little blog on the prairie

My mom has a thing for small towns, their quirks and their characters, their history and their landmarks.

So when she saw Kirby Pringle’s recent News-Gazette story on Thompson’s General Store in Camargo, she made a mental note. So we gathered up the gang and headed down 130 last weekend to check it out for ourselves and get some grub at the lunch counter.

As it turned out,  it was quite the experience. The store’s owner, an elderly lady, greeted us with a smile and wanted to know all about Peanut. The man behind the meat counter (think Sam the butcher from the Brady Bunch) had a good time with us folks from the big city. There are no menus; you just order from what you see in the case. My mom and I had turkey, my dad had a salami and liverwurst sandwich. They were served on white bread, with your choice of mustard or miracle whip. To my mom’s chagrin, there was no lettuce or tomato.

The sandwich service is really meant for take out. There’s no place to sit, save for some stacked up chairs in the back. We used a step ladder as a table, and marveled at how meticulously organized the merchandise was — in that little corner, it ranged from dog food to a trowel to soft drinks. We also talked to “Sam,” the man behind the counter, who told us all about the town and some of its interesting residents.

In all, for three sandwiches and three drinks, the bill rang up to $7.74, and that was only because my dad had two different types of meats. When the owner told him the total, he asked, “Are you sure?”

So if you’re ever on your way to the outlet mall in Tuscola, take a detour and go down 130. Where else can a family of three eat lunch for $7.74 with some of the warmest people around?