down and then that's when we started the barbecue and all that kind of stuff. And that was probably what, 16 years ago, somewhere around there, I t And then t People started coming in more. There's a lot of antiques inside, w Helena, you came on board what three years ago bought the place. Okay, first of all, when you drive up, it has that charm, but you smell the barbecue. That's the first t Yes. So we smoke every weekend, Friday, Saturday. You can come anytime and have smoked pulled pork, smoked rib eye sandwiches, smoked ribs and we cater. We just started catering t And so it's really, we have a lot of motorcyclists, a lot of Jeep clubs come out on the weekends. And so it's really, it's a fun place to hang out. We have events where we have bands and We try to keep the traditional charm and keep it'still a working grocery store. So we still, still sell all of your canned goods and, and paper goods and things And then we have fresh cut meat and we sell a lot of that. But people come for lunch a lot. And so it's just a, it's a fun place to visit to see all of the antiques. The, these people have still worked. Yes. Oh yeah. People ask us all the time. These room. Yes. People too, do they Yes. Yes. We have a patio area where people sit and, and eat. And then we have, Why did you all want to buy t My husband actually really wanted to buy it. Sound Yeah, she did. Her? No. Yeah, it's, it'such a neat store and we just wanted it to stay until our kids are old enough to appreciate it. And so we wanted to just keep the tradition going really. We lived just a minute down the road here and it's just a great place to have here. We wanted to keep it going. It's a part of probably the I mean, Mike's painted the picture for us, I mean, yeah, it could have been the type of store that they just say, let's knock it down and build somet Yes. Yes. Mike said, when you, when you walk around the store, there's just so much, I see somet Every day there's, there's just so much to look at and so much to learn in there. And I bet when people come, they can, they can talk to Mike and get You're not, you're not shy. No, no, no, no, no. But since I was born and raised here just a mile away and then when I built me a new home down the road here, it's only six tenths of a mile away and I stayed with the Stulls. And why do you still want to keep coming here and being a home? I mean, I've actually grew up in t So many stories, so much So the next time that you're through Reed County, t I'mike and Helena. Thank you for showing us around and welcome us in. Hey, to follow them and to visit, all you have to do is follow them on Facebook.