Chelsea General Store
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Photo by Jeff Thompson
Chelsea General Store Military Surplus
Chelsea General Store’s primary merchandise is military surplus equipment.
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Photos by Jeff Thompson.
Chelsea General Store managers
Chelsea General Store General Manager Clint Scherf and Assistant Manager Jared Mauldin stand in front of a painting in the store’s “front porch” area. The painting depicts what owners Dale and Mary Neuendorf hope the building’s exterior will resemble by spring 2014.
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Photo by Jeff Thompson
Chelsea General Store goods
The store also carries a wide selection of goods produced by an Amish community, including jams, candy, cheese and artwork.
14555 U.S. 280
678-2793
Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Dale Neuendorf’s grandfather owned a general store in South Carolina. As a boy, he was fascinated by the place, fondly remembering the hours he’d spend on its porch greeting customers, snacking on pickles from the pickle barrel and throwing back handfuls of peanuts.
Ultimately, it’s what the city councilman now wants for Chelsea.
“Right now, it’s just an ugly, old metal building, and it doesn’t have much charm,” Neuendorf said of the Chelsea General Store. “But everyone remembers what it was like to go to an old country store. We want this to be that kind of place and have that kind of feeling.”
Chelsea General Store, located about a mile south of the Chelsea Walmart on U.S. 280, is an eclectic smattering of goods spread out over hundreds of square feet. Some customers might see it as a military surplus store and others a place to buy specialty jams and jellies. To Neuendorf and his wife, Mary, co-owner of the store, both ideas are right on target.
“Mary and I have been living in Chelsea for 12 years, and we have always talked about having a little store,” Neuendorf said. “Mary wanted to sell gifts, home goods and decorating items, and I wanted to sell hardware. We both found a way to scratch the itch we individually had.”
Just as Mary wanted, the store has a section set up for gifts, but it shares the space with a wall of cowboy hats and goods produced by an Amish community. Dale got the hardware and gadget space he wanted, which includes tools for working on everything from cars to pipes to front yards. He said they ended up with about 10 different lines of goods in the store and have plans to continue expanding.
Military surplus items blanket a large portion of the store, and Neuendorf said those items are the reason it became a reality. An active member of the U.S. Army for three years, he said he always had an affinity for the equipment used by men and women in service. So, when he had the opportunity to purchase a stockpile at auction, he jumped at the chance.
Along the back wall are dozens of military-themed flags and hundreds of pairs of boots. The display case up front features a selection of pins and patches, and the clothes range from standard U.S. Army woodland camouflage to international garb.
“It’s just all over the place with military surplus,” Neuendorf said. “We have multiple uniforms not akin to the typical mainline items, including some from Australia and other countries.”
Neuendorf said he expects the section will be an even bigger hit in the near future, when he adds a 1945 Army Jeep ambulance used in World War II to the center of the display. He’s also selling the items via an online shop that can be found through the store’s website, chelseageneralstore.com.
Amish goods make up another sizable section of the store, and they range from handmade soaps to works of art. He said early on in the store’s development, he and Mary weren’t sure what food items they’d carry, but after testing the market with a few Amish offerings, their customers demanded they expand.
Now, the store carries butters and cheeses, pickles, jams, honey and specialty snacks made by an Amish community.
“It’s going to evolve into whatever the customer want us to be,” Neuendorf said, adding that it doesn’t simply apply to food.
In an effort to make the store resemble his grandfather’s, Neuendorf said he wants to allow the customer to drive the inventory across the board. He’s put together a starting point, but if demand grows for tools and hardware, expect the section to expand.
The Neuendorfs also want the store to be a place for the community to gather. He said customers regularly sit on the “front porch,” a bench and chairs inside the front entrance where they sip coffee and tell stories. The store also provides popcorn in the afternoons to encourage the practice.
As far as the “ugly” exterior, the Neuendorfs are working on that as well. Last year, Neuendorf submitted a sketch to his current landlord of what he envisioned for the site. The landlord had it converted to a painting and gave it to Neuendorf as a housewarming gift.
The work now hangs in the store’s sitting area, and Neuendorf said come spring he will be converting the building’s exterior to match it — bright yellow with an actual front porch.
“I’m excited,” he said. “And if it ever gets to be where it’s not fun, I probably wont do it anymore.”
