I fondly recall the summers of my 60s/70s childhood, visiting my grandparents’ general store in Washington, Kentucky (Pictured Above). I can still smell the country ham, candy, spices, and sweet molasses as I write. I also recall an image of my Papaw, sitting on one of the two park benches inside the store, looking annoyed by little Brad asking for candy. He would reply, “If you think you need it.” Then there was always my Gram telling me, “Take anything you want,” when I asked her for candy.
Out of all the memories, it’s the stories shared by loitering patrons on those benches that linger the most. Precisely at 9:50 PM each evening, Will Catron would stand up, shut off power to the gas pumps, and go outside to shutter the store. That was your cue to wrap up your story or gossip and head back to where you came from, your home, your farm, your family. Then repeat it all the next day.
You see, it was those park benches and the stories told there, that made Catron’s Grocery the happening place in the middle of Washington, Kentucky.
Time went on and Gram and Papaw retired to the farm in 1979. The store closed. The benches were sold at auction. The building still stands, though businesses have come and gone. But it’s the stories shared in Catron’s Grocery that endure, stories handed down for generations, that shaped lives and fostered relationships.
While I fondly look at the picture above of Gram and Papaw’s former grocery, I’m also troubled by how few stories come out of businesses today. You have to dig to find them. Too often, the staff doesn’t know there’s a story to tell about why the business even exists. Or the owner gets so caught up in keeping the lights on, they forget why they got into business in the first place.
Now fast forward 55 years to October 2024.
When we were remodeling and furnishing Foothold Market for its grand opening, I suggested we add two comfy chairs by the front door, a place to rest, to meet people, to share why Foothold exists. While I didn’t have a compelling list of reasons for the chairs, I just had a sense that chairs in that place mattered. Cherie found my idea odd, but went along with it.
In came the comfy orange velvet chairs.
People sat in them.
Again and again.
Nearly a year later, those bright orange chairs have accomplished more than we could have imagined.
Some have rested while their friends shopped. Long, difficult conversations have happened there, and some joyous ones too. A few people have nearly fallen asleep in them. Stories of women and girls in Kenya that begin in struggle but continue in triumph have been shared. People have asked how Foothold Market got started, and why we tell the stories behind the goods we sell. Then there is always, “So how did you and Cherie get into this kind of work?” Some simply sit and have a cup of coffee or tea.
Many who walk through the doors of Foothold Market say the same thing: “This place is peaceful.” Some come in and sit down just to escape the noise of the outside world. Whatever your reason for coming in, those orange velvet chairs are there, waiting for whoever needs them.
Like the park benches in my grandparents’ store, it’s not the chairs themselves that make the space special. But special is what they’ve become, a place where stories are told.
Because here’s the thing: We believe the stories behind the handcrafted goods matter just as much as the goods themselves.
It’s the stories that inspire what we sell, whether it’s crafted in nearby Appalachia or faraway Africa. Each maker has a story worth telling, worth hearing, a story that lives in their craft.
These stories are the WHY behind Foothold Market.
Along with many of the items in Foothold Market, Cherie and I have carried stories across the sea from East Africa in our minds and hearts for over 20 years. If we shared them all at Foothold Market, it would take ages.
We don’t force our stories on anyone. They just seem to come naturally, quietly, in their own time. Maybe it’s the space. Or maybe it’s the comfy orange chairs that invite them to be told.
And maybe that’s the point.
Stop by and see us at Foothold Market, 280 High St, Chillicothe, OH. You can also follow us on our FaceBook page for all the Foothold Market events and featured items. Feel free to also visit us online as well.
Hope to see you soon at Foothold Market!
If you would like to stay updated and hear more of our stories, sign up for our email newsletter.
