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In recent years, many shops have opened as "general stores," from Labour and Wait in London to General Home Store in East Hampton. In Brooklyn, New York alone, there are several, including Moon River Chattel, Brook Farm General Store, Annie's Blue Ribbon and Brooklyn General Store.
Cast iron skillets are just the type of classic, simple objects stocked by the "new" general stores. Photo: Brook Farm General Store
We love the rise of these "new" stores, but we were curious what was behind the trend. In an age when there are specialty stores for every imaginable niche and much larger "general" stores like Target and Walmart, what is the draw of a small shop billing itself as a general store? It's certainly not the convenience or the price, so what is it?
London's Labour and Wait is a treasure trove of classic homewares. Photo: Labour and Wait
The website for Brook Farm General Store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn sums up the contents of its shop, and the new general store movement, well, "From the most humble scrub brush to the most luxurious linen sheets, all of our products are useful, simple and timeless." This idea of timeless pieces that will last for a long time may be increasingly appealing to consumers who are faced with trends and new technological devices that become obsolete within a few years time.
Tricia Foley's pop-up The New General Store in the Hamptons was a huge success. Photo: Tricia Foley
Designer and author, Tricia Foley, echoes Londsale's sentiment that the "new" general store trend may be indicative of the uniformity of the retail shopping scene. A general store entrepreneur herself, Foley says that people still ask her about her store, The Bellport General Store, a retro-styled shop, which was open from 1993-96. The continued interest prompted her to create a "pop-up," or temporary store, The New General Store, in the Hamptons this summer (and in her own backyard the year prior). These pop-up general stores have been such a success that Foley plans to begin selling her merchandise online this fall.
"I think that people love the idea of hand-selected merchandise, both classics and vintage goods, as a balance for the big-box stores," says Foley, of the trend. "I also think that going to a wonderful environment as a destination or ritual (like Saturday morning shopping) becomes important in these times."
In the end, the popularity of these new general stores may have more to do with the people and the experience than the things they sell. Londsale notes, "There's a sense of community about a small store where you get to know the owner. Just like a farmer's market, people enjoy the familiarity and sense of community that a small store offers."
Whether it's the perfect dish towel or a sublime soap, a few hand-selected items are appealing to consumers. Photo: Brook Farm General Store
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Reader comments (Page 1 of 2)
I don't know about most people but I hate malls. The larger the store the more confused I am in making my selection. The other problem with large chain stores even super markets is there is no one to help you find and select items you wind up spending more time then nescessary looking for things. I love the idea of a General store. I shop regularly at Trader Joe's.We use to call them "Mom and Pop'. . I remember my mother sending me to one of our neighborhood stores when I was a kid and you could get anything from candy to rope. Yes not only was your family known on a first name basis but you didn't always have to pay for thing right away, they kept a running list of what your family owed and things were built on trust relationship with the store owners. Raised in Red Hook, South Brooklyn, NY 1960's.
ReplyThat area of Red Hook was a bad area in those days.They say its coming back some.Wal-Mart killed the Mom and Pop stores along with malls.
I so agree with you! Crowded, hassle parking, overpriced, snooty! Lived in Europe for a few years and loved the local little speciality stores. When I find one, anywhere I go, I make note of its location so I can find it again!
General Stores. Farmer markets. Home baked bread. Life is indeed getting better!!
ReplyToo bad you can't open a small general type store in a suburb. If you have a home business, your clients have to visit by appointment only. I 'm talking, no parking lot, just pull up on the street come and go type thing but it would probably drive the neighbors batty. I would hope that more of the customers would be the one's on foot ,from the neighborhood, but I suppose while coming home from work in their cars, they may want to stop for a quick loaf of bread that doesn't require walking through an entire supermarket to get to.
Yes price and convenience are still requirements. Contrary to popular beliefs,there is not a target or walmart right around the corner everywhere.And I would say location is the biggest factor.We had 3 general stores here 30-40 years ago.And seperate hardware stores to.They didn't close because of big business.They closed because of gang violence turning this city into a ghetto.And you didn't see made in china in these stores.Unions didn't kill these stores,in fact unions bolstered them.Buying from them.No unions didn't try to organize them either.In most states a company has to have at least 45 full time workers if the workers wish to unionize.Big business did kill them in the outter lying regions where people moved to to get away from the ever expanding cancer of the ghetto.If people would stop burning their own houses or destroying others blaming another race just because they don't have anything else to do,maybe companies would stay.And put people to work. Not gonna happen when people keep busting out windows doing smash and grabs while blaming someone else for them doing it.Just to buy crack.We used to dream of opening a general store and sitting back and retiring and going fishing.Ain't happening here while a race of people don't like their own race and are trying to move away from it.I miss the general stores and the fountain shops and the theatres.But nope we can't have them, all because some people decide that if they can't afford it, noone will have it. I couldn't afford it either.But after I washed a few windows I could spring for a fountain float.That made life worth living.Knowing that if I tried, God would provide for me.
ReplyAnd your point is"?
Looks very much like our local hardware store, unchanged in the 50 years I have been here.
ReplyDollar stores were put out of business because of several factors.Many have been already mentioned. The gangs who go looking for vulnerable people,big business.Most of all stealing. Shop lifting has put many stores out of business especially the general because of the closeness of merchandise.These stores were chock full of items and out on counters,shelves,bins where anyone could steal items and slip it into a pocket or two. They operated on such a close margin that any amount that was "lost" put the owners in the hole.
ReplyNO ONE REFERRED TO THEM AS GENERAL STORES...THEY WERE NEIGHBORHOOD HABERDASHEREES...SOMETIMES CALLED ARMY/NAVY..SOMETIMES HARDWARE AND HOUSEWARES AND THEN OF COURSE THERE WAS THE FIVE AND DIME. WOOLWORTHS, WOOLCO, MCCRORY, NEWBERRIES, THEY SOLD EVERYTHING YOU NEEDED....THERE WERE A TON OF STORES, AND THEY WERE FUN, THEY WERE REALLY FUN PLACES...BUT NOBODY IN NEW YORK CALLED THEM 'GENERAL STORES', UNLESS OF COURSE YOU LIVED IN THE WILD WEST.
ReplyMy small rural town in Illinois used to have many small Mom and Pop stores which were perfect for the small population. Now all we have is a giant Walmart. It pretty much put the last nail in the coffin of small businesses in my town. Very sad to see the Downtown district die a slow death. Store merchants used to know you by name, now you are just another oblivious face in the crowd. Thank you Sam Walton and thank you my town for being so short sighted about your local merchants to allow Walmart to descimate the local businesses.
ReplyClose to here, in NE Ohio, the citizens of a town near here got together and decided no Walmart. Thank you to them! While it's nice to have a big store for some things, I love the atmosphere of the small stores, and I'm happy to see a resurgence of the "coffee shop" idea, too.
The "dollar" stores seem to have taken over the "Five and Dime" stores, such as "Ben Franklin", we used to have here 50 yrs. ago.
I know of an old, old hardward store in a small town nearby, where you can go in and tell them you're looking for a gazinga, and they'll ask you, 'what color'?
: )
JUST CURIOUS, HOW MUCH ARE THE 'HAND-SELECTED' ITEMS IN THESE 'GENERAL STORES' FOUNDED BY RICH PEOPLE WITH TIME AND MONEY TO SPARE'...THAT FRYING PAN, HOW MUCH? $65.00? WELL ALRIGHT, I'LL TAKE THREE...HAHAHA. GENERAL STORES FOR THE RICH.
ReplyUuuhhh...excuse me but if these shops were "timeless" they would not have disappeared in the first place and wouldn't need to making a comeback. And if the pictures that accompany this article are any indication, these "general stores" bare no resemblene whatsoever to the general store I visited as a small child with my great-grandmother. These stores look like upscale, expensive money traps for the rich to waste their dollars in, selling them inferior, pretentious junk at exorbitant prices. What a wasted fluff piece of an atricle. What a monumental waste of time and space!
ReplyFolks,
ReplyWalMart & Home Depot did not kill the Mom & Pops....people who GO to Big Box store did! I can go to any huge store I want. They are all around me in North Jersey. Instead, I have a small lumber yard I use. I get better wood.
I have an old fashioned 5&10 that is associated with a large hardware chain but privately owned. Some of the stuff is Chinese...so I skip that.
I make food and can it. I have oil lamps for when heavy winds knock out power, I don't eat out more than once a week, make my own lunch.
When the USA regains the values that made us strong, we will be strong again...Let's go the the GENERAL STORE....as long as it is a MOM & POP!
Mmarie,
ReplyNew Caanan, PA...2 gas stations, one empty corner, and lastly, General Store with barbershop and in back, the Post Office. This is the town near where Pattie Hearst hid out in the safe house...I know because I was a Boy Scout camping 7 miles away. I don't recall suffering any raids by local Native Americans...:< )))))
So maybe it's not as slick as the newcomers, but let's not overlook the ones who actually started the return of the general store........Cracker Barrel!!!!!!
ReplyJust to add a comment about cheep frying pans. I requested a cast iron frying pan as a weding gift from my mother. It came from WOOLWORTHS. That was 32 years ago and it is still in use today. It did not cost a lot but was Made in America.
ReplyIs it a Lodge Cast Iron pan?I still have a few too.One was my Mothers's from 55 years ago.I read an interview once of a famous chef in a town near mine.He has a house full of antiques and was asked if the house burned down,what would be the only thing he would save?He said his grandmother's 100 year old 14 " cast iron frying pan.
I think the return of the general store is great .I am80 years old and when i was a kid a lot of junk
Replywas made in Japan and look what happend. The same thing is happening in these dollar stores.
A real general store is great lets keep Chinese junk out of a good general store and maby we will
save ourselves a heartache