Book Review: The Old Country Store on the Miracle Mile: A True Story

Mel Spahr, The Old Country Store on the Miracle Mile: A True Story. (New York: Vantage Press, 2000). viii, 45, illustrated. Paperback $8.95 (ISBN 0- 533--12837-4)

At one time almost every crossroad community in Pennsylvania had its own general store, so named because these businesses handled all types of general merchandise from food to hardware to clothing. Victims of the big-store competition made possible by a mobile society, few of the old stores remain.

The Old Country Store on the Miracle Mile: A True Story tells the tale of the general store that once operated in Middlesex, Pennsylvania, along what is now U.S. Route 11. The book was written by Mel Spahr, a life-long resident of Cumberland County, whose parents owned the establishment and who, as a young boy, worked in the store.

In a larger sense, however, this book does more than detail the operation of a specific local store; it is the history of a bygone era. The tales contained in this volume could have occurred-and in some form probably did occur-at almost any general store throughout this region.

The general store of old was a world apart from the modern supermarket or discount store. Customers presented their shopping list to the clerk, who filled the order for them. Few items were pre-packaged and brand selection was very limited. However, the owners and clerks developed a closeness with their regular customers that is uncommon in modern retailing.

The store was much more than a business establishment-it served as the center of a small community. Men would gather in the general store to play checkers and cards, to sing or to sit around the stove and tell stories. Young boys would meet at the store, playing baseball during warm weather and sledding in the wintertime.

Read the entire article