18 Photos of Old Country Stores From Simpler Times

Packed to the rafters with everything from penny candy to hardware, old country stores were the place you went for supplies, gossip, and maybe a fresh slice of pie or a quick game of pool or pinball. The worn wooden floors creaked under the shuffle of neighbors catching up, and the air carried a mix of coffee, sawdust, and something sweet from the bakery case.

These vintage photos of old country stores transport us back in time to those charming buildings covered in signage. 

1. Country Store in Oklahoma (1940)

2. Uncle Newt’s Store in Hardin, Tennessee (1945)

3. Woman Looking in a ‘Men Only’ Machine at the Vermont Country Store (1954)

4. Checking Out at a Lynchburg, Tennessee, Store (1972)

5. Double Decker Store in Prospect Hill, North Carolina (1940)

6. McLeary Store, Outside of Salem, Oregon (1959)

7. W.B. Queen, a Fiddler, Playing in a Country Store in Tellico Plains, Tennessee (1941)

8. Soldiers From Fort Benning Playing Pinball in an Alabama Country Store (1941)

9. Putting Ice in the Soft Drink Refrigerator at a Store in Arkansas (1938)

10. General Store in Bigheart, Oklahoma (1908)

11. Grinding Coffee at the General Store in Castolon, Texas (1939)

12. Poolroom at the General Store in Granville County, North Carolina (1940)

13. Manning the Counter (1973)

14. General Store in Moundville, Alabama (1936)

15. Dowd’s Store in Fibre, Michigan (1952)

16. Farm Boy at a General Store Pop Stand in Iowa (1939)

17. Country Store Off a Dirt Road in North Carolina (1939)

18. Crossroads Store in Sprott, Alabama (1936)

Interested in more stories that take you back in time?

Start with 22 Photos That Bring Back the Magic of Old Soda Fountains, then give 15 Vintage Photos of Main Streets Across America a read. Looking to dive more into the ’30s? Be sure to check out 30 Powerful Photos That Show What Life Was Really Like in the 1930s.