Remember the good old days when you could go to the local candy shop and buy candy cigarettes and wax lips? I am happy to report those good old days are alive and well at Huck's General Store in Blue Ridge, where wax lips and candy cigarettes (candy or bubblegum variety) fill brimming candy barrels, along with a riot of old favorites like Charleston Chews, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Mary Jane's and chocolate Necco wafers. A person can work up a powerful thirst eating all that good candy, so, luckily you can wet your whistle with an equally nostalgic array of soda that includes Cheerwine, Orange Crush, Dr. Enuf, birch beer, cream soda, and three different kinds of root beer.
For Huck's owner's Brett and Candace Massey, the dream of opening a general store started several years ago when they visited one in North Conway, New Hampshire, and were flooded with happy childhood memories while looking at the old-fashioned candies and toys sold in the store. Right then and there the couple vowed to someday open such a store to share those nostalgic feelings with others-young and old alike. Brett and Candace alternate days at the store, one in the store while the other is at home with the couple's two young boys, Luke and Eli. Warm, funny, and charming, the Massey's are the perfect general store proprietors and will instantly make you feel welcome.
The store opened in May in a new building on East Main Street in Blue Ridge. Although the building is new, Brett and Candace did a wonderful job of transforming the space into a rustic general store out of the 1950's. In addition to old-fashioned candy, the front of the store holds a wonderful selection of jams, jellies and preserves, popcorns, coffees, and coffee flavoring syrups. Having a party? Huck's has a stellar array of dips, crackers, summer sausage, dry rubs for grilling, bread and dessert mixes.
As you make your way through the store, enticing scents of homemade soaps, lotions and candles fill the air. Try the salt scrub of the day (today's was blueberry) on your hands, and instantly feel rejuvenated. Huck's postcards and nostalgic refrigerator magnets make perfect Blue Ridge souvenirs.
Looking for ways to keep the kids amused on a rainy afternoon at the cabin? At the back of Huck's, the shelves are full of the quality games and toys you remember fondly from your childhood---coonskin caps vie for attention next to pop guns, puzzles, bingo, Chinese checkers, origami, dress-up kits, even whoopee cushions! Huck's also carries an extensive collection of "Melissa & Doug" toys. There is a fascinating book section filled with beautifully illustrated adventure books guaranteed to capture a child's imagination.
Huck's General Store offers a truly unique--and wonderful--shopping experience. Be sure to stop in when you visit beautiful downtown Blue Ridge. Out of town? Visit them on the web: www.HucksGeneralStore.com.
Brett Massey, who along with wife, Candace, owns Huck's
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