Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
LEAVENWORTH – If you live in Crawford County and your shopping list calls for picking up a tape measure, canning supplies, scented candle, soup mix, light bulbs, Christmas ornaments, coffee mugs and a gift for your mom, well, Stephenson’s General Store Inc. is your one-stop shop.
Since 1917, the general store in Leavenworth has found a spot on a shelf for just about anything a resident or visitor might need. The Stephenson family bought it from the original owner in 1917 and operated it as Stephenson’s and Co. until 2008, when the owner (Mrs. Elaine Stephenson, whose husband was the son of the first Stephenson to own the store) retired and the store closed. In 2010, Tony and Judy Gallina re-opened the store, keeping the familiar name. Their son Anthony joined them in the business full time in 2017.
The store’s current location is not the original site. Anthony explained the historic 1937 flood that wiped out the old Leavenworth led to the store’s owners moving it out of the floodplain to what is now Leavenworth.
The store contains about 8,500 square feet and includes a basement area. The area that contains grocery items was once a funeral home.
Today, the store hasn’t changed all that much, although the Gallinas expanded the hardware inventory.
Anthony Gallina, who runs the store with his parents, said Stephenson’s is a general store in the best sense.
“We have a little bit of everything,” he said. “We have a lot of tours that come through the area, people who camp and visit O’Bannon Woods State Park, Wyandotte Cave and the Hoosier National Forest and the local people who need stuff.”
A little bit of everything also includes grocery items, public laundry machines, arts and crafts, greeting cards and a breakfast and lunch service. The laundry facilities are popular with campers, Gallina said.
Many visitors stop at Stephenson’s General Store on their way to the Overlook, a popular restaurant that offers diners beautiful views of the Ohio River. The store is also a stop for sight-seers meandering the backroads of southern Indiana on State Road 62.
In addition to stocking everyday needs, the Gallinas also carry items made by small businesses in the United States. The unique items include pottery items made in North Carolina and a dry soup mix made in Indiana that benefits women in need to get back on their feet.
Anthony said he and his parents carry the items because they believe it’s important to support small USA businesses, whether they are in the Leavenworth area, or across the country.
The busy season for the general store is March-October when visitors are drawn to area recreation spots. Gallina said the nostalgia and uniqueness of a general store draw many customers who like to peruse the store’s shelves.
Stephenson’s homemade chili is also a hit with customers. The Gallinas make and sell the chili seasoning they use.
A souvenir coffee cup, yard rake and logo toboggan have replaced the dry goods that general stores of yesteryear carried. Where the merchandise has changed, Anthony said the philosophy has not.
“We strive to have what people need. Our goal is to provide what we can in the area to what we need and if we don’t have it, we can usually order it for them,” Anthony said. “We try to be a general store in the true sense of what a general store was.”
Small Business Saturday
Stephenson’s General Store, 618 W. State Road 62, is open Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The store will offer 10% off general merchandise on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 25.