Hussey’s General Store

It’s a bit out of the way, but it’s a fun place to visit. It’s a 3rd-generation family-run store – kind of a combination of an old time general store, Reny’s, LL Bean, and yes, a bridal shop. Their slogan is “if we ain’t got it, you don’t need it.” And they do have just about everything. Down East magazine even voted them Best General Store in 2025!

It’s a 3 story, 30,000 square foot building. with ACE hardware-type stuff plus farm supplies downstairs, a grocery, butcher, and clothing on the main floor, and guns, fishing, camping – and bridal gowns upstairs. They even sell gas out front. Every town needs one of these.

Be warned that bridal appointments are limited and by appointment only. I’ve heard they have quite a selection.

History

The store was founded in 1923 by Harland Hussey. Harland owned a Durant Motors and Star automobile dealership and Texaco pump station in Windsor. After a local store called the Dutton Store burned down, Harland bought the adjacent lot that held a stable. He converted the stable into a new storefront, then added extensions in 1040 and 1947.

Harland’s son Elwin returned from WW2 and opened an electrical appliances department in the store and supposely sold a lot of Philco radios and TVs. He had a portable antenna on a trailer that he would haul out to a potential customer’s driveway so he could demonstrate the new technology in their home before they made the purchase. Enterprising fellow (and a Colby graduate)

Elwin died in 2023, at the age of 100. His son Jay and his wife currently run the store (as of 2026).

The New Building

By 1954, Harland decided he needed more space so he built a new store where the old Dutton Store had stood before it burned. The original Hussey’s storefront was converted to a warehouse and still stands today. It’s not clear what Elwin did with the Durant Motors dealership he owned, but the whole auto company went bankrupt after the depression so it was probably a good thing that he diversified into guns, wedding gowns, and cold beer.

From Grain Bag Dresses to Wedding Dresses

Early on, grain and fertilizer were a big part of the daily business of the store. The grain came in 100-pound cloth bags made of muslin. It turns out, the local ladies loved these bags because they could turn them into dresses when cotton textiles were rationed during WW2. Grain suppliers caught on and started producing the muslin bags in a variety of colors and patters to appeal to these enterprising women. It took about 4 100-pound sacks to make a dress.

Around the time the new store was built, Hussey’s started carrying formal wear in a department called “The Terrace Room.” They soon added a bridal department. People came from all over the state to shop in the bridal department because they had such a good selection.

When the first shopping center in Augusta was being built, someone asked Harland if he was worried about the new competition. His response:

“There will always be customers that want to go to one place where they can buy a pound of hamburger and a pound of nails” – Harland Hussey

Birdshot in the Pants for a Thief

In the late 1960’s Hussey’s had been hit with a rash of break-ins and Elwin Hussey was not happy with the local police and their lack of attention to the matter. So he started sleeping on the floor of the store armed with a shotgun. On the 2nd or 3rd night, he heard a rattle at the front door. Two dark figures snapped the door lock and entered the store. They headed to the cash register and he snuck out of the store. He ran across the street, woke up the neighbors, and told them to call the police. Then he ran back across the road and waited for them to come out. When they emerged, he shouted at them and one of them ran. So Elwin shot him in the leg. The looter collapsed in the parking lot. Shortly after, the police showed up and the perp was brought the hospital. While Elwin felt he was merely protecting his property, the wounded burglar sued him for excessive force and won $5K. They found the 2nd burglar hiding in the bridal department and guns in their getaway vehicle.

The Sign Lives

The famous “Guns, Wedding Gowns, Cold Beer” sign that has been photographed a million times was replaced in 2019 with a modern digital sign. But don’t worry, the old one was saved – they simply moved it across the street so people can continue to chuckle as they drive by.