9 Old-Timey General Stores In Virginia

Virginia has nine general stores that have stayed in business across more than a century. Floyd Country Store hosts a Friday Night Jamboree where the dance floor opens to anyone who wants to step on it. Locke Store in Millwood has changed hands only eight times since 1836. Big Walker Country Store celebrated 75 years as Virginia’s oldest privately owned scenic attraction. The porch swings, tin ceilings, and hardwood floors are still doing their jobs.

Floyd Country Store (Floyd)

Floyd Country Store first opened in 1910 as Farmer’s Supply and later became Cockram’s General Store. The store sits on the Crooked Road Heritage Music Trail, a 330-mile route charting 10 major venues and 60 affiliated venues and festivals where travelers can experience Virginia’s musical heritage.

Floyd Country Store is the engine of the Friday Night Jamboree, an Appalachian music tradition that’s been running for generations. The store clears the floor and opens it for dancing. The night welcomes people of all ages, and the line between performers and audience often disappears once the music starts.

Paint Bank General Store (Paint Bank)

Established in 1910, Paint Bank General Store was built from locally made red clay brick and served the town during its heyday, when the mining and timber industries took off in the area. The store still presents an old-time feel, with original tin ceilings and hardwood floors. The interior runs rustic, from the wooden walls to the deer head mounted near the ceiling.

Guests have more to look forward to than just the general store. Paint Bank also has a swinging bridge inside the store itself that connects different parts of the interior. The store hosts a year-round Christmas display on the second floor, and the Swinging Bridge Restaurant downstairs serves bison burgers indoors and on the porch with what they call hillbilly gourmet flair.

Sugar Tree Country Store (McDowell)

The Sugar Tree Country Store operates in an old country-store building from the 1800s. Established in 2005, the Sugar Tree Country Store and Sugar House built a reputation as a producer of maple syrup, a reputation that lives on today under the Heatwole family’s ownership. It is a small retail wholesaler of maple syrup, jam, and jellies, all produced by the family using sugar maples grown on their property. Beyond syrup, the store carries other locally sourced items including honey, candles, pottery, and baskets. The shop also displays antique maple-producing tools and walks visitors through the syrup-making process.

Bluemont General Store (Bluemont)

The Bluemont General Store has a long history of serving travelers along the stagecoach route that once ran from Washington, D.C. to Shenandoah. The route passed through the area beginning in the 1840s, when the village was named Snickersville. After the railroad arrived, the town boomed as city dwellers traveled to the countryside for vacation.

New ownership took over and committed to serving the community as the store had for 170 years. Bluemont’s porch is still open for visitors passing by. When you stop in, you can grab some coffee or order sandwiches or soup for lunch. Buy some food and sit on the porch, or pick up a cool drink on a warm summer day. Locally sourced fresh produce keeps friends coming back for an afternoon snack.

Clifton General Store (Clifton)

Clifton General Store sits in Clifton, a community that became the first in Fairfax County to have power in 1925. Built in the early 1900s, the general store became the center of the small town’s social life. At various points in its history, it acted as both a grocery store and a pub.

Guests can still grab a sandwich and a cold drink when they visit. Food is made to order throughout the day, with breakfast wraps in the morning and Bavarian pretzels available as a snack. You can also pick up grocery items, baked treats, gifts, and flowers.

Sibley’s General Store (Mathews)

Sibley’s General Store dates to the late 1890s. From its opening, it operated as a general store and held a distinct visual flair thanks to its Folk Victorian architecture. Decades later it became home to the Mathews County Visitor Center, which welcomes visitors to town.

Most guests come for the visitor center, which promotes the region and stocks road maps and field guides. Visitors also come for the small museum on site. The visitor center features historical exhibits and educational displays on Mathews County and the Chesapeake Bay. Though Sibley’s is no longer much of a general store, it remains a pivotal part of the community thanks to its work promoting the town.

Locke Store (Millwood)

Locke Store was first built nearly 200 years ago. Over that time, it has not passed through many hands, with only eight proprietors between 1836 and 2020. The low turnover has allowed the store to preserve much of its original structure, though over time the focus has shifted to gourmet foods.

The Locke Store offers an extensive menu. Daily soups like Thai Coconut Chicken Curry serve as a lighter option, though guests can opt for the egg salad sandwich or a breakfast sandwich. By noon, the store starts selling its Locke Store Smash Burger. The wine selection runs from Italy to local Virginia producers.

Burke’s Garden General Store (Tazewell)

Burke’s sits in a high mountain valley in Tazewell County, surrounded by ridges of the Garden Mountain Cluster. A small Amish community has settled in the valley over the past two decades and contributes to the goods on the store’s shelves.

The store carries Amish baked goods, handcrafted items, and quilts alongside other local products. It also functions as a community gathering point where residents and visitors pick up a cinnamon roll or pie and have lunch on the porch swing.

Philomont General Store (Philomont)

The Philomont General Store has stood for over a century, with a history that extends to 1913. Over that time, the store has served as a grocery and deli. It now houses a local post office, reportedly the last operational post office located in a general store in Loudoun County. Even today, it is among the very few commercial establishments around Philomont.

Residents can take shade on the porch before heading to the deli, where breakfast sandwiches and ham biscuits are on the menu. The shelves carry locally made artisanal honey and other small-batch goods. The store also stocks a selection of local wines and craft beers.

Big Walker Country Store (Wytheville)

Big Walker Lookout & BW Country Store recently celebrated 75 years in business as Virginia’s oldest privately owned scenic attraction. The store sits at Big Walker Lookout, a tower with views of the surrounding countryside. The lookout is the highest point on the Big Walker Mountain National Scenic Byway and overlooks miles of forested ridge.

Visitors come for the views, but the store has plenty else on offer. You can shop for hand-dipped Virginia-made ice cream, jams, jellies, or fudge candies. Gifts and collectibles fill the shelves. Throughout summer and into early fall, the store hosts local musicians for free shows. Events also feature artisans demonstrating everything from making lye soap to blacksmithing.

These stores date back a century or more and still serve their communities. Floyd Country Store is a Friday-night gathering point for jamboree dancing. Burke’s lets you relax with a cinnamon roll on a porch swing in Amish country. The mix of rustic architecture, local goods, and decades of continuous service is what keeps Virginians returning.