The Belmont General Store

We have been provided some interesting insider history from Mr. Robert Stowe, who's grandfather started the store. This is a quote from Mr. Stowes email used with his permission:

"The business was started in 1889 by my grandfather and his brother-in-law as Stowe and Puett as retail dealer in general merchandise long before the mills were started. They sold everything including caskets. Mr. Puett’s health declined and he sold his interest to my grandfather’s brother S. P. Stowe and they changed the name to Stowe Brothers Company. The original store building was where the P&N depot is now. When Southern (Duke)Power wanted that location for their depot, they built the present building next door in 1904. The Chronicle and Imperial mills were already in operation when they sold the business not the building to the Horsleys and the Dixons. All of the mills in Belmont worked out deal with the new owners to allow their employees to charge merchandise at the store and have the charges deducted from their pay. This continued in into the 1980’s when our company was the last to end the practice. I bought the business and the building in 1986 and turned it into a True Value Hardware store which operated for about six years. When I closed the business, Dan Stowe bought the building and rented out for retail. After Dan died the building went to his heirs. We sold the building to LaVecchia and Matinata. The painting of the building is the kind of thing I worry about more than what the building is used for. Painting it as well as the building on the other side of street impaired their historic significance. The Stowe Merc. building is constructed of sun-dried brick. Removing the paint will be difficult if not impossible without damaging the brick." ~ end of quote.