I rolled off Route 25A in St. James and followed the town signs to the St. James General Store. Dating back to 1857 and commonly thought to be the oldest continuously operating general store in the country, it appeared like a background set for Disney’s "Country Bear Jamboree," a salute to a simpler time — that of "Little House" and Laura Ingalls Wilder, "Green Acres" and Sam Drucker, "Sesame Street" and Mr. Hooper, even "Schitt’s Creek" and David Rose.

Dictionary publisher Oxford Languages defines the general store as "a store, typically in a small town, selling a wide variety of goods." Popularized in the 1800s, general stores sold everything from candy, writing paper, newspapers and books to hardware and twine; pantry items to fresh groceries; clothing, toiletries and housewares to me

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