Quietly, the Oldest Continually Operating General Store in America Shutters
An era ended over the weekend, but very few likely noticed.
Gray's Store — America's oldest general store in continuous operation — closed its doors for good after 224 years in business.
Located in Adamsville, Rhode Island, the store has been run by seven generations of the same family.
"This was the local business," said 21-year-old Jonah Waite, who inherited Gray's from his father, Grayton, after the latter passed away last month. "This was the place that you would come to get your groceries, and there wasn't any real other competition."
Sadly, times have changed, and with many options to choose from, customers don't visit as often as they used to. In fact, prior to closing, the store serviced only about ten patrons a day.
However, since the announcement went out that the store was shuttering, some 100 people have been stopping by each day to reminisce.
"He'd be pretty ecstatic," said Jonah of his father, "because this would be the most business he got all year, but he would be proud of the way that I'm handling things."
The store's last day was yesterday — Grayton Waite's birthday.
