A Carolina Country Store
April 7, 2017
By Tom Poland
Last week I was exploring the South Carolina coast near Pawley’s Island when a jaunt down Highway 17, the Ocean Highway, brought me to the Carolina Country Store. I passed it but turned around. It was a must-see place with its free-range chickens, old classic cars, and “Chicken City,” a fenced-in hamlet devoted to the chickens when they turn in for the night. That is roost. More on Chicken City to come.
Let me introduce the store using information from its website. “Step back in time when you enter the Carolina Country Store. Originally built in the 1920s, the Carolina Country Store has been restored to its original condition. Originally, when David Bilderback purchased the store about five years ago, it was going to be used for storage. His vision changed when he saw a need for the North Santee community, and his store fits that need like a glove.”
I parked and walked around, noticing the chickens and resident rooster who strutted among them. I hear the rooster will sit on your car while you fill it up, but only if you are a Gamecock fan. And the hen? Well, read on to see what she does.
What I liked most about the place were the classic automobiles parked to the left of the store. An old Ford coupe, circa 1941, best I could tell, looked as classy as any cars we build today. The rust flecking its hood, fenders, and top gave it character. And it’s for sale, classic car hobbyists. An old truck I couldn’t identify looked orange beneath the blue coastal sky. That’s how rusty it is, a veteran of many miles.
Inside the store I found a butter churn. The last time I saw one of those my Grandmother Poland was working it up and down to make butter. Right across from it was an old wood stove. That old stove, Wing’s Best Base Heater, brought back memories of my Granddads’ wood stoves. They threw out the heat and if you backed up to them too long, the back of your jeans would fry you when some wise guy pulled them against your legs.
About those chickens. The proprietors at Carolina Country Store have Wyandottes, laying hens, that cocky rooster, and guineas and quail. I heard that the hen inspects tires and it appears to be true as the photo confirms. They live at Chicken City where their little chicks have their own school.
I learned that the Carolina Country Store is all that remains of a popular vacation spot, a place where Lowcountry families sought relief from the stress and heat of the city. That would be Georgetown and possibly Charleston. You can still find home cooking here prepared by two generations. “Portions are amazing and the flavor will remind you of Carolina Country Sunday dinners at grandma’s.” Again, so sayeth the store’s website. And it adds, “You won’t find the owner and proprietor, David Bilderback dressed in a slick suit as he directs a staff. You will find him dressed for hard work and you will watch as he applies his passion for the timelessness of history to serving the North Santee Community. From the island fish camp to the wonders of Chicken City, you will rediscover the simplicity of entertainment without digital signals or batteries and enjoy shopping in an old style mercantile.”
Anything remotely resembling an old country store suits me, and I think you will like it too. If you’re over toward Pawley’s and want to visit the Carolina Country Store, just hit Highway 17 and head to 11725 South Fraser St., Georgetown. Be advised that it is a ways from the city. Turn right when you see chickens milling around the gas pumps.
Photos by Tom Poland
Visit Tom Poland’s website at www.tompoland.net
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Tom Poland is the author of twelve books and more than 1,000 magazine features. A Southern writer, his work has appeared in magazines throughout the South. The University of South Carolina Press released his book, Georgialina, A Southland As We Knew It, in November 2015 and his and Robert Clark’s Reflections Of South Carolina, Vol. II in 2014. The History Press of Charleston published Classic Carolina Road Trips From Columbia in 2014. He writes a weekly column for newspapers in Georgia and South Carolina about the South, its people, traditions, lifestyle, and changing culture and speaks often to groups across South Carolina and Georgia, “Georgialina.”
