Did you ever wish you could go back in time?
Being a history buff, I do all the time.
A time where life was slower, without all the technology that directs our lives today.
A time where you didn't have to go elbow to elbow with a zillion crazed shoppers at Wal Mart trying to cash in on the latest sale of who knows what.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on Wal Mart, I went there yesterday in Ogdensburg, NY, with the better half to pick up some household goods. Why Wal Mart? Well, they sell what we needed, and the price was right.
That said, once I'm in a Wal Mart, I can't wait to get out. Too many people, too many choices, too many impulse buys, and the lines at checkout are similar to those on the Long Island Expressway during rush hour.
So what in the hell was I doing in Ogdensburg in the first place?
Well, my good friend David M. Cavanagh (DM) was heading up this way from the Albany area in which he resides. He'd messaged me a week or so ago, and asked if I'd like to check out Pickens General Store in Heuvelton, NY. A stones throw from the 'Burg.
DM has a camp just outside Ogdensburg, and had discovered this little gem of a store a while back.
He said they sell some great cheese, and he had me at cheese.
He'd been talking it up for a while, so I bit, and said, "Yeah!"
So Nance and I left early on a Saturday morning, hit Wal Mart for those items we needed, then headed to Heuvelton, to meet up with DM.
Can't say I've ever been to Heuvelton. If so, it was so long ago I can't remember.
It looks like so many other small villages in Northern, NY.
It's tired. Lots of run down houses and storefronts.
If you stop and rest and look around, you can almost see and feel how vibrant a little village it was 50, 60, or 75 years ago.
The place has history on it's side.
And part of that is the diamond in the rough that is Pickens General Store.
It's the General store that every that every little town had in the last couple of centuries.
Simply put, it was where you went when you needed anything.
It was the center of town and the community.
It was the heartbeat around which all things social revolved.
What's really cool about this area in general is that over the past few decades there's been an influx of Amish from Pennsylvania and Ohio drawn to the area by the rich soil and reasonable land prices.
We saw multiple horse and buggies yesterday.
I've always been fascinated by the Amish and their "screw the modern world" lifestyle.
Not sure if I could do it, but they're self-reliant in an age, where more of us need to be.
I saw an Amish farmer tilling a big field yesterday behind a team of horses on his plow.
Very cool, and I wished I had taken a pic, but the memory is vivid.
Who needs a time machine?
So, back to Pickens, they sell many Amish goods. If you're in the area, it's definitely a good place to spend an hour or two.
This store has a new life, thankfully, for those of us who appreciate small town life.
This is from their Website:
Being a history buff, I do all the time.
A time where life was slower, without all the technology that directs our lives today.
A time where you didn't have to go elbow to elbow with a zillion crazed shoppers at Wal Mart trying to cash in on the latest sale of who knows what.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on Wal Mart, I went there yesterday in Ogdensburg, NY, with the better half to pick up some household goods. Why Wal Mart? Well, they sell what we needed, and the price was right.
That said, once I'm in a Wal Mart, I can't wait to get out. Too many people, too many choices, too many impulse buys, and the lines at checkout are similar to those on the Long Island Expressway during rush hour.
So what in the hell was I doing in Ogdensburg in the first place?
Well, my good friend David M. Cavanagh (DM) was heading up this way from the Albany area in which he resides. He'd messaged me a week or so ago, and asked if I'd like to check out Pickens General Store in Heuvelton, NY. A stones throw from the 'Burg.
DM has a camp just outside Ogdensburg, and had discovered this little gem of a store a while back.
He said they sell some great cheese, and he had me at cheese.
He'd been talking it up for a while, so I bit, and said, "Yeah!"
So Nance and I left early on a Saturday morning, hit Wal Mart for those items we needed, then headed to Heuvelton, to meet up with DM.
Can't say I've ever been to Heuvelton. If so, it was so long ago I can't remember.
It looks like so many other small villages in Northern, NY.
It's tired. Lots of run down houses and storefronts.
If you stop and rest and look around, you can almost see and feel how vibrant a little village it was 50, 60, or 75 years ago.
The place has history on it's side.
And part of that is the diamond in the rough that is Pickens General Store.
It's the General store that every that every little town had in the last couple of centuries.
Simply put, it was where you went when you needed anything.
It was the center of town and the community.
It was the heartbeat around which all things social revolved.
What's really cool about this area in general is that over the past few decades there's been an influx of Amish from Pennsylvania and Ohio drawn to the area by the rich soil and reasonable land prices.
We saw multiple horse and buggies yesterday.
I've always been fascinated by the Amish and their "screw the modern world" lifestyle.
Not sure if I could do it, but they're self-reliant in an age, where more of us need to be.
I saw an Amish farmer tilling a big field yesterday behind a team of horses on his plow.
Very cool, and I wished I had taken a pic, but the memory is vivid.
Who needs a time machine?
So, back to Pickens, they sell many Amish goods. If you're in the area, it's definitely a good place to spend an hour or two.
This store has a new life, thankfully, for those of us who appreciate small town life.
This is from their Website:
A Good Old-Fashioned General Store!
Our store began as a series of fundraising sales during the
holidays for the purpose of saving our historic building. Eventually we
opened for business the summer of 2007 featuring mainly non-electric
goods for and from our local Amish, craftsmen, and Artists. Through the
years we have 
expanded
to truly become a general store. We carry a little of this and a
little of that and with the introduction of our website we hope to share
our simple living and local flavor with the world.
We pride ourselves in our ability to serve our customers the old-fashioned way with personal service from a small friendly staff. Feel free to call the store with any questions, our staff is listed on the "Meet our Staff" page so you will know exactly who you are talking to!
We also always encourage visits to our store because our location and our building was and is our
inspiration. As we continue to restore our building we hold many
events to share this great place and our history with our guests like
Bluegrass nights, workshops, and holiday concerts. So Welcome everyone
to Pickens General Store we hope to see you soon!
expanded
to truly become a general store. We carry a little of this and a
little of that and with the introduction of our website we hope to share
our simple living and local flavor with the world.We pride ourselves in our ability to serve our customers the old-fashioned way with personal service from a small friendly staff. Feel free to call the store with any questions, our staff is listed on the "Meet our Staff" page so you will know exactly who you are talking to!
We also always encourage visits to our store because our location and our building was and is our
inspiration. As we continue to restore our building we hold many
events to share this great place and our history with our guests like
Bluegrass nights, workshops, and holiday concerts. So Welcome everyone
to Pickens General Store we hope to see you soon!So Dave showed up at about a quarter to Noon, and in we went.
And giving credit where credit is due, Nance took all the pics, since DM and I had so much cheese in our hands we couldn't hold a camera!
Here's a side shot of the store.
On the inside, lots of homemade Amish furniture.
Hi honey!
And cheese! With samples!
And more cheese!
Popcorn.
Lots of Amish quilts and knitted goods.
Stuff for the kids.
And the cat, which every store should have!
Nice pottery.
After hitting Pickens, DM brought us to the Losurdo Cheese factory, which produces some of the fine cheeses at Pickens.
We might not be the most handsome dudes, but with the cheese haul we made, we're the happiest!
That's it! GP
