Rankin's Grocery

Long ago, there were only large grocery stores in big cities and larger-sized towns. Smaller towns were serviced by locally-owned "Mom & Pop" grocery stores. Way out in the country, there were small "country stores" which were the forerunners to today's "convenience stores" and were locally-owned. They kept the nearby residents from having to drive all the way into town to get supplies that required frequent restocking.

Many of these country stores were the only structures perched at cross-roads in rural locations and, of course, provided only the most essential items — loaves of bread, sugar, flour, a few canned goods, and a cooler-chest full of soda pop. At the counter, there were often little bags of peanuts, candy bars, chewing gum, and a few tins of snuff or chewing tobacco.

One of the smallest of these stores I've ever seen is this one, Rankin's Grocery, on Marchbanks Avenue in Anderson County, SC. Based on the size of the building with relation to the door, it appears to be only 10–12 feet wide (3–3.5 meters) and maybe 20 feet (6 meters) from the front-wall to the back-wall. Assuming, too, that there might be the teeniest little bathroom in the back with a toilet and sink, that doesn't leave much space at all for the store, itself!

For most of its existence, it sat in a rural area, but the sprawl of the nearby city of Anderson over the years, coupled with subsequent annexations, has brought this store within city limits now. I don't know how long it has been abandoned.

One historical website of the area states:

...the store was the business of James Lester Rankin, who operated the grocery store and also sold obsolete auto parts from the building during the mid-to-late twentieth century. [source]

One woman who grew up next to the store writes in her blog:

My Great Uncle's home was next door and was torn down for the new subdivision. My friend also lived next door to the grocery store and Mr. Rankin was her Grandfather, so we use to go to his store to get candy and hangout. He was a kind man and use to talk to us and keep us entertained. This Grocery Store has been the subject of many paintings and photos. I hope this cute little store reminds of how a man with a dream owned his own little Gas Station that has been remembered as an important part of history, especially to the children. [source]

She includes additional photos of the store in her blog, including one which reads: "RANKIN AUTO PARTS, from 1928 to '70" — which leaves me wondering if his store operated from 1928 until 1970, or whether he only carried auto parts from cars that were built between 1928 and 1970.

I thought this little building was adorable, and one of the cutest little country stores I've ever seen! The roof is red, the front door is red, the gas pumps are red, and there is a very old, red Coca-Cola sign on the front of the building, which is painted green. There are white accents along the roof, door frame and window sills, making for quite the color contrast!

I remember going into a store similar to this — but slightly larger! — as a child and buying an ice-cold RC Cola or a Dr Pepper cola, both of them sold in glass bottles. Then, if we had the money to spare, we would also buy a little bag of Lance® salted peanuts and carefully dump them into the narrow neck of the bottle. Then, with each swig of soda we drank, we'd get a couple of pieces of peanut along with it. Fun times! 😁