Learn More About Hussey's...

Harland Hussey opened his grocery business in October 1923, when he remodeled an old stable. He also stocked some men's wearing apparel. His son, Elwin, was born the same year Harland opened the business. He recalls the "good old days" when obtaining merchandise was a problem. "Of the two I prefer the new days," Hussey says, "if only for the transportation."

Supplies in the horse and buggy days were shipped by rail, either to Augusta or out of Wiscasset, on the old Narrow Gauge Railroad to York's Corner, a mile and a half away. Horses hauled the supplies from these points, and winter going usually presented difficulties. Today, deliveries are by truck and to the door.

The kerosene lamp days also held a refrigeration problem - the refrigerator and ice cooler had to be packed with ice each day. Hussey's Store gradually became the embodiment of the general store as associated with rural Maine. He added lines of merchandise until customers could buy anything from bubble gum to a straw hat or a deep freeze. As the merchandise selection increased it became necessary to enlarge the building.

In 1940 a 16-foot addition was built on the north side. The old stove that had warmed the cracker barrel philosophers through the years was eliminated and a modern heating system installed.

In 1947, when Hussey's son, Elwin, returned from the service, a 50 foot addition was built on the west and a full line of electrical appliances added with Elwin managing that department.

The same year Mrs. Hussey enlarged her dry goods department, especially women's wearing apparel. It wasn't long before those two and other departments had outgrown their quarters. The new Hussey's General Store had a gala opening on April 9th and 10th, 1954.

Today the store is home to over 30,000 square feet of groceries, sporting goods, clothing, formal gowns, hardware, and appliances. It truly defines the slogan "If We Ain't Got It, You Don't Need It."