A Trip To One Of The Oldest General Stores In New York Is Like Stepping Back In Time
By Lisa Sammons|Published August 31, 2021
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Lisa Sammons
Author
Lisa loves animals and has dogs, rats, cats, guinea pigs, and snakes. She is passionate about animal rescue and live music - traveling across the country to see a favorite band is a pretty regular occurrence! Being out hiking in the woods enjoying the scenery with her beloved dogs is another favorite hobby, and also checking out the Pokemon Go scene in whatever city she happens to be in at any given time (coffee and dog leash in hand). You can reach Lisa at lsammons@onlyinyourstate.com
Do you ever find yourself longing for the days before WiFi and iPhones kept us ever-connected to modern-day problems and stresses? Sometimes you just want to escape back to a simpler time. One nostalgic place where you can do just that is the St. James General Store, the oldest general store in New York.
With how developed Long Island is nowadays, it's hard to imagine anything so quaint existing there.
But the St. James General Store has stood the test of time. Amazingly, they've been in business since 1857! This is a holdover from when the area was much less urbanized.
It's actually the oldest continuously-operating general store in the entire country.
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With old-school surroundings like these, it's so easy to imagine the centuries of shoppers that have walked through here. The building has not changed structurally since 1894.
St. James General Store goes all out for holidays! Particularly at Christmas, you'll find all kinds of decorative trinkets and treasures on its shelves.
Several times during its existence, the store was threatened by development. Thankfully, it is now protected by its listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
The shop is now owned by the Suffolk County Department of Parks.
Definitely make sure you go up to the second floor. It's almost like a museum filled with old artifacts related to the area's history. They also have quite a few books for sale.
Stop by and check out all they have for sale! You never know what kind of gems you'll find at the oldest general store in New York. Candy, decor, books, holiday goods... visiting the St. James General Store is a real-life treasure hunt!