Updated May 24, 2010.
From the Newspaper Collection of Janet Grimstead Simons.
Virginia Beach Beacon February 2, 1977 and The Daily Advance June 23, 1974. Same author. Same text. Different photos.
Visitors on KI stopping in for refreshments and supplies no doubt consider Jones’ Grocery and supply store located in the fork of the road about mid-island, an ordinary market. But, not so! As the islander well know, Jones’ Store is a tradition, a landmark, a heritage for it has been a part of the island for nearly 100 years. Its countrified atmosphere mingled with down-to-earth people enhances the warmth of the little island.
Records in the register of deeds office at Currituck Courthouse show the Joneses as being among the first landowners to settle on Knotts Island. Records date back to the early 1700s.
Herman Jones, now in his 82nd year and eldest of the surviving Joneses, took over a share in the business with his older brother Paul, when their father, John Jones, died in 1925. There has been no record found determining the year his father opened the store, but Herman says, "He was in the business as far back as I can remember."
The eldest of Herman Jones’ two sons, Preston, who now owns full interest in the business, and his older brother, Herman Guy, now employed with civil service at Dam Neck, (Both live on KI) were reared in the store business. They cannot remember when they did not hang around the store a certain amount of time. However, Preston remembers "when Daddy wouldn’t let us stay around too much - until we were big enough to do some work." He continued. "I don’t blame him, though. It’s no place for children; too much is said around a country store. They hear a whole lot they shouldn’t hear."
When his “Uncle Paul" became disabled in 1937 and later died, Preston bought his rights in the business, and in 1961 took over his Dad’s rights as well. And although he has retired from the business end of it, Herman is on the job every day and still takes an active part in the manual responsibilities. He admits he would feel "unnecessary" if he couldn’t help out.
Having survived at least a dozen other businesses of its kind throughout the years, Jones’ is now the only “general store" on the island ands sells almost anything mentioned. But Preston and his dad remember when times were quite different.
I remember when there were no packaged cigarettes at all.” Herman said, pointing to a large display of about 25 brands of cigarettes. “We sold tobacco in bags - Dukes Mixture, Bull Durham, Green Frog, five cents a bag, six for 25 cents. They rolled their own. When ready-made cigarettes did come out, they were 10 cents a package." He continued, "Chewing tobacco came in wooden boxes back then. We had a machine to cut it into ‘plugs’. Now it comes all cut and wrapped." "We used to stock five or six brands of snuff," Preston added. “Now we only sell one brand."
“Back in those days," Preston continued, "there was no such thing sold on the island as ice cream. We couldn’t keep it. We didn’t have any electricity. Sometimes the church would have a social and sell ice cream made in hand freezers on the church grounds. That was a real treat. Everyone turned out.”
The two younger Joneses had an ice route back then. "We delivered ice twice a week in the summer.” Preston said.
“Mr. Herman" reminisces when he used to buy ducks from the island hunters. "That was before there was a license required to kill ducks or a limit on them." He said. “We paid about 60 cents a pair. People could kill as many as they wanted. What they didn’t want to keep for their own use, they would bring to the store and sell. We bought them and shipped them away." "We also bought rabbits, ‘coons, muskrats and ‘possums." Preston said.
"We didn’t sell very many groceries when I first started in the business." Mr. Herman recalls. "Most everyone had a cow, so they had their own milk, cream, butter and cheese. They raised chickens to eat and for eggs. They raised their own pork and beef."
"Hunting, fishing and farming were about all people could do in line of work in those days.” He continued. "So they had all the fish and wild meat they wanted. They raised fruit and vegetables. They had them fresh in summer and canned them for the winter. They made their own jams and jellies."
"There was no such thing as a loaf of bread in my day" continued Mr. Herman. "We sold flour by the barrel — 196 pounds for $3.75. People baked their own bread."
"I remember when coffee was 8 cents/pound" Mr. Herman smiled. "We stocked both ground coffee and coffee beans. Most people had their own coffee mills in their kitchens. They would buy the beans and grind them. We sold very little tea in those days. People around here drank youpon. Youpon is an evergreen tree with small leaves and bearing a red berry in winter. It is a member of the holly family and grows from VA to FL. The scientific name is Ilex Vomitoria. The tea is made by chopping the tender branches and leaves and parching them. It was first made by the Indians as a ceremonial tea. The English colony called it "The Black Tea." A number of years back it was used frequently in this area. "Sammy Joe” Waterfield and "Sambo" Cooper cut it, cured it and sold it for many years.” Mr. Herman said.
“There were no such thing as frozen foods or dog or cat food. We sell as much dog and cat food now as we used to sell groceries," Preston added.
Mr. Herman remembers when soft drinks came in 72—bottle cartons and sold for five cents each. "Five cartons would last us all summer. Times have really changed." He said, as he watched a customer enjoying a 25-cent Pepsi.
"I’ve sold gasoline for 75 cents for 5 gallons.” Preston remarked as he made his way to the gas pumps to help another customer. Mr. Herman and his brother, Paul, delivered oil for the Standard Oil Company for a number of years in their youth to the other stores on the island. "We had to pump it out of an old hand pump into the tank, " Mr. Herman said. "Gasoline, too. We had different tanks then. We had round tanks, which held about l0 gallons. It had a hand lever and a round glass top that showed the number of gallons sold.”
The era of penny candy has passed, but Mr. Herman tells of the long, round stick of assorted flavors that were sold in "his day" for a penny.
A young bystander, enthused with the tales of yesterday, chirped, "If you didn’t sell any of the things we have in stores today, what did you sell?"
Mr. Herman quickly replied, "Plow traces and points, mold boards, horse collars, garden tools, shovels, feeds, fertilizer, straw hats, shoes, overalls, suspenders." "We used to sell yellow cottons, bed ticking, and yard goods," he continued. "Back then women made their own clothes. Yard goods were about 19 cents a yard. A woman could make herself a dress for about 50 cents. "Later on some feed companies came out with feed in printed bags. That cut out some of my yards goods business. Folks wore dresses and shirts made out of feed sacks."
People were more sociable in those days. They had no TV or radios to keep them home and no automobiles to carry them away from the island.
Mr. Herman recalls the first car he ever saw on the island. “It was driven over here by Linus Williams, Tully Williams’ boy. I think that was about 1914. It was a Model T Ford. It was on a Sunday and he drove it up to the Baptist Church. People crowded around to look at it. They had never seen anything like it." He smiled, “It was really something."
Every night, back in those days, one could find most of the islanders, especially the men, plodding to the store through the dark woods and fields with their kerosene lanterns to exchanges bits of news. "Tom Baxter," Mr. Herman recalls, “from Currituck, used to bring the mail once or twice a week across the Currituck Sound in a motor boat. Once in a while he would bring a newspaper. When he did and the news got out that there was a paper on the island, everyone would hurry to the store and read it.
Preston feels he has a good relationship with the islanders. I know them and they know me, “ he said. "I’d do anyone of them a favor if I could and I feel sure they’d do the same to me.”
About the newcomers on the island, he had this to say. "I haven’t seen one of them I didn’t like. I get along with everyone fine. When a stranger comes to the island, I have to feel them out. Some like a joke, some don’t. I learn to tell which is which!"
The Joneses have a certain knack for “getting along" with people, which certainly accounts for their success through the years.
Preston eagerly admits that he will retire eventually. When this happens the "dear hearts and gentle people” of Knotts Island will sense a loss and surely feel a pang of regret.