By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2025-04-03 17:57:44 | Updated at 2025-04-04 22:57:04
1 day ago
They didn’t have Wi-Fi when this opened.
An 168-year-old general store on Long Island — which is the longest running business of its kind in the entire nation — is having a viral moment thanks to history lovers who are making this quaint slice of the past trend in the 21st Century.
The two-story St. James General Store, which was built in 1857 by the Smith family — who famously founded nearby Smithtown — was the focus of a social media series episode on its unique lore by Hamptons-based videographer Jim Christiano, which drew thousands of viewers.
“I really had never been personally affected by the power of social media until then,” Pat Rohr, who has been working at the North Shore site since the early 1990s, told The Post.
“People were calling. They were calling the store — they were calling me personally,” she said of the shop that, in keeping with its history, doesn’t have its own online presence.
Long Island specifically loves this general store — which sits on the National Register of Historic Places — as over the years it’s severed as a meeting place for townsfolk, a post office, a pharmacy and a residence.
It also a place for blissful memories to so many locals.
“I know that from my own experience, watching these kids who came in with their parents back in the 90s, they’re all grown up now — some of them teachers, lawyers, doctors, and they bring their own kids in,” said Rohr.
In the modern day, the St. James General Store is known for a delectable array of candies — Rohr said they are the top seller — plus toys, books, clothing, jewelry, dishware, and other eclectic items that come from over a dozen local merchants and other retailers.
Above the shelves sit nearly 300 antiques found in the store over the years, like glass pharmacy bottles, old-style telephones, a stamp machine and even shoes and a bugle.
A mix of candles, lavender, and the old wood that keeps the 19th-century homestead together also creates “a smell of its own,” according to Rohr, a former school nurse who joined the staff out of a love for history.
“When you walk in here, I think it lowers your blood pressure instantly,” she said. “And it’s a different mindset altogether….even if you just want to calmly walk around and don’t buy anything, we’re fine with that.”
Alleged hauntings and ghost sightings aren’t even enough to deter the hundreds of customers a weekend, the employee said. Two customers claim they have seen phantoms in 19th-century clothing, and an amateur ghost hunter pops in about once a month.
Some even come as far as New Zealand to experience the authentic slice of roadside America.
“We literally get people from everywhere. Ireland, Asia, you name it,” said Rohr.
And, at Christmastime, the line to shop and see Santa Claus was getting so long they had to move the holly jolly man to an outdoor shed.
However, islanders are the bread-and-butter consumers keeping the lights on.
Rohr said about three-quarters of the business is thanks to locals — all of whom want to ensure the St. James General Store continues its claim to fame as the nation’s longest actively running.
“This community is very protective,” she said, adding that in a modern way, the facility has once again become a meeting place for LI. Rohr has personally seen strangers leave as friends.
“I just love it because I think more places like this are disappearing because people are just not aware,” she added. “So the more they become aware, I feel there’s more likelihood this place will be protected — and it will last.”
