Down Memory Lane
April 3, 1980
Theodore and Margaret Barron love their store. Their little neighborhood grocery in Viewtown is more than just a business. It’s a way of life, family history and a mirror of the past. Their pride and affection glows along with the shining floors and walls of the old frame building. The Viewtown store is spotless with the kind of clean that marks a labor of love.
Barrons have been Viewtown storekeepers since 1919, when Theodore’s father bought the business from H.W. Spilman. As a youngster, he worked for his dad. “But I didn’t get any salary,” Theodore recalled. It wasn’t until after he married Margaret that his father paid him a salary — a monthly check of $35, according to Theodore.
After his father died in 1939, Theodore’s wife Margaret took over the shop while her husband divided his time between the store and his Barron’s Tire business in Culpeper. When Theodore sold Barron’s Tires in 1954, he settled in to spend his days as a country storekeeper.
Newest members of Rappahannock National Bank’s board of directors are James W. Fletcher Jr., Sperryville attorney, and J. Newbill Miller, farmer, realtor and mayor of the town of Washington.
May 3, 1995
Hackley’s Store in Amissville billed itself as “the country store for the ’90s, from feed to fax.”
It’s true. The store is much more than just a place to pick up groceries. Besides groceries, owners Jan and Ron Makela offer Purina feeds, UPS shipping services, work pants, flannel shirts, womens’ denim jumpers, boots, straw hats and much more. The store was built in 1934 by Graham Hackley and was taken over by his daughter Jan and her husband just four years ago. The original store was actually built on the corner across from the present store in 1908. Then that one burned down, the new one was built on its present site.
Upon graduation from high school, Jan left Rappahannock and moved to Virginia Beach. She met her husband Ron there, and they moved back to Amissville four years ago to take over the store. She said that when she left Rappahannock, there was no arts community, no restaurants, tourism or four-lane highway through Amissville.
Officers of the Rappahannock National Bank are considering moving out of Washington. Chief Executive Officer John Conry said no decision has been made on a site, but the bank is exploring options for another location. He said sometime in the future the bank may want to add a drive-in window or cash machine, and the old building they are currently in is not conducive to such alterations.