A general store in Warren County that has welcomed visitors for generations is up for sale.
Wilbur’s Country Store is located inside a 19th century site on Route 94 and is among the few remaining independent general stores in New Jersey.
It stocks candies, toys, canned goods and kitchen utensils — “just a little bit of everything,” said Merrilane Osmun, who was working at the store on Friday.
Osmun took over after the store’s owner since 1976, her longtime friend, decided to move last year and seek a buyer.
The six-acre lot that includes the store, four other commercial spaces and an upstairs studio apartment has been on the market since February.
“We had a couple of offers that were a bit too low,” Osmun said when reached by phone.
The property is listed by Weichert Realtors for $728,000.
Osmun says it’s possible the future owner will keep the general store open.
“That’s the hope,” Osmun said.
Independent general stores were the precursors to Wawa, Quick Chek and other chains that flourish throughout New Jersey. They were at their peak in the 1800s, frequently serving as the primary business in small communities.
Two general stores in neighboring Sussex County — the 142-year-old Hainesville General Store in Sandyston and Gariss General Store in Stillwater — found new owners in 2022 and remain in operation. The Gariss store, in operation since 1876, was renamed the Stillwater Cafe.
Wilbur’s Country Store is in Frelinghuysen, which covers nearly 24 square miles and has approximately 2,000 residents. Osmun said she does not know the store opened.
“I have some old photos of what this place used to look like when it was a farm,” Osmun said.
The store does not have a website or Facebook page, the standard marketing tools of contemporary businesses. It does have a loyal customer base, word of mouth, and a convenient location off the highway.
“A lot of people are traveling through, just going for a ride,” Osmun said.
Many of the store’s items have an association with Great Britain, where the owner lived until she was a teenager and came to the U.S.
Osmun, offering examples, cited HP sauce — British brown sauce consisting of tomatoes, malt vinegar and molasses, with the name being an acronym for Houses of Parliament.
The shelves also are stocked with McVitie’s digestive biscuits, a British snack food since the 1830s that remains popular overseas, and cans of Heinz baked beans, which originated in London in 1886.
The Weichert Realtors listing says that “charm abounds” at the location, though “some work” is needed on the buildings. It could evolve into a deli, coffee shop or crafter’s village, or perhaps just stay as it is, according to the real estate company.
In its heyday, Wilbur’s Country Store was open six days per week, closing on Mondays. Now it is open only on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., Osmun said.
“It looks better running,” she said of the decision to keep the store in operation while looking for a buyer.