I love old hardware and farm stores but they are fast-disappearing lost treasures
Martin Supply has been in Williamston, NC for as long as I can remember. It is one of those old-time feed stores that’s disappearing all across the U.S.A.
When you walk in the front door you know you have entered a time past. One of the first things you see is all the camouflage and hunting gear. There are rifles, shotguns, hunting bows, deer stands and things I just don’t know what they are. The ammo is behind the counter. You can still buy long underwear with the back flap that drops down.
Mitchell Griffin will help you find anything you need. Mitchell is one of the youngest fellows at Martin Supply.
Walk on to the back of the store and one of the fellows will come up and ask if he can help you. I love the Mason jars of garden seeds. You can buy 8 butter beans seeds if that is all you want. And don’t forget the collard plants to go with the beans. In case you didn’t know, this is the way all these little hardware and feed stores used to be. In winter, I bring my pecans here to be shelled or they will buy them from me.
Find jars of all kinds of seeds for your garden
Amble over to the wooden counter and you will see pint and quart jars of local molasses and honey and an Old Farmer’s Almanac. Don’t forget to get some hoop cheese and a Coca Cola in a bottle to go with it. They have everything at Martin Supply. When I was 8 years old, I raised a calf, Sophia, from a bottle. We bought the special galvanized bucket with a nipple on it from Martin Supply. Gee, growing up on a farm was fun. Sophia lived to be quite old – they couldn’t kill the farmer’s daughter’s pet cow.
Hoop cheese at Martin Supply – Ask for a sample.
They tell me Martin Supply opened in 1941. I remember when I was a child they had a live chicken in a jar – it had grown up in the jar. At Easter, they sold tiny biddies and ducklings — some were dyed different colors. Mother bought them for me and let me keep them in the bathroom until they got big. Times were different then.
I just hope Martin Supply stays here for a long time. I love this store.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Martin Supply
118 Washington Street
Williamston, NC 27892
Telephone: 252-792-2123
View Martin Supply in a larger map
DISTANCES FROM:
103 miles east of Raleigh, NC
104 miles south of Norfolk, VA
27 miles east of Greenville, NC
4 miles north of Big Mill Bed & Breakfast in Williamston, NC
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