Memories of Mayberry: M.H. Perry's Store

Stories From Back In The Day, When Life Seemed A Little Slower

Story Collection

For all of us, there are certain places from “Back in the Day” that bring back vivid memories and nostalgic longings.

M.H. Perry’s Store on Edisto Island is one of those places for me. From my earliest childhood, I can remember going there.

Simply known as Perry’s Store to most of the Islanders, M.H. Perry’s was much more than just a grocery store.

There were other, smaller places where you could get some basic food items, but Perry’s was really the only significant general store between Barnwell’s Store in the Megget area, before crossing the Dawhoo bridge, and Marion Whaley’s store on Edisto Beach.

Nowadays, we have major grocery chains, specialty Farm Markets, and restaurants where these stores used to be.

Barnwell’s Store in Megget is now Roxbury Mercantile restaurant, Bailey’s Store is now The Old Post Office restaurant and Whaley’s Store is now a popular beach restaurant by the same name.

Even Perry’s Store has changed owners and names several times. Today it is the Enmarket convenience store and gas station.

Perry’s was a true variety store: Groceries, a custom butcher and deli area, household, hardware, and automotive supplies, and gasoline. If you needed something, you could probably find it at Perry’s.

When someone said they were going to the store, they meant Perry’s Store.

In the 1970s, IGA opened a grocery store on the corner of Hwy 174 and Jungle Rd as you come onto the beach. Later Piggly Wiggly bought them out and expanded that. Today, it is a Food Lion Grocery with all the hustle and bustle of a major grocery chain catering to the Summer beach crowd.

Today, if you are a permanent resident or have family property on the main part of the island, you must either endure the crowded grocery on the beach or travel to Piggly Wiggly in Hollywood or all the way to Rantowles, close to Charleston, to shop at Publix.

Oh for the days of the small, family-owned grocery and variety store like Perry’s. I’m not sure a family could make a go of it, but I’m sure the Islanders would certainly welcome it.

From the creaking wooden floor to the smell of the deli to the ice cream coolers by the front door enticing the children, to the friendly smile of Mrs. Perry or another family member at the cash register, Perry’s was a place where one felt welcomed. Mr. Perry was always walking around, always smiling, asking if shoppers were finding what they needed, although most knew exactly where each item they needed was located.

One of my favorite memories from when I was younger was going to Perry’s with my grandmother, Mamie. She always bought us an ice cream bar, a Nutty Buddy, or a “co-cola” out of the cooler up front.

Simply put, Perry’s was familiar and comfortable. It was like an institution that was always there when you needed it, except that one day, it wasn’t.

Eventually, stores like Perry’s closed or were converted to other types of establishments such as the restaurants I mentioned earlier.

I’m not sure exactly when Perry’s closed its doors, but it must have been sometime in the 1970s, after leaving home for the far reaches of the globe courtesy of the U.S. Navy. The Perry kids married and had moved away area to pursue other lines of work.

I hope you enjoyed this little jaunt down memory lane recalling a time when the pace seemed a little slower and life a little more secure.

---

What places, towns, or locations, are etched in your memory that take you back to a time when life was not as hectic as it is today?

Do they make you long to be transported back or are you happy with where things are now?

Leave a comment and join the discussion and please share with a friend or family member.

---

Thank you for subscribing to The Talking Pen, a creative writing site for fiction & non-fiction stories, poetry, art, and personal musings that illustrate the struggles, tragedies, and triumphs of life.

While you’re here, check out my original ‘Stack: Life UnCorked, where the focus is on successfully navigating the issues of life from a Christian point of view.