This was a great, informative and interactive tour of the original stock from an old American store.

The Experience

So, as you are probably aware, stores have been around for centuries just not as we know them now. This store is set up to look like one that was owned by C. F. Hamblem, who liked to keep one of every item he sold over the years. This means that all of the products displayed are the originals, some even from 1908!

You are greeted by actors who will show you around, introducing the products in character. Then you’re allowed to explore a room of more products at the end, interacting with many of them.

The Actors

As mentioned, you will be greeted by an actor on the porch, who will already be in character. Their character is a shop keeper from the 1900s, so a lot of the information that you will gain is given to you as if you are a prospective buyer. Though that is not to say that it will be misinformative or not very good information, as we found it fascinating.

The Merchandise

All of the merchandise is original because the owner of the shop insisted on keeping at least one of every item in case they stopped making them.

I loved seeing the old typewriters on display, having always wanted one myself. We both also found the penny-farthing bicycle to be a great item, especially with the information that was given to us about its development and the progression into the bikes that we know today. There was even a machine to remove corn from the cob!

Tour Times

As this experience has a guide for the majority of it, there are set times for this attraction. Don’t worry, you won’t have to wait ages for the next time if you just miss out on the one before, but there is enough time between each to allow the group in front of you to move on, otherwise you will be hearing the information in stereo and won’t be able to focus on your own tour guide.

The tour times are available on a board at the front of the building, pretty much in the position of where the tour actually begins.

Our Experience

We were incredibly lucky when we decided to have a look around the Oldest Store, as it was just the pair of us. This meant that we got to have a chat with two of the actors before we began (one having emigrated from England, so it was interesting to chat to her about the differences) and got to pay more attention to the things that interested us.

Our guide was absolutely lovely, and you could tell he held a great interest in the products he was ‘selling’. It was lovely to be led around by someone with such enthusiasm.

As previously mentioned, I loved the typewriters, but we both enjoyed the section where we could interact with the item on display and seeing the old stock as it would have been laid out in the store.

Conclusion

This is a great way to learn a little bit more about what life used to be like in America and how they continued to invent things to make it easier. It is truly like stepping back in time to explore a shop from the 1900s.