A Thanksgiving Blessing
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A happy “next chapter” for Bobby Duncan’s General Store & Hardware
Linda Duncan, daughter of the late Bobby Duncan of Strunk, met the McCreary County Heritage Foundation’s reversal of an earlier decision to place Bobby Duncan’s General Store & Hardware on the auction block with a happy heart and sigh of relief. Instead, Duncan will now become the sole owner of the store following the Foundation’s adoption of a resolution to accept her offer to purchase the store for the sum of $15,000.
The McCreary County Heritage Foundation recently assumed ownership of the store when Dr. Anna Mary Creekmore passed. Creekmore, a local historian who cherished the history of McCreary County and was instrumental in establishing the McCreary County Museum in Stearns, bequeathed the store to the Foundation. Many individuals felt Creekmore would have wanted the store to remain open in some capacity as part of McCreary County’s heritage.
Earlier this year, an announcement proclaiming the Foundation’s decision to auction the local landmark led to significant outcry from the public. After the announcement of a forthcoming auction, Duncan’s daughter approached the Foundation, requested a reversal of their earlier decision to auction, and made her offer to purchase the store for the PVA assessed value of $15,000. After waiting anxiously for a response, Duncan reacted joyfully when she learned she would become the sole owner of her late father’s store.
“I was sad that I might have to give up the store,” Duncan shared. “It was a big part of my childhood and has always been important to me. The store has been in my family for over 75 years. My father, mother, brother, and I had our first home in the apartment in the back of the store. I was very pleased and thankful to have the opportunity to buy the store building and land from the Heritage Foundation.”
Duncan’s General Store and Hardware has sentimental and historical value to those in the local community and beyond. Tourists and locals visited the store for decades as a means of time travel-stepping back into a remnant of days gone by. Old-timers gathered there to catch up on politics and share tall tales as they warmed themselves around the pot-bellied stove. Shoppers browsed amongst a plethora of tools, housewares, and other goods. Folks from all around advised, “If you can’t find what you are looking for, then try Bobby Duncan’s General Store.”
Duncan noted the community’s love of the store and its history.
“I have had a tremendous amount of support from the community,” Duncan observed. “Many have stopped by to tell me they were sad about the potential auction. Lots of them have shared memories about the store.”
Ray Moncrief, Chairperson of the McCreary County Heritage Foundation, said he is pleased with the Foundation’s unanimous decision to accept Duncan’s offer to buy the store.
“The Foundation is very happy to avoid an auction and have Bobby Duncan’s daughter, Linda, own the property and occupy the store that her father ran for so many years,” Moncrief said. “More than anything, the Foundation wants to be a good citizen in our community. This decision was an act of good will to both the community and those who cherish this local landmark.”
Duncan said she plans to continue the business, allowing the store to remain open so people can visit, browse, and reminisce.
