Fabric: Textiles and fabrics were essential for making clothes, bedding, and other household items. General stores sold bolts of fabric in various materials, including wool, linen, cotton, and silk, to cater to different budgets and preferences.
Hardware: General stores stocked essential hardware items such as nails, hammers, tools, axes, and saws for building, carpentry, and farming activities.
Tools and Implements: These stores offered hand tools, farming equipment, and other implements for plowing, harvesting, planting, and various manual labor tasks.
Food: A significant section of the store was dedicated to food supplies. Barrels of flour, sugar, dried beans, salt, spices, and grains were commonly sold. The stores also sold salted meats, smoked fish, and other preserved food items.
Beverages: General stores offered a variety of beverages, including tea, coffee, alcoholic drinks such as rum, whiskey, and wine, as well as soft drinks like root beer and cider.
Clothing and Accessories: From hats to shoes, clothing items were available to suit everyone, including clothing accessories like buttons, buckles, and lace.
Stationery and Writing Supplies: Items such as paper, quills, ink, sealing wax, and envelopes were available for writing letters and keeping records.
Religious and Spiritual Items: Books containing religious texts, such as Bibles and hymnals, were often found in general stores.
Household Goods: General stores supplied a diverse range of household items such as candles, soap, pots, pans, cutlery, dishes, and glassware.
Luxury Goods: In some general stores, one might find luxury items such as imported delicacies, fancy fabrics for special occasions, jewelry, and other decorative items.
The general store in colonial America was a one-stop shop where settlers could fulfill their daily needs and find essential goods for their survival in a new and often challenging land.