Wednesday, April 5, 2017

General Stores, Mercantiles & Emporiums



Thanks to a childhood watching western films and TV shows, a certain image comes to mind when I think of a store in the Old West. Invariably, it's a general store with false front, multi-paned glass windows, and a wooden sidewalk, like this one...


Dry Goods and Grocery Store, Lethbridge, Alberta, ca. 1886. Credit: Glenbow Archives (NA-922-3)

Whether it was called a general store or mercantile, they usually carried the same assortment of groceries, dry goods, hardware, clothing, and other necessities to sustain basic life, although almost anything could be ordered in by catalog.  In a farm or ranching area, the local store might be the only social gathering spot for a good many miles.


Jos A. Cormier General Store, Flour and Feed, La Salle, Man. undated. Credit: U of A Prairie Postcards PC000552


In larger communities, there would be an assortment of tradesmen and women working and selling in their own buildings, such as tailors, dressmakers, milliners, gunsmiths, blacksmiths, tinsmiths, bakers, cooks, and confectioners. A town would be blessed to have a medical clinic and drug store. As well, a book and stationary store helped increase education and often contributed to the creation of a library. 



George L. Fraser's confectionery store, Stephen Avenue, Calgary, Alberta, 1884. Credit: Glenbow Archives (NA-1931-1)


Living quarters above or attached to the store was often found as it cut down on expenses. Usually the business would be a family affair where children worked alongside their parents when they weren't in school. It sounds harsh, but the children learned a trade, assumed responsibility, and were in much better physical shape than most of our kids are today. 



George Sanderson's Blacksmith Shop, Edmonton, Alberta, 1883. Credit: Glenbow Archives (NA-2317-1)


Back then, a small population meant there wasn't enough mail to warrant a building dedicated as a post office in every community. The effective solution was to use a corner in the general store, although some post offices were located in private homes. Even today, I've been in two private homes here on the prairies where the front door opens to a post office with the living quarters beyond. I knocked the first time, since it was a private home, and they smiled/laughed at my hesitation.


Durick and Warren's Store and Post Office, Golden, British Columbia, 1883. Credit: Glenbow Archives (NA-1931-2)

In larger towns one large building might hold two stores with a party wall between them, like this I.G. Baker and Company store in Calgary. In the Old West years, I.G. Baker and Company also had stores in Fort Calgary and Fort Macleod, Alberta, and Fort Benton, Montana, with the size dependent on the population. 


I.G. Baker and Company store, Stephen Avenue, Calgary, Alberta., 1888. Credit: Glenbow Archives (NA-1315-11)


Interiors were gloomy as the only natural light usually came from the large windows in the front of the building. At the back, a wall with a door divided the store from the storage area, and the side walls, or party walls, were filled to the ceiling with open shelves displaying the goods. Some single stores had high windows on the sides, but they weren't common as the owner would have sacrificed precious display space for the light. It's one of the reasons most interior images of commercial establishments appear dark...they were.  


Geary's Drugstore, Innisfail, Alberta, ca. 1890s. Credit: Glenbow Archives (NA-1709-11)

As mentioned earlier, the general store often contained a corner for a small post office, such as the one on the left side of this next image. Instead of opening your box with a key, the door would have a simple dial with either numbers, or letters. The post office box doors in this image below shows what could be two dials, or one dial to unlock, and one knob to open it.


Buckingham's General Store Interior, ca. 1898. Credit: Library of Congress/Paradise Valley Folklife Project Collection (AFC 1991/021)

So where does the emporium that I mentioned in the title fit into this? The hero of my new novella is a store owner who keeps to himself. He likes owning a store, but doesn't want the social interaction that goes along with it. He wants to get away from this...


S.O. Grimes General Store, Westminster, Md., between 1895 and 1910. Source: Library of Congress/Detroit Publishing Company Photograph Collection No. 043099

His solution is to change the direction of his store from a grocery and dry goods mercantile to an elite enterprise where customers come to visit the wares instead of him or their neighbors. The Emporium struck me as the perfect name, especially since dictionary.com said an emporium was, "a large and often ostentatious retail shop offering for sale a wide variety of merchandise." 

My hero's emporium looks like the store in the first image of this post. For a look at some of the items that can be found inside it, as well as the inspiration for my heroine and her typewriter, you can check my Pinterest board, Novella: Love in Store.

For more information on general stores, check our own Jennifer Uhlarik's post, Old-Fashioned Mercantiles. (Today's giveaway also contains a novella by Jennifer.)


Question: Have you ever stood outside a small business, or office, with living quarters inside, and not known whether you should walk right in, or knock first? I would love if you shared your experience.


Giveaway: I'm offering one print copy of The Secret Admirer Romance Collection which contains 9 historical novellas including my own Love in Store. If you want to be entered, mention it in the comment section of this post before midnight Sunday night, April 9th.


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Anita Mae Draper writes her historical romances under the western skies of the Saskatchewan prairie where her love of research and genealogy yield fascinating truths that layer her stories with rich historical details. Her Christian faith is reflected in her stories of forgiveness and redemption as her characters struggle to find their way to that place we call home. Anita loves to correspond with her readers through any of the social media links found at

Readers can enrich their reading experience by checking out Anita's Pinterest boards for a visual idea of her stories at www.pinterest.com/anitamaedraper.


36 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed your historical article. Great! I had a business in my home giving piano lessons. Either my Mother or I would be able to answer the door for the next client, but sometimes we couldn't. Even though I would tell all of the students and parents to come in and have a seat, they were hesitant. I don't think anyone came in without knocking first. I guess they were hesitant because it was our home.

    Here's my email address if anyone needs it:barbmaci61@yahoo.com.
    Thank you for a wonderful giveaway.
    Barbara Thompson

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    1. Of course, Barbara, I hadn't even thought of the music lessons 3 of my 4 kids took. We always knocked and waited for the "Come in!". Well, except for the music teacher who gave group lessons in her basement and didn't respond as long as we had a right to be there at that time. Still, we shouted our arrival - just in case.

      Thanks for sharing your experience. I appreciate the email address as it will help contact you if you should be the winner. :)

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  2. Anita, Great pictures and information! I, too, have pictures in my mind of the general stores from Westerns I used to watch.

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  3. I thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful post and pictures, Anita! I haven't ever visited a business or office with living quarters inside, but if I did, I would probably knock before entering. You have certainly piqued my interest with your hero and his emporium, and I would love to be entered in the giveaway. Thanks so much!

    texaggs2000 at gmail dot com

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    1. You're very welcome, Britney. I got your name in. :)

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  4. Such an interesting and detailed post, Anita. Thank you!

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  5. What an informational post. I enjoyed all the information about stores of the past. I would love to be entered in the giveaway for The Secret Admirer Romance Collection. Thanks for the giveaway and good luck everyone. princessdebbie1_2000(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Thank you, Debbie. I appreciate you stopping by, and yes, you're entered. :)

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  6. Very interesting question. I don't know that I have ever been to a business with living quarters, but I know I would be wondering whether to knock or not. I would love to win a copy of this book. Thank you for the chance.
    susanmsj at msn dot com

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    1. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Susan.Got you entered. :)

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  7. Great post! I don't think I have ever visited a store or business with living quarters but I would like to. I love mercantiles and general stores.

    mauback55 at gmail dot com

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    1. I love them too, Melanie. An old-fashioned general store smells of history and possibilities at the same time. The floors squeak, the shelves are worn, and surprises await at every turn. That's what I wanted for my hero who is someone trying to move forward, but doesn't want to forget the past.

      Thanks for stopping by today. :)

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  8. I loved the Westerns and the old general stores. It's nice to find a historical site that features a general store with all the smells, items for purchase and the history they represent. Thank you for sharing and the giveaway. marilynridgway78[at]gmail[dot]com

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    1. You're very welcome, Marilyn. I'm glad you found us and stopped in to visit. :)

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  9. I loved the post and the pictures. I'm reminded of Ike Godsey's General Store on the Waltons. He had a post office and lived in the back of the store. Would love to be part of the drawing. Thank you. wvsmarties(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Janet, I thought of Godsey's store while writing this post and would have included it too, except it was about too far into the 20th century for what I was trying to show, as well as a being a fictional version. It makes me wonder though, if a post on our favorite TV general stores might be interesting. Of course, they weren't real, which is something we portray here on this blog, but they were based on ones from history. It bears thought. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.

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  10. I read that part about your hesitation to knock, and I would definitely be the same way. I haven't had that encounter yet, but I have seen a like post office set up in a store, and even in a gas station once during a road trip!

    Thank you for the giveaway. I love these collections from Barbour and I love this cover and theme especially! "A Secret Admirer" brings back childhood memories, but don't think that's what this one's about! LOL.

    Thank you.
    Annie
    justcommonly(at)gmail(dot)com

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    1. You're welcome, Annie. Thanks for sharing a hint of your memory. :D

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  11. Interesting post! I don't know that I've ever been in a business that had living quarters as well as a business but I have been in houses that have been converted to a business. One was a dentist office with the entrance in the back and it took me a few minutes to figure out how to get in...lol! Thanks for the giveaway! Please enter me in, thanks! smileytwin10{at}gmail{dot}com

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    1. Too funny, Rachel, and I know what you mean. These small communities use what they can and sometimes figure the people should change their ways and not the buildings. :)

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  12. Barbara, this is a fascinating post! I don't know of a small business with living quarters. It's an interesting concept. Thank you for the giveaway.
    psalm103and138 at gmail dot com

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    1. Caryl, it's me... Anita. LOL. And you're welcome. :)

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  13. This collection sounds great! Thanks for the chance to win a copy. i love the photos and information you shared.
    I lived next to a woman who ran a dance studio from her home. I often baby-sat her children. There were so many times people would knock on either the front door, which was hardly ever used, or the back door, used all the time, to get information about the classes. This happened despite there being a well marked door for the dance studio. While I was there I always took the people through the kitchen and down the stairs to the studio. The house/studio was a little far out of town and I found it amazing the number of people who thought they could use the house as a waiting area while their children were in class. There was a designated waiting area. As a teenage baby sitter, I had to direct the adults to stay in that area and out of the living area.
    Thanks again, Andrea

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    1. Andrea, it could be because small communities are often tight-knit where everyone knows everyone else and have been in each other's houses so often, they probably know where the tea bags and sugar bowl are kept so figure they can help themselves. It really is one of the hazards of having a business in your home - the ability to have people separate your home from your business. Some 'customers' just don't get the difference.

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  14. I enjoyed the pictures tremendously. I used to go to a Beauty Shop in a friends home, but I always knocked first. Thank you for the chance. Blessings

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    1. Thanks for sharing, Lucy. Yes, a beauty shop is another business found in a small town that often doesn't warrant having it's own building. Good one! Thanks.

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  15. Thanks for the post. I love the old pictures and trying to guess the stories behind the shot. Yes, please enter me in the drawing! elise(underscore)jehan(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Your name is in the hat, Elise. Thanks for stopping by.

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  16. Fun post! The book sounds good too. We live a few miles from an old mill town that has a general store there still, with wooden floors. Thanks for doing a giveaway. :)
    kjrochon40(at)msn(dot)com

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    1. You're welcome, Karen. That general store would be a nice place to visit. I hope you avail yourself of the opportunity. I can't tell you how often I put off going in one of those places and then regretted it because I didn't get a second chance. I'm usually amazed when I do take the time.

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  17. Two of our Doctors when we were growing up had their offices in their homes. I also lived in a small bump in the road when my kids were little and we had a general store across the street. It was amazing how much variety there was...even hardware items and potato and onion starts in the spring!

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    1. Paula, I love your description using a "small bump in the road". I haven't heard that one. Yes, the store keepers knew that if they didn't bring in what the people needed they'd hang 'em on a clothesline until they did. It wasn't really a matter of customer loyalty because often there simply wasn't anywhere else to go...but common decency and living in a small community mattered. (Company towns excluded.)

      Thanks for visiting. :)

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  18. And the winner of the print copy of THE SECRET ADMIRER ROMANCE COLLECTION is... MARILYN R.

    Congratulations, Marilyn R. Be on the lookout for an email from me requesting postal information.

    Thank you to everyone for visiting this post and especially to those who shared thoughts and memories. If you didn't win this time, visit my website Contest & Giveaway page for current and upcoming giveaways.

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    1. Thank you Anita. I remember visitng a small neighborhood grocery store as a child just down the street from the parsonage our grandparents lived in. The church was right by the parsonage. A nickel went a lot way in picking out penny candy when visiting our grandparents. All the little mom and pop grocery/general stores are gone now in my current location. A couple of the buildings are still standing though. Time marches on with modernization.

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