Clay Millican's Mom's country store looks like it is shut down
 

I have news on that, I just walked by it and some folk with a van were carrying things out from the upstairs. It looked like Papa Millican and a helper.

The store, originally the only store for miles around, is a landmark in this area and I wondered what new businesses nearby might do to Martha's business.


When "Dakota's" ( a Louisiannan Restaurant) came here to Drummonds TN - I thought there might be some trade loss, but the brand new Dollar General across the street must have just plain finished the job... And maybe it's time. I dunno.

About a year and a half ago, Martha was shot by a would-be robber and was hospitalised over it. That may have also influenced things.... (IT WOULD FOR ME!) *NOTE: They caught the summitch, and he isn't going anywhere!!!

Martha's place was always pretty much a specialty and convenience shop, and you paid for that convenience. Stop there, or drive all the way into town. Pick one... She always carried the best stuff from Southern Meat Company too... But a Dollar Store (used to be called "DIME STORES") is dirt cheap, and that is something I can't misunderstand. The modern world has come to the town of Drummonds, and is not necessarily a bad thing.

Do I have sympathy for Ms. Martha? Yessir, I sure have.

She visited the Dollar General across the way a few times, and told the people there that she had thought about closing the store many times in recent years - but there just wasn't anything else around for miles that provided things for the local people. The original store was in a quonset hut from what I understand, that used to be the Drummonds Theater back in the forties or so. it is now owned by a man who uses it for extra storage and may be torn down soon.

While it is a Country Store on the bottom and from the front, the top half was built to be a live-in apartment where Mr and Mrs Millican lived for years. Clay Millican (of Drag Racing fame) has his own home just 200 yards from where the store stands, and it is brand spanking new.

An era has ended here, and there is a lot of history represented by that old place. Ways of thinking and doing, and community presense.

YOU NEVER CUSSED in that store, because it would be remembered about you for years... You could also get souvenirs of Clay's racing successes, and Clay would come and be there many times so that you could meet and talk to him. His original Race Car Garage was in the back of it when I first moved here you coud hear wild engines revving on some days as he tuned them. That was how I first met him.

He was tuning one of his rails - there were two of them in the place side by side. He used to use a lawn tractor to move them around.

Lord knows what will happen to all of the stray cats now, Martha has always fed them at the front porch of the store, and there are generations of her Country Kitties running wild around this area free for adoption

Always supposing you can get close to one of them.

It was a true "COUNTRY STORE" in every way you could imagine, people from all around would come just to talk about things going on. Sometimes I hate the twenty first century, and this is an instance of that.

Life moves on Wolfie. Whether its for the good or not who knows.I know I don't plan to work all my life.As soon as I can afford to retire I'm through with a full time job. I'll open a little cabinet & furniture repair shop when I retire but it will be a hobby not a job

Hate to hear the ole B&M Closed i went in there quit a bit & used to get my Clay T Shirts there insted of the racing shops (like pyrimid on whitten rd for example)



If ya cussed in that store OH LORD IS all i gotta say


& liked the sandwhiches oh man



I Sure thought the Dollar store was in "out of the way" place when they built it



When Mrs. M. got shot i thought she would had closed but she kept of chugging along



Used to like going in there & talking to clay just to pass the time (esp w/ my buddy who worked for my family for years who watched clay grow up & knows the family quite well ;)



Didnt know they're were closing




Hate to see this peice of history close



later yall

bulldog

She had some damn good sandwiches I stopped in there several times when I was out that way.


I too was a victim of time and big money.

Oddly enough - the man who robbed the store lived in a trailer down Richardsons Landing road, and worked at the scrapyard we just got a tranny from.

The tranny appears to be crap at this point. Dang shame too - we went through hell putting it in.

I'm going to want satisfaction out of this, one way or another. We put a lot of time into it, and Alabamabuddog spent his whole saturday out here helping me on it.

It just ain't right...

This truck is turning into what seems like a just plain stupid endeavor - all because of that gearbox.

IT NEEDS A 302, is what it does! After that it would be simple - but the insurance would be devastating.

And there's no way an I-6 would fit in it.

While i was working friday my work took me round millicans store & looked like it was open Friday 11-2-07 & there was a few trucks & a car out front ut i didt have time to stop so i dont know fer sure



later yall

It's hard to say - they've been closed more often than open lately. Have to figure there is a lot of stock left over, and what can they do with it?

isn't it sad when all the local people you know and are friends with have to close up because they can't afford to stay open. walmart opened up a supercenter here in lewis co. they will probably run out every other shop here and jack the prices up. its just a damned shame all the mom and pops are going away. just a damned shame.

The little country stores around here are usually on the "Convenience Store" philosophy. Since they save you money by not driving to town they charge more.

Ms Marthas store was an exception.

Amen :-X22



later yall

I dont think it is closed yet. It is closed on monday and is for sale. Thats what my daughter said. she is good freinds with Lee, Mrs. Martha's daughter. But I am sure bussiness is bad right now. They are good people!

They are the solid gold BEST! And don't you cuss in that there store now...

*Point: The new dollar store don't sell tobaccy

If someone bought it that wanted to run a discount tobacco and beer store, they'd have a GOLD MINE at that location. Ms Martha never did hold to selling alcohol - I guess she saw more of the Cole family than she liked!


(Rest In Peace: Cotton and 'Little Roy')
-I pass that marker everyday, and it always sends a shiver down my spine.