New conveniences

By Jessica Farrish
Register-Herald Reporter

May 02, 2009 11:25 pm

— Loyd’s Cash Store isn’t likely to be forgotten.
Also known also by some other monikers — Green Sulphur General Store, Liberty Gas Station, Green Sulphur Feed and Hardware — Boyd’s is set in Summers County along W.Va. 20, the same wild, rural spot since it has occupied since it was built in 1854.
It is the oldest store in the county and served as both a general store and a post office until 1999, when a potbellied stove in the store caught fire.
The resulting blaze destroyed the post office and an apartment over the store. The post office was moved two buildings from the storefront, and a roof replaced the space formerly occupied by the apartment.
Though smaller, the 150-year-old store survived.
It caught the attention of its present owners, Mike and Francine Greer, nearly three years ago when they spotted a “For Sale” sign while driving past it.
“We stopped in and talked to (the owners),” recalled Mike Greer. “When it became available, I went ahead and bought it.
“It was spur-of-the-moment.”
Greer, a former taxicab driver from Richmond, Va., said he and Francine visited Pipestem 12 years ago and fell in love with the wild beauty and slow pace of the locale.
“We just fell in love with the area, it’s so pretty,” he said. “The people here are so friendly.
“We kept coming back every summer,” he added. “After five years, we bought a house.”
It was during a summer vacation trip to their Ramp Road home that they decided to buy Boyd’s Cash Store.
Greer returned to Richmond only long enough to load his belongings. Then, he headed back to Green Sulphur Springs.
“July 30 (2006) was the last day I drove a cab,” he said. “On July 31, I loaded my truck and drove down here.
“On Aug. 1, I took over the store.”
Now waiting for Francine to join him in December, Greer has turned the general store from a basic mom-and-pop to a thriving local delicatessen and feed and farm store.
The roar of motorists passing Exit 143/Meadow Bridge/Green Sulphur on Interstate 64 had beckoned to past owners, enticing them to cater to travelers who were on their way to somewhere else.
Greer’s vision for the business was different.
He wanted to meet the commercial needs of his own community, without totally forgetting about the summer season tourists.
“Most of the people had concentrated on trying to draw people off the interstate,” he said. “It’s nice. I’m not going to turn it down, don’t get me wrong.
“But I’m going to take care of the people who live here first.”
The Liberty Gas Station in front of the store offers gasoline and on-road and off-road diesel fuel.
Greer said Liberty is the only gas station within a 15-mile radius that carries off-road diesel, which is used for tractors and bulldozers and is not taxed.
Not only does Greer sell animal feed, including food for dogs, cows, horses, goats, rabbits, cats and pigs, he also carries a variety of veterinary medicines.
The store’s biggest enhancement, however, has been Greer’s addition of a full-service delicatessen.
Mouth-watering cheeses like cheddar, Swiss, colby, pepper jack and American are available. A selection of meats including salami, hard salami, Lebanon bologna, Carolina turkey and roasted turkey breast can be sliced right at the deli counter.
A popular lunch meat favorite is jalapeno loaf, said Greer.
His is the only local store that slices meats.
“To get meat sliced, you had to go to Beckley or Lewisburg, and I’m right in the middle,” he said. “It’s good for the people around here; otherwise, they’d have to go on a 50-mile round-trip to get it.”
The deli also carries freshly made pizzas, subs and Reuben sandwiches, among other deli fare.
Shoppers can pick up tomatoes, onions and lettuce at the counter or grab eggs, bacon and milk from the back.
“I don’t carry a complete line of produce like a grocery store, but (there’s) as much as any convenience store would carry,” said Greer.
The father of 28-year-old Richard Benjamin of Washington, D.C., Caleb, 26, of Ashland, Va., and Jeremiah, 23, of Richmond, Greer said he plans to continue bringing a good deli menu and farming supplies to his fellow Green Sulphur Springs residents.
“I put most of my energy into taking care of people who live around here,” he said. “That’s the people you need 12 months out of the year, instead of just the three months.”
— E-mail: jfarrish@register-herald.com

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