The Hometown Store That's Been Keeping Polk County's Prices Low Since 1920
I love local. I mean that beyond the bumper sticker version — beyond the farmer's market tote bag and the Instagram hashtag. I love local because local businesses are run by actual people with actual values, and when those values show up in how they run their business, you can feel it.
McGuinn's Store in Mill Spring is exactly that kind of place. And the value that gets me? Their founder Charles McGuinn built the whole thing around one idea: keep prices low so everyone can shop here. Not just the people who can afford to shop local. Everyone.
In a world where "support small business" sometimes means paying a premium, that ethos hits different.
A Polk County Story, Through and Through
Charles McGuinn was born in Polk County in 1920 — one of 12 children who grew up working on a family farm in Sunny View, growing fruits and vegetables and making homemade molasses from sorghum cane.
After graduating in 1938, he didn't leave for good. He went to Asheville, rented a booth at the old farmer's market, and started selling produce. He made it work through World War II. And then, when the war ended, he came back home.
He opened Charles McGuinn Store in Sunny View — a retail store in his own community, for his own community. He also grew sweet potatoes, corn, watermelons, and apples. Raised chickens, pigs, and cattle. Marketed his own Blue Ridge Mountain Brand Pure Raw Honey and Molasses to roadside stands, farmers markets, and grocery stores.
The about page on their website describes Charles simply: "a simple man who needed so little to be happy, and he found joy in giving and helping those in need."
That's the foundation this store was built on. You can feel it in the mission.
"Your Hometown Store That Saves You More"
Charles believed in competition and keeping prices low so everyone could shop there. That was his vision statement then, and it's still the heartbeat of McGuinn's Store today.
This matters to me. A lot of "shop local" culture accidentally becomes gatekeeping — the boutique that's gorgeous but priced out of reach, the restaurant that requires a special occasion budget. Charles McGuinn specifically, intentionally built something different. Accessible on purpose. Community first, not as an afterthought.
That's a value system. Not a marketing strategy.
What You'll Find at McGuinn's Today
McGuinn's is a full hardware and farm supply store — the kind where you go in for one thing and walk out having solved three other problems you didn't know you had yet.
Their catalog covers hardware, plumbing, electrical, building materials, tools, farm supplies, lawn and garden, pet supplies, clothing and footwear, automotive, heating and cooling, outdoor living, paint, and seasonal items. They carry trusted brands like DeWalt, Milwaukee, Case Knives, Georgia Boots, and Wolverine. They sell gas. They cut keys. They have a convenience store.
And they have an online shop at mcguinnstore.com — so if you're not local yet, you can still shop local.
Why Stores Like This Matter More Than Ever
We live in a moment where it is genuinely easy to order everything from a screen and never set foot in a local store. I get it — it's convenient. But every time we do that, we're making a choice about what kind of community we want to live in.
McGuinn's Store has been here since before most of us were born. It has outlasted trends, economic shifts, and a global pandemic. It's still here because people keep choosing it. The locals don't lie about a place like this — when a store has been part of a community this long, it earns that loyalty one neighbor at a time.
Charles McGuinn wanted everyone to be able to shop there. Over a hundred years later, that's still the point.
Go Check Them Out
📍 Mill Spring, NC
📱 Facebook: McGuinn's Store
They also offer gift cards — which, for the record, is the most useful gift you can give someone who owns a home or a farm in Polk County. Just saying.
