8 Old-Timey General Stores In Michigan

Many of the charming old-timey general stores that dot the Michigan landscape are intrinsically tied to the state’s lumber industry, with many of the stores in small towns like Lake, Horton Bay, and Watrousville offering goods on credit to the workers who lived in company-owned housing. In addition to providing essential goods such as food, clothes, and tools for the lumber workers, the stores were gathering places where they exchanged news and shared stories. Today, many of these stories have been revitalized and reimagined under new ownership, by offering a blend of nostalgia and modern convenience.

Old Mission General Store, Traverse City

The Old Mission General Store in Traverse City was established as a trading post in 1839, and in the 186 years since, it has seen its fair share of famous patrons, including John D. Rockefeller, Thomas Edison, and Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Once a crucial hub for settlers and farmers in need of agricultural supplies, such as grain, feed, and tools, the store continues to be a vibrant part of the community and a popular tourist destination. The Old Mission General Store has been in its current location since the Civil War era, and much of the building remains intact, including its original wooden floor, pot-bellied stove, and vintage cash register.

Committed to keeping the legacy and tradition associated with the general store alive, Jim and Marcy Richards are today's owners, having purchased the store in 1998. The store sells basic groceries, snacks, cold drinks, and souvenirs, but also stocks a few specialty items, including homemade aged cheddar cheese, dill pickles from a barrel, pies and pastries, and classic old-fashioned candies. The general store is home to one of Michigan’s oldest operating post offices and even features a fascinating antique telephone switchboard, though it is no longer working.

Lake General Store, Lake

The history of the Lake General Store has deep roots in the lumber industry near Crooked Lake, when the first logging camp was established in the 1870s. The Dewings Sawmill soon followed, then the Lake Station post office was founded in 1877, which was purposely built for mail delivery to the logging camp. In 1904, Thomas Maltby constructed the Lake General Store, which supplied the camp with essentials such as dry goods, clothing, tools, and household items.

Nowadays, the store is second-generation owned, having been purchased in 1983 by John and Carol Guzowski. Today, the Lake General Store is an old-fashioned butcher offering a wide range of products, including handmade sausage and bratwurst, premium deli meat, and cheese. It also features hand-rolled cigars imported from the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, and Honduras, as well as a curated selection of wines from California, Oregon, and Washington. The store is open seven days a week, from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and later on Friday and Saturday nights.

Dixboro General Store, Ann Arbor

Built in the early 1840s, approximately 20 years before the start of the Civil War, the Dixboro General Store is a landmark in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The store sold general merchandise to travelers, many by horse and buggy, on what was once the main route connecting Detroit to Ann Arbor. In 2007, the store was purchased by longtime employee Steve Dani, who, along with his wife and family, has established the Dixboro General Store as a popular shopping destination in southeastern Michigan, attracting over 100,000 visitors annually.

Although the jams, jellies, dips, and penny candies of early old-time general stores still fill the shelves of the Dixboro General Store, the real draw to the historic store today is its selection of home furnishings, hand-crafted furniture, period lighting fixtures, decorative pottery, and dinnerware. There’s a space dedicated to children, called The Bear Room, full of stuffed animals, old-timey toys, and treats. In an adjacent building known as The Garden Barn, shoppers with green thumbs can get hanging baskets, planters, funky birdhouses, and lawn ornaments.

Good Hart General Store, Good Hart

The Good Hart General Store is a must-see pitstop for drivers on northern Michigan’s scenic Tunnel of Trees that snakes its way along the shoreline of Lake Michigan, the third-largest of the Great Lakes. It’s been a gathering spot for the residents of Good Hart since the 1930s, and is one of the only businesses in the tiny hamlet. As such, it serves as a grocery store, bakery, deli, real estate office, and post office.

True to its name, the store has a little bit of everything in general. There are branded Good Hart and Tunnel of Trees souvenir hoodies, books for kids, coffee tumblers, lots of Made-in-Michigan items, and much more. On the food menu, there’s made-to-order pizza, homemade cookies like peanut butter chocolate chip sea salt and Michigan Maple Snickerdoodle, and their famous pot pies, which they also ship across the United States.

The general store was built in 1934 by Cliff Powers and operated as a general store, butcher, and gas station until 1971, when it was purchased by Carolyn and Jim Sutherland, who continue to run the store today. Today, a visit to the Good Hart General Store is like stepping back in time with its original tinted windows, glass bins, carved oak coolers, and a 1901 National Cash Register.

Horton Bay General Store, Horton Bay

The historic Horton Bay General Store & Inn in Northern Michigan, near Walloon Lake, first opened its doors in 1876, years after Samuel Horton, the town founder, first settled the area. With the building of a local sawmill by Alonzo J. Stroud and William H. Ohle, the need for a general store soon became apparent, so Ohle disentangled himself from the mill to supervise construction of the general store and other buildings in Horton Bay. Like other old-fashioned general stores of the era, it sold groceries, hardware, and clothing on the main floor while the proprietor lived upstairs. In 1879, a post office opened in the store.

In 2022, the store underwent a complete renovation by its new owners, transforming into a friendly deli-style bistro offering made-to-order sandwiches, fresh farm fare, cheese and charcuterie, picnic boxes, champagne, homemade granola, espresso, and more. Upstairs has been converted into a large two-bedroom suite, featuring a living room, dining room, wet bar, and a private deck, perfect for visitors to unwind or curl up with a novel by Ernest Hemingway, who has deep roots in the community.

The old general store is name-dropped in two of Pulitzer and Nobel Prize in Literature winner Ernest Hemingway’s short stories, “Up in Michigan and “The Last Good Country,” a tribute to the summers he spent there from 1899 to 1921.

Watrous General Store, Watrousville

The Watrous General Store is a testament to Aaron Watrous and his crew of loggers, who arrived in Tuscola County in 1852 to cut down the virgin pine forests prevalent in the Cass River Valley. He built a sawmill, then a boarding house for the loggers who lived there, after establishing the town of Watrousville. He built the general store sometime between 1860 and 1864 to supply the loggers with everyday essentials.

The flagpole outside the building is believed to date back to the 1864 presidential campaign, which led up to one of the most dramatic elections in U.S. history, culminating in Abraham Lincoln's re-election as President of the United States during the Civil War. After Watrous died in 1868, the building became the Juniata Township Hall in 1882. In 1973, the old-timey general store became home to the Watrousville-Caro Area Historical Society.

Glen Haven General Store, Glen Haven Historic Village

Located within one of Michigan’s top tourist destinations, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, the Glen Haven Historic Village is a preserved 19th-century village that gives visitors a glimpse into Michigan’s lumbering and maritime past. The village, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, comprises several historic buildings, including the Cannery Boathouse, the Blacksmith Shop, and the General Store.

In its heyday, during the late 19th and 20th centuries, the store was owned by D.H. Day, a lumber baron who founded the D.H. Day Lumber Company. The store sold a wide range of goods, including groceries, clothing, tools, household items, gas, and inner tubes, among other items, to the lumber and dock workers who were paid in company “scrip,” which required them to shop at the store.

Throughout its long history, the store has served as a post office, a telegraph station, a ticket office, and a U.S. weather station. Today, the seasonal Glen Haven General Store sells snacks, cold drinks, and souvenir t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats. There’s a small exhibit dedicated to D.H. Day in one corner of the store.

Summary

Michigan’s mix of old-timey general stores continues to embody the spirit of the state's small towns, packed with history, local flavor, and plenty of stories. From the Old Mission General Store, where presidents once shopped, to the Lake General Store that catered to hungry loggers, these spots were the heart of their communities. Some, like Horton Bay’s, even inspired Ernest Hemingway. Whether it’s handmade sausages, vintage candies, or quirky souvenirs, today these stores mix nostalgia with modern charm, making them must-see stops for anyone exploring Michigan’s past and present.