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| The Newville Country Store and Service Center, Newville, Prince George County, Virginia. (click to enlarge) |
About a week ago I spent the morning out wandering and looking for interesting things to photograph. Previously, I hadn't spent much time in Prince George County, Virginia, so I drove there and started cruising through the back roads looking for anything that may make a nice image.
As I came to a crossroads serendipity struck once again and I found myself pulling into the parking lot of the Newville Country Store and Service Center. I love stumbling across these types of small, country stores as they are quickly being replaced by the mega-retailer convenience stores that also sell fuel. 7-11 is one such company.
I spent a few minutes looking around and then followed a group of four young lads into the store. The four of them, I would estimate, were about 10-12 years old. I can remember being of that age and visiting a small store near my home which sold penny candy. Across the street was a small gas station which sold soft drinks, ice cream, potato chips, etc. These two establishments, like the Newville Country Store, was owned by individuals, not a company.
As I walked around inside, I saw exactly what I suspected. A couple of rows of shelves with packaged and canned food items, an open space with a couple of tables and chairs, an older woman (older than me, that is) sitting behind a counter next to an old cash register as well as a small area where food is cooked and various sandwiches are made.
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| Regular gasoline was still priced at $4.10 per gallon. Driving about 5 miles to a main road, you can find the same regular gasoline for $3.35 US. I guess you could call this the 'living in the country tax' or 'convenience tax.' Things just get a bit more expensive when distributors need to make special trips to service customers. |
After spending about three to five minutes walking around and after the four boys were done buying their candy and soft drinks, I approached the white-haired lady. I identified myself and told her that I was retired and photography was my hobby. I told her I liked to document places such as this store and would she mind if I made a few photographs? Her immediate and rather terse reply was, "No. No photographs inside." I told her I respected her decision and was it okay to make some images outside and she said that was fine.
I looked around the store a bit more then I thought I would try once again to get her to change her mind and explained how I thought it was important for generations to come to see how life was and is as stores like hers might soon be lost forever. No dice. I couldn't get her to change her mind. So be it.
I walked outside and made a dozen or so images from different perspectives and was lucky enough to catch a couple of men exiting the store with their purchases.
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| This fellow had a hot sandwich made on the small grille area within the store. (click to enlarge) |
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| This young man made his purchase than jumped on the silver scooter propped up by the bench and rolled on out of there! (click to enlarge) |
I will probably return to the store sometime in the future. If the same nice lady is there, I may ask her again as she may remember me and realize I would never do any harm. If another person sits behind the candy-filled counter, I may seek his or her permission and, hopefully, it will be granted. We'll just have to see. In either case, I’ve documented, at least, the outside of the store and its premises. An enjoyable discovery.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
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