One Of The Oldest General Stores In Nebraska Has A Fascinating History
When the The Kacirek-Woita General Store was built in Weston in 1894, it was much like any other building around it. The Victorian architecture and ornate but subdued flourishes blended in perfectly with the other structures on the street. But slowly, Weston’s landscape changed. Some of the old buildings didn’t survive. This general store building, however, has stood strong for more than 120 years…though there were some hiccups.
In this picture from the 1920s, a bustling town seems to revolve around the store.
Although specific dates are sketchy, it seems that at some point the front of the store - the general store portion - was closed and the other half of the building was used as a grocery store for a number of years. The building was no longer used as a store at all after the 1970s. The windows were boarded up and it was used as storage space.
Rob and Shelli Hall, residents of nearby Wahoo, purchased the building and began the long process of restoring the building to its former glory. They spend two years lovingly fixing what was broken, using original and period-appropriate materials whenever possible. They successfully nominated the building for placement on the National Register of Historic Places.
The store no longer sells fabric, groceries, and sundries as it once did. It now carries antiques, but it's not exactly an antique store.
It's truly incredible how the space has been restored to look and feel just like the original interior of the general store must have.
You can find the Vintage Merchant General Store at 250 N Elm St, Weston, Nebraska. Keep up with news and hours on their Facebook page.
If you can’t get enough of antique shopping, check out our long list of antique stores in Nebraska.
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