Stancil's Store, 1912-2012, Cherokee County, GA

Original store 1912-1952, photographer facing west

The remnants of Stancil's Store are located at 5240 Yellow Creek Road in Cherokee County, Georgia. The old store was opened in 1912 by William and Mary Ann (Holcomb) Stancil. On February 24, 1915, their tenth child of eleven was born and named Broughton.  A fixture of the store, Broughton was a World War II veteran having served in the U.S. Army fighting in the Pacific against the Japanese in British New Guinea. During his time there, he was cited for courageous conduct in action.  Mr. Stancil passed away November 30, 2011, just shy of the 100 year anniversary of the store.

Store built in 1952, photographer facing east

The demands of the small store became so great that they had to build a larger store on the eastern side of the road in 1952.

The rural location of the store allowed it to thrive during the "old days". However, the combination of the rise of the automobile, and the era of the large big-box stores, forced the family to close the doors in 2012.

There is a nice, short, three-minute video on the store that was shot before it became a remnant. It gives you a great feel for the interior of the store, and some of the regulars, but centers around Broughton Stancil. You can view it here "Stancil's Store" by Kos Films

A good article on the store featured in the October, 2011 edition of Smoke Signals newspaper can be accessed by the following link:

Smoke Signals Article

Sadly, as Mr. Stancil states in the video"It's got to where there's not much place for a country store any more."