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Convenience of a Country Store | Virginia Living

Where to Buy a Bag of Chips or a Live Chicken on Your Next Road Trip

When your scenic drive along the Snickersville Turnpike strikes you as a place to shop or grab a bite to eat, there’s one place to go. Bluemont General Store serves just about everything you can think of: pizza, ice cream, oysters, books, beans, hardware, and even jingle bells. The selection prioritizes freshness and local connection, with Angus beef from grass-fed cattle raised on nearby Loudoun County farmland and farm-fresh eggs from free-range chickens in Purcellville. And it doesn’t stop there: Bluemont General also sells its own laying hens, peeps, and roosters.

The store’s cottage-style exterior, with its classic blue clapboard and red shutters, beckons explorers touring this picturesque part of the state, whether they’re enjoying the area’s rural beauty or en route to the iconic vistas at Snickers Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Signs greet visitors, revealing what’s on the menu that day—from hot coffee to antiques to conversation pieces to guineas and keets to other whimsical treasures. (Guineas and keets are the spotted, chicken-like birds and their young marketed by Bluemont General as the best security system and tick destroyers money can buy.)

Photo courtesy of Bluemont General Store

The store is defined by authenticity and a real small-town feel. It provides locals and tourists alike with everything they need, plus all the items they didn’t know they needed. While it’s not the most convenient convenience store, that’s part of the appeal. After all, what’s better than a single store that has everything?

After stopping for homemade chocolate, hand-dipped ice cream, or freshly made sandwiches, take the Snickersville Turnpike past area landmarks, including the historic Hibbs Bridge and Civil War battlefields. But if you’re looking for the pastoral charm of Bluemont General, that’s fine too. Grab a newspaper or a book, curl up under the 100-year-old maple tree out front, and enjoy the sunshine and countryside. BluemontStore.com


This article originally appeared in the Best of Virginia 2024 problem.