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| Today's post highlights Forrest County, MS, retail. |
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| Broken Chain: A business which, at some point in its history, had multiple, similarly-functioning, physical locations where a customer could purchase goods and/or services, and which presently has a significantly diminished presence and/or value as a brand compared to the same brand in its heyday. - Zap Actionsdower |
If 2023 was the "year of the car" in my book (not only did I get a new vehicle, so did at least 5-10 other people I know), then 2024 must be the "year of the wedding." Having only been to a grand total of three weddings prior to 2024, I've doubled that total in this year alone. Back in April I blogged about a pit stop I made at the #WaffleHouseinOxfordMS after a friend's wedding in Water Valley, and the following month I shared the story of my retail-related side adventures while on another friend's bachelor trip in Dallas, TX, published the weekend of the ceremony. The third wedding I went to this year took place in June, just outside of Hattiesburg, where my friend and his bride went to college together at the University of Southern Mississippi. Having yet to explore Hattiesburg in great depth, I toyed with the idea of staying the whole weekend to explore, and he encouraged me by giving me several recommendations ranging from the hotel (Hotel Indigo, really nice place) to an absolutely absurd antique shop-slash-museum that was totally up my alley (and is the bonus feature of today's post!). All but one of my closest friends were at the wedding, too, and it was a great weekend all around. The ceremony was perfect and I enjoyed everywhere I went, including the very first place I stopped on the drive in, a roadside icon: Stuckey's.
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| USM campus |
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| Nighttime view from my hotel window |
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| Midtown Hattiesburg mural |
At its peak in the 1960s, Stuckey's boasted 368 locations in over 30 states. Stuckey's had become quite the empire, but the growth of the business was perhaps a tad unsustainable. The business model was entirely franchise-based; there were no company-owned stores. That said, W.S. Stuckey singlehandedly oversaw the entire franchise operation, including supplying 100% of merchandise to all locations. As this simply became too much to handle, Stuckey in 1964 sold the company to PET Evaporated Milk. According to the Stuckey's timeline, "W.S. Stuckey, Sr. died in 1977, the same year that Illinois Central Industries bought Pet Milk Co. They began to close hundreds of Stuckey’s stores across the country," triggering the chain's decline. The Saturday Evening Post continues:
“By the early 2000s, my family’s legacy had become a bunch of shuttered stores on the roadside,” [Stephanie Stuckey] says. Even worse, more than a few had been turned into porn shops and strip clubs.“I thought, ‘That’s not my grandfather’s legacy. That’s not how our story ends.’”Stephanie’s father, W.S. Stuckey Jr., had managed to pull some investors together to buy the store from its corporate owners in 1984, but the brand remained a minor holding in a much larger portfolio.Despite her name, Stephanie Stuckey was an unlikely savior for the company. A former attorney, she represented Dekalb County in the Georgia State Legislature from 1998 to 2013. Deciding not to seek re-election, she became Director of Sustainability for the City of Atlanta, then the city’s Chief Resilience Officer.Then, one day in 2019, she got a phone call: Would she be interested in buying a failing company that happened to bear her family name?“I was not the first choice for this,” she says with a laugh. “Other family members passed on it before they got around to me.”After a bit of soul-searching, Stuckey did what the rest of her family would not: She invested her life savings to buy the company.“I knew it was a losing proposition,” she says. “But I saw something that was not on the balance sheet, and that was the value of the brand. Besides, I had a cause that was higher than profit: family and legacy.”The first thing she did was take a road trip.
The story picks up with an article published just last week on World Footprints. Author Kathleen Walls interviewed Stephanie Stuckey, who said one of the stops on her road trip was one of the remaining original Stuckey's locations in Marion, Arkansas, along I-55 about 20 minutes from downtown Memphis. Writes Walls:
Two of the four gas pumps were broken. The roof displayed traces of the original teal trademark color peeling through the darker blue paint. Stuckey’s logo on the rooftop was barely hanging on. The spectacle brought tears to her eyes. What gave her the strength to even get out of the car and enter the dilapidated building was her tacky dashboard Jesus she had picked up as a souvenir when she began the road trip. She snapped a picture with the Jesus in the foreground of the building and posted it on Instagram with the caption, “My ‘Come to Jesus’ moment in the parking lot of a rundown Stuckey’s.”Stephanie summoned enough courage to enter the store and was surprised at what she saw. It was surprisingly clean, well-stocked, and busy inside. She asked one man why he stopped there, and his answer gave her hope. He said, “I love Stuckey’s. I remember when they were the place to stop. Yeah, maybe this store is a fixer-upper, but so am I. And so is this country.”Stephanie returned to her car with a new realization. Her new-to-her company didn’t own any of the stores. The franchise option no longer existed. Their agreement just lets them stock Stuckey products. Some stores had seen better days. But the Stuckey’s brand was what people remembered and valued and that was what she had bought.
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| Marion, AR, Stuckey's, pictured in 2019 |
Today, the Marion Stuckey's is permanently closed, having been struck and damaged by a tornado. But the Stuckey's brand, on the other hand, has experienced quite the turnaround under the leadership of Stephanie Stuckey. After her epiphany in Marion, Stephanie joined forces with a third-generation pecan farmer, acquired a candy manufacturing plant, and formed partnerships with multiple retailers to sell Stuckey's-branded products, including Hobby Lobby, Food Lion, Ace Hardware, and even Travel Centers of America and Wawa -- "two chains that owe their very existence to W.S. Stuckey," the Post notes. Stephanie Stuckey also jokes, "I suppose I might end up being the brand ambassador for the rest of my life. Like Colonel Sanders. They’ll roll me out in a wheelchair: ‘Here she is! The Stuckey lady!’"
Of course, in addition to those chains listed above, the brand also supplies products for its 13 remaining original sloped-roof Stuckey's stores... including the one in Hattiesburg, MS. Located off I-59 and serving up the house specialty of freshly made fudge, the Hattiesburg Stuckey's has been operated by siblings Russ and Candy Whiteside for about 30 years (pictured below with Stephanie Stuckey in 2022). In a 2021 Facebook post, Stephanie referenced the Hattiesburg store as one of "several wonderful stores that I’m really proud of." You can search up the remaining original locations on Stuckey's store locator with the filter "original Stuckey's store"; that 2021 Facebook post also includes a then-current location listing of both the standalone "traditional" stores and other locations featuring the Stuckey's Express store-within-a-store concept.
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| Courtesy LinkedIn |
Out in front of the Hattiesburg Stuckey's is a giant billboard bearing the chain's famous logo and displaying the gas prices. I was very excited to visit this store, even if photographing the original sloped-roof building was going to prove difficult given the large gas canopy obstructing it.
Here's a somewhat better view of the side of the sloped-roof building, at least, as well as a view of the tall roadside sign for the Stuckey's. The blank sign next to it is for the former Waffle House next door, now a local coffee shop.
The store's entrance is smack in the center, with the registers and kitchen on the left, and the aisles and fridges on the right. Aesthetically, it looks pretty much like any other standard convenience store; the drop ceiling, I can only assume, covers up the original, beautiful exposed wood. But on the shelves, we find plenty of products reminding us we're in a Stuckey's, including the famous pecan log rolls!
A display of numerous T-shirt designs and colorways was in the back right corner of the store, and priced very cheaply, too. I hate that this picture turned out so blurry; I think I was excited to start flipping through these to figure out which one to buy! I ended up going with the dark blue stamp-logo design you see second from the right, and pulling it out of my drawer to wear this week is actually what inspired me to write this post today.
More Stuckey's-branded tchotchkes and sweets could be found throughout the rest of the interior. I always remember stopping at the Stuckey's off of I-20 in Eastaboga, AL, on road trips to visit family in South Carolina growing up. That location had a red roof instead of blue -- "part of a co-branding campaign in the 80’s with Dairy Queen" according to Stephanie Stuckey, and indeed, the Dairy Queen was a big part of why we stopped, given we didn't have any back home at the time. That store had the exposed wooden ceiling like I linked to above, and I remember it had tons and tons of trinkets and T-shirts too, including an M&M's racing team shirt and hat I bought one time (presumably because of Eastaboga's proximity to Talladega). The store is now a Sunoco, which incidentally has returned the roof color to its original blue. Lots of fond memories of that place.
Back outside, here's another view of the side of the building, as well as one from around back, attempting to capture more of the sloped roof architecture. I've actually been in touch with Stephanie Stuckey before, who found my flickr page and told me she is "fascinated by old retail and repurposed retail sites." She posts lots of fun Americana finds from her road trips on her Instagram @stuckeystop, and it's pretty awesome to know that someone like her enjoys this sort of thing as much as you and I do!
One more shot of the gas canopy out front -- notice how the gas here is branded as Stuckey's, just like the store -- as well as the opposite-side view of the electronic price billboard along the highway. I definitely enjoyed my visit here and am so glad to see everything Stephanie Stuckey is doing to revive the brand! This year she authored a book, Unstuck: Rebirth of an American Icon, described as the "inspiring firsthand account of Stephanie Stuckey's rise to CEO upon suddenly acquiring her family's beloved yet struggling brand." I'm definitely going to purchase that and give it a read; maybe y'all will be interested in it as well.
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In addition to the Stuckey's, everywhere I went and explored in Hattiesburg was lots of fun. I visited all of the retail along Hwy 98, including Turtle Creek Mall, Ollie's, Big Lots, Michaels, Target, Ross, Books-a-Million, HomeGoods, TJMaxx. I checked out some neat local places such as T-Bones Records & Cafe and Mississippi Made & More. I stopped by a Rite Aid-turned-Goodwill, drove around the USM campus, and even continued my tradition of walking around in public in full suit and tie after the wedding by shopping at Sam's Club that night. I didn't make it to the Winn-Dixie in town on this visit, but I did go by there and get pictures back in 2022, which is probably a good thing considering that chain's time in Mississippi may not last too much longer. Even all the food I ate was amazing, from the cheeseburger po-boy at Art of Roux to the blue plate at The Midtowner, cookies from Insomnia and breakfast at Topher's, and the catering at the wedding. What a great weekend.
Probably the biggest non-wedding highlight of the trip, though, would have to be the place my friend recommended to me, The Lucky Rabbit. Occupying two adjacent buildings in downtown Hattiesburg, it's half-antique store, half-museum, 100% amazing. It has no air conditioning, so I was a wee bit uncomfortable by the time I left (also probably owing to the fact that I spent multiple hours inside), but it was entirely worth it. I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, although I will also add that I avoided looking up photos of the place beforehand so that I could be more surprised upon seeing it in-person. To that end, if any of y'all ever find yourself in or near Hattiesburg on a Saturday or Sunday, I strongly encourage you to check this place out (and maybe leave it a mystery if you do)!
Exterior of the properties.
Shipley! Geoffrey! Dairy Queen!
Lots and lots of McDonald's memorabilia.
Two former Mississippi-based entities, one of them remembered a bit more favorably than the other. We learned about WorldCom a lot in my college accounting classes.
I've been focusing mostly on the memorabilia, but like I said, this is still also an antique store with stuff for sale. One section had some neat glassware. I didn't buy the McRae's mug, but I did buy both of the Oxford Mall grand opening glasses, thinking those were a neat score.
More of the McDonald's items.
There is a second level to the store, too. I thought the views from up here were some of the best.
Tucked away upstairs was a small little theater area! These are some shots from that room.
Probably my favorite pic of the entire place!
Two last shots from ground level.
Building one is an old hardware store...
...while building two is decorated to look like an old grocery store. An outdoor patio, filled with more memorabilia, bridges the two.
Here I thought building one was cool -- I love grocery stores, so I was just as surprised by building two! Fun socks are always a good way to get my attention as well...
Old Fred's and Kroger signage in the same picture is great, but I think I like the second one even more -- no idea where those old registers, lane lights, or green "checkout" sign came from, but I dig it all. Also neat to see the Crispy M&M's balloon.
I absolutely loved the tiered tube TV display in the middle of the store, too -- always thought it would be neat to see something like that in person, and this one did not disappoint. Nearby was this little nook under the stairs with the Burger King sign.
Like the other building, this one had an upstairs as well as more space at the back of the first floor, but I didn't photograph those areas (and admittedly, the memorabilia was more concentrated at the front of this building). Here are a couple more shots from the front, including a vintage Filet-o-Fish ride.
A close-up shot of the Geoffrey costume (next to the Kroger sign!), as well as another Jitney Jungle sign (fitting for this building).
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My friend's wedding, Stuckey's, The Lucky Rabbit -- my entire weekend in Hattiesburg was an awesome experience! Again, I strongly encourage y'all to visit both of these places if you ever find yourself in the area. I also hope you'll get the chance to check out the results of Stuckey's revival closer to you, and now I'm wondering if Stephanie Stuckey has ever been to The Lucky Rabbit when she has stopped in Hattiesburg. My friend's recommendation was spot-on, and it definitely seems like the type of place she -- and y'all -- would like as well, so I hope you enjoyed this post!
I hope to be back next month with more. Until then and as always, thanks for reading, and have fun exploring the retail world wherever you are!
Retail Retell
While I'm not much of a C-store customer/enthusiast, aside from gasoline, I certainly remember when Stuckey's was quite the roadside attraction especially here in the south. The last time I went to a Stuckey's was in 1999 on I-10 somewhere between Houston and New Orleans. I can't remember where it was, but I'm guessing it was somewhere near Lake Charles. Anyway, although they had the pecan rolls and everything Stuckey's was famous for, it was clear even then that Stuckey's best years were behind it. Here in Texas at least, Buc'ees has almost entirely replaced any memories of Stuckey's, but I have no interest in Buc'ees. It was strange enough to see a bumper sticker for a Buc'ees in Florida when I was at the Shaw's in North Hampton, NH this summer!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you've ever played the 1993 PC game 'Sam & Max Hit the Road'. Given that it is probably older than you are, I'm guessing not, lol. It was quite the game. I bought the CD-ROM version from CompUSA for a whopping sum of $1.99 in around 1995 or so. They had a whole cart full of them on clearance. I'm not sure why, it was a popular game, but I guess they just ordered too many copies. Anyway, one of the famous parts of the game is going to a Stuckey's-like C-store called Snuckey's and walking through Snuckey's was quite a thrill for a retail enthusiast ~30 years ago as you can see: https://youtu.be/erIMu37ihJY
Out of those stores you visited, BAM and the record store are probably the only ones I would have been interested in. I don't know much about Turtle Creek Mall, but maybe that would have been interesting too. On the topic of Big Lots, the one nearest to me on Jones & FM 1960 W is on the most recent closure list! This is one that is in an old 1978 Superstore II Kroger and it has been in business as a Big Lots, MacFrugal's, and Pic-N-Save since around 1989. Although Big Lots doesn't have much of interest these days, it is sad to see them go given their long history in that old Kroger and since we used to shop at that Kroger long ago (it closed in around 1985 so that ought to tell you how long ago!). The two other Big Lots along FM 1960 W closed a few months ago so Big Lots has gone from a big presence here to a very small one.
Nothing against Stuckey's, but I think The Lucky Rabbit is the star of this post! Wow, that place reminds me of your visit to the sign museum in Cincinnati which you blogged about a few years ago. Aside from all the McDonald's stuff, I see that they have plenty of Barq's stuff! Of course, Barq's is surely the local favorite in those parts!
It is neat, but in a way, kind of sad that so many of those 'antiques' are things which I remember when they were new and current! Heck, some of them, like the Burger King and Wendy's signs, are from your lifetime. I really liked seeing that sign with the Virginia Slims ad on it saying that the checkstand is closed. I certainly remember those and I had forgotten about them until seeing that photo! At my long-gone local Greenhouse Kroger combination store (which replaced the aforementioned Superstore II), they not only used those signs, but they also had a big clock sponsored by Marlboro up at the front end. Stuff like that is long gone now!
Some of that video game stuff reminds me of the National Videogame Museum in Frisco, TX. If you ever have another wedding to attend in Dallas, you might want to check that out! Even if you're not into video games (I'm not really into them even with the aforementioned Sam & Max reference), I think it'll be worth your time.
Yep, you know me, C-stores have never really been my thing either. But I do have fond memories of the one in Eastaboga at least, as I think that was probably my first experience with a C-store that was more than just a tiny building selling overpriced snacks and drinks! More recently, I've been to the Buc-ee's near Talladega as well, and I'd call Buc-ee's a spectacle... but not as much in a good way. To me, it's kind of like the difference between parts of Madison County and parts of Rankin County in my area. Rankin County just feels more approachable and not over-the-top. I'd contrast Buc-ee's and Stuckey's in much the same way.
DeleteI wondered where you were going with that -- yep, that game was before my time, but wow, the "Snuckey's" bit was awesome! Thanks for linking that! To reference your later paragraph, I never did get into video games, but I bet that museum is cool.
Ever since the BAM here in Jackson closed (or heck, probably even before that, although I wasn't fully admitting it!), I've come to view them a lot less favorably. That's really unfortunate to me, given I grew up with BAM, but they increasingly stopped carrying new releases I was interested in, discontinued cafe menu options I liked (or the cafe entirely), and never run in-store coupons anymore, not to mention I've always heard it's a terrible company to work for. The Barnes & Noble here in Ridgeland at Renaissance is crazy popular, the busiest I've ever seen, and just last month they opened up a second location in Flowood in a former Bed Bath and Beyond. That one is very busy too, and beautifully designed, even though in the long-run I do feel like the "classic" B&N setup is better suited for a bookstore.
Anyway, all of that to say, B&N usually does have the books I want, and CDs to boot, so I've come to prefer them these days... the Hattiesburg BAM visit was mostly just checking off a list item for me, as eventually I'd like to say I've been to all of the BAM stores in Mississippi. There are only four now, of which I've been to three, and hope to visit the fourth this fall... I also visited two others before they closed in the past several years. (I'm one away from having been to all the Targets and Krogers in the state too, though that's neither here nor there!)
T-Bones was cool, and I would like to have bought a shirt there at least, but they didn't have one in my size. They also didn't have a whole ton in the way of CDs, which is perfectly fine given they're a record store; I just don't have a record player, so not much use in me buying any records! I had intended to try the cafe too, as their menu looked good, but ultimately in the short time I had I chose to focus on the other restaurants instead. I'm glad I did, too, as the blue plate was probably the best I've ever had! The mall was nice as well (and not to be confused with the beleaguered Mall at Turtle Creek in Jonesboro, AR).
I'm sorry to hear that about your local Big Lots! It has been interesting to watch Big Lots' closure lists and which areas are affected. While places like, say, California are losing numerous stores, there hasn't been a single Mississippi store on the list at all. (Knock on wood!) They did close the store in Jackson late last year, but I feel that is more reflective of stores leaving that particular area on County Line than anything else. They still have a store in Pearl, which is in an old Wal-Mart, still has the old Big Lots logo out front, and even has a permanent trailer with the superhero character (Closeout Man) in the back! No Memphis-area stores are included on the list either, and only two in Arkansas. Based on the language in their press releases, I get the impression they must actually do well in this region, which of course is good news. I'm hopeful the company will continue to survive under new ownership, as I do like their stores (despite the many identity crises they seem to have had in recent years).
DeleteHa, fair enough -- I figured The Lucky Rabbit would be a hit! I don't know how I never heard of it on my first visit to Hattiesburg a couple of years ago, but boy am I glad my friend told me about it for this visit. He totally hit the nail on the head when he said I'd love that place. True, not everything in there is "vintage," but it's all neat to see! The fact that there are places out there that collect these sorts of things -- and people interested in traveling and seeing them, such as Stephanie Stuckey with her Instagram -- makes me happy, since sometimes this sort of interest can feel rather niche.
That is unfortunate to hear about the current state of BAM. They only have one location left here in the Houston area, but then again, I believe they only had two here total. Borders didn't have a huge presence here either, but it was certainly larger than BAM's presence. At least Borders had an amazing music department, but I'm not sure if BAM has or had a particular specialty.
DeleteIt is good to hear that Barnes & Noble is expanding in your area. Amazingly enough, they are expanding here in Houston as well as we've had a few new small-format stores open here recently. One new small-format store, which is still under construction, will be in part of a former larger B&N that is downsizing and subdividing. That one is in the Town & Country Randall's shopping center. Another new location, located in the Weslayan Randall's shopping center, replaces the nearby Vanderbilt Square location. Vanderbilt Square is another Randall's shopping center where the landlord evicted B&N for higher-paying tenants. So, with all of this, I suppose only the new store in Conroe is a totally new store, but it is still pretty amazing that we're getting new bookstore locations of any kind here in the 2020s. Oh, and in case you're wondering, yes, B&N has always liked putting their locations here in Houston in Randall's shopping centers or across from a Randall's. That was true in the 1990s and it is still the case today even with everything that has happened to Randall's since the 1990s. Randall's customer demographics are probably very similar to B&N's demographics and that has probably continued to be the case as both stores attract more specialized audiences!
The bigger B&Ns here still have music CDs, but the selection has really thinned in recent years. Maybe one day that'll change just like how they added big LP record departments. I have two turntables, including a top-of-the-line Radio Shack direct drive turntable from 1980 which I restored in 2020, but I have very little interest in buying LPs. I'm guessing record stores won't start selling more CDs until the prices on CDs go up, but then that wouldn't be all that advantageous to us in the end. I don't know! At least we still have a classical music CD store here in Houston, but I know that is a very niche store. Fortunately, I like that niche!
As far as Big Lots goes, we lost two stores on the initial large closure list some months back. Unfortunately, both of those were in my area. We didn't have any closures in the second closure wave, but now there are four more Houston area closures in the most recent wave with one more being in my area. Perhaps Big Lots isn't doing well in my area as compared to other parts of Houston where there aren't as many closures. It probably didn't help that the Big Lots in the old Kroger Superstore II is across from Houston's first Ollie's location which opened a couple years back. That said, Ollie's watchers seem to think that the bargains at Ollie's are drying up somewhat as Ollie's continues to expand so they may end up with the same problems Big Lots had when they expanded. It is probably hard to count on stocking a large chain with just closeouts. Oh well, given that Big Lots is seemingly doing okay in your area, we may have to count on this blog to cover continuing Big Lots developments!
I feel like Buc-ee's being approachable isn't the issue -- it's just that Buc-ee's is a total madhouse with hoards of people! Fighting with those crowds does not make the experience pleasurable!
DeleteYeah, I don't know that BAM has had a particular specialty. Music and media was never big in their stores; some of the earlier/larger locations (like Jackson) have introduced used media selections (including books too), but I think that's more or less just to fill space. I do like 2nd and Charles quite a bit, which is owned by BAM!
DeleteEven if there's only one truly new B&N location in your area, at least those other two stores are changing enough to where it feels like B&N is getting a reintroduction of sorts. Whether that's a good thing or not, I guess you'll have to be the judge! Like I said, Flowood is definitely a super awesome store, it's just not what I'd necessarily expect. But maybe it's the bookstore of the future, who knows. I bet the similarity with Randall's demographics is indeed not a coincidence.
Glad you have that classical music CD store! I will say this, even if we had a used CD store here, it's likely the selection wouldn't change often enough to be worth it... so I suppose I can't complain too much. Likewise, I guess it's just as well we don't have a 2nd and Charles here; it would become less of a special event and get old.
That's interesting to hear about Ollie's -- I wondered if something like that might happen with all their expansion. Here's to hoping that Ollie's doesn't become Big Lots 2.0!
@Sing -- Yep, agreed, and that's part of what I meant by that as well!
I made a post on the Hattiesburg Stuckey's on my blog a month ago - https://numberedexits.blogspot.com/2024/08/stuckeys-hattiesburg-mississippi.html - While The Lucky Rabbit sounds awesome, I wasn't aware of it...though I did enjoy a trip to Corn Dog 7 at Sawmill Square Mall that day, so it wasn't a wash in terms of sightseeing.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome, thanks for sharing! Just subscribed to your blog. If you're ever back in the area, I hope you get a chance to check out The Lucky Rabbit! Glad you got to go to Corn Dog 7 as well -- that will be a future post (eventually)...
DeleteInteresting post! For the longest time, I truly thought that Stuckey's was just a broken chain with a bunch of dilapidated old convenience stores, until I head that they were buying Atwell Pecan / The Orchards in Wrens, GA. For the quality of product that The Orchards made, Stuckey's really seemed to be out of their league (and not in a good way), but it seems that Stephanie used the acquisition to boost her brand's image. I've also since seen a very nice mural dedicated to the brand in Downtown Eastman, which makes it seem like they are really pushing the comeback. I still have yet to stop at a Stucky's proper, but have gotten gas at the Eastaboga location you mentioned. I'm also shocked that you didn't have a Dairy Queen nearby growing up – nearly every small town in Georgia has one!
ReplyDeleteAs for the Lucky Rabbit, that place looks so cool! I'm sad that I didn't know about it last time I spent a weekend in Hburg (and that it was closed last time I passed through), but I'll have to keep it in mind if I'm ever back in the area. While some of the items are vintage, others were very much present in my lifetime and bring back lots of memories (I love the DQ entrance cone!) I especially like how the store had secondary signage and branding in addition to the flashy gas station signs -- it seems like the directional signs or cart return graphics are often forgotten about. Cool post!
Thanks! Yeah, the pecan manufacturer acquisition definitely seems to have been a major boon for them. I personally don't like pecans very much, but it became apparent that customers had good memories of Stuckey's pecan treats and still bought them -- even with significantly downgraded ingredients over the years, Stephanie noticed -- so focusing the "new" company on the treats seemed to be the best direction to go, and it appears to be working for them, which is great. I'm sure the ingredients and quality are much better now, too! I like that mural as well.
DeleteYeah, it's a very cool place, I'm glad I got the chance to experience it!
Stuckey's is a bit of a classic roadside icon (much like Howard Johnson's), many of which from the golden age of road travel have shriveled up into nothing or almost nothing as times changed and new chains began expanding. Unlike a lot of other chains, which become a forgotten or beguiled subsidiary of a large company as time went on (like Howard Johnson's), at least with a descendant of the founder at the helm now, changes for the positive can happen! It nice to see the revival of the brand and Stephanie's passion for this project of hers. Her work is gaining traction, so hopefully she will continue to have success reviving the brand!
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting hearing about the partnership between Stuckey's and Dairy Queen in the 80's, as the one Stuckey's I've been to is actually a Stuckey's/DQ from that era too (the location in Sebastian, FL - see here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/26R4vzsu4nrYSNmj9 ). I've never been inside one of the "classic" locations like Hattiesburg, but I do recall seeing them from the highway on road trips. One of the "classic" Stuckey's locations that stands out to me though is the one in Scottsmoor, Florida. That location is the only thing off a rather desolate I-95 exit, and I've never gotten a good impression of that particular location, as the owner always charges 75 cents-$1 more per gallon of gas compared to other stations in the area since he's the only thing around. If the owner is bold enough to do that, I can only imagine the prices inside the store! Again, situations like that are another problem with the franchise model, as actions like that can tarnish the Stuckey's brand if people think that if one location overcharges like that, others will too. Hopefully Stephanie can work on creating a little more brand unity with these remaining locations, as that's one of the few big issues I can see her getting into with this endeavor.
I remember you mentioning in the past that Stephanie Stuckey reached out to you, which is really neat. With her dedication to reviving the Stuckey's brand, I'm not surprised she has a bit of a fascination with old buildings and such. I'll have to take a look at that new book of hers as well.
Overall though, sounds like you saw some interesting stuff in Hattiesburg that day! I find it interesting seeing the Big Lots and Ollie's right next door to each other like that - it's almost like the situation in Memphis where Walmart and the Super Target shared a parking lot with each other! Even if it wasn't on your most recent trip, I'm still glad you got to visit the Hattiesburg Winn-Dixie a few years ago too, as it seems like Aldi is not doing Winn-Dixie any good right now...
Lastly - The Lucky Rabbit - wow, that's some store! I don't think I've ever seen so much old restaurant, retail, and gas station memorabilia crammed into one building before! There's some really neat pieces on display in there, and I'd love to know how the owners managed to get their hands on some of that stuff! Those lollipop check lane lights are something straight out of the 1960's! The owners really put a lot of effort into that place, and I'm glad you managed to find a few treasures of your own in there too. The Oxford Mall classes are a fitting purchase considering your connections to Ole Miss!
Yep, I definitely agree with you on brands from the past that are well-remembered but unfortunately not well-taken care of. Like you, I'm glad Stuckey's has someone in charge who really cares!
DeleteI scrolled down on the Google Maps pictures of that Sebastian location and saw a selfie from Stephanie Stuckey -- ha! That one looks like a Stuckey's Express, which is neat to see as well. The Scottsmoor location does indeed sound like a less fun experience, and with the gas prices that high, I can't blame you for not stopping! That one does look nice from the Google Maps pictures (both inside and out), but yeah, I've seen places like that along the highway with nothing else around that charge crazy money, and I've never been enticed to stop either. You make a good point on brand unity being a difficult matter to tackle and I agree, hopefully something can happen there.
Good comparison on the Big Lots and Ollie's, haha! That's my type of shopping center, lol, but it is a little strange seeing the two competitors that close.
Yes!! That place was fantastic and I'm with you on being curious where they got some of this stuff. And ha, thanks! I was excited to find those, Oxford Mall stuff is virtually nonexistent.