The General Store had a lot of household goods and farm tools that you could buy. What most people went there for were the household goods, like flour, salt, sugar, spices, and so on. They also bought fabric for clothing, some articles of clothing, shoes, dishes, and dolls. The most costly items were probably the farming tools. The most interesting items sold would probably have been the bear gloves because you wouldn’t see them at a store today. Wools, flannel, silks, and other fabrics were sold to make dresses and other clothing, and popular medical remedies (that didn’t always work) could also be bought there.

Because many people owned farms back then, they didn’t have to buy foods like eggs and meat. Farming was one of the main money-making jobs back then, in the early 1900s. People who didn’t have farms would have to pay for foods, like eggs, that the farmers never had to pay for. Farmers could also barter goods from the farm to pay for items such as flour or fabric.

At Christmas, the general store would sell ribbons, candy, and toys for the kids. They would have had items that weren’t usually sold there especially for Christmas, like oranges. A farmer’s list of things to buy for Christmas and year-round wouldn't be that long because they would already have a lot of the items that would be considered necessities. Farmers would already have chickens for eggs and cows for milk, butter and beef. Rural and city stores would have mostly the same supplies, but city stores might have more choice or might specialize in a particular type of goods.

Shelves and Containers, Orwell Corner General Store