Country Stores

Good Earth Peanut Company, Skippers, Virginia (click to enlarge)

I love driving through the countryside, just wandering and looking for interesting things to photograph.  Over the years I've photographed a number of small, country stores, old gas stations, etc.  To me they have a certain charm about them.  They are a peek into the past.

The Good Earth Peanut Company store is one of my favorites to photograph.  Last week, I was out and traveled to the small crossroads of a place called, Skippers, Virginia, so I could photograph this place once again.  I have been photographing it over the years as the businesses occupying the building have changed.  I always enjoy going back.

The dual track CSX Railroad mainline runs right in front of the store.  I made the image above while standing between Main 1 and Main 2.  (Don't worry, I'm very safety conscious, have been around railroads my entire life and there are mile long+ straightaways both north and south of where I was standing so there is plenty of warning if a train approached.)  Every day dozens of trains pass this store from slow freights to several Amtrak passenger trains traveling around 80mph (130kph).  I wonder how many passengers even see the store at those speeds.

Danielle's Resale Shop, 1987.  Kodachrome 64 (click to enlarge)

In 1987, the little building was Danielle's Resale Shop.  The large tree out front is now just a tall stump, the "Coca-Cola" sign is long gone, the Chessie System Railroad was gobbled up by CSX and the baby blue 1981 Ford Fairmont coupe was as ugly then as it remains today!  The warehouse, the red tin roof, the porch as well as the dual mainline railroad tracks remain.  What changes will be in store for this little scene in the future?  I know at some point in time I'll be back to see!

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

All content on this blog is © 2013-2022 Dennis A. Mook. All Rights Reserved. Feel free to point to this blog from your website with full attribution. Permission may be granted for commercial use. Please contact Mr. Mook to discuss permission to reproduce the blog posts and/or images.