Family owned market has deep roots in county
The J.V.A Moore ledger from 1895-1896 is displayed at Babe’s Corner Store. The historical book shows local family names and their purchases at that time.
By Sandy Zimmerman
Guest Writer
A new market has opened in downtown Hayesville featuring local and area products along with traditional business practices spanning over four generations.
Babe’s Corner Store is family owned with community roots dating back to the 1800s with a commitment for community goodness and heritage reflected as a neighborhood grocery.
Early inhabitants of Clay County were Native Americans of the Cherokee Nation and pioneers locating close to streams and rivers with water supply from nearby creeks including Brasstown, Downings Creek, Qualla and Tusquittee as well as other familiar names.
John C. Moore has been reported as the first white settler coming to our county in 1832 into the Tusquittee area. His legacy was confirmed many times by his ancestor James Virgil Alexander Moore who was known as J.V.A. Moore, early business leader, educator and local historian in his later years.
The Moore family has an original store ledger from 1895-1896 listing customer names with their food and merchandise purchases in the early store located in the Peckerwood area of Tusquittee. The ledger is an early version of “credit accounts” listed by family name with dates and prices of items purchased either with cash or by credit.
Credit accounts were by family names using fathers or husbands first and ladies were listed as “wife” or “Miss” if single. Names familiar to Clay County families include Bell, Byers, Anderson, Coleman, McClure, Moss, Ledford and Moore to name a few.
In addition to accounts being shown by last name, many purchases were identified with wife’s name or other family members taking items.
The ledger pages show prices for a variety of family items during those years for groceries, kitchen supplies, cookware, clothing, fabric and other household staples such as oil lamps, matches and kerosene.
Christmas, other holidays and special gifts for birthdays or anniversaries were mostly practical but also intended as special items like tobacco, pencils, “gift bottle” cologne, “writing paper” and envelopes. Additional special gifts such as a half pound of candy were 6 cents; percale shirts were 80 cents each or ladies hair pins were two for 15 cents. The purchase list often showed the names for recipients on the family page including items for handmade clothing or repairs.
Below are prices of popular supplies brought in or supplied locally with bartering as a common way of doing business back in those days.
Food items clothing and household items priced under $1
• Two dozen eggs - 14 cents.
• One pair of socks - 5 cents.
• One pound coffee - 22 cents.
• Shoes average 80 cents per pair.
• Three pounds sugar - 25 cents.
• Five balls of sewing thread - 5 cents.
• Half pound sack of salt - 2 cents.
• Ribbon - 5 cents per yard.
• One chicken - 10 cents.
• Fabric average price 5 to 7 cents per yard.
• One bushel corn - 40 cents.
• Wash pan and cream pitcher - 10 cents each.
• A school bell was 55 cents and used to bring family in from fields or farm chores
• Items hauled to or from Murphy were priced higher averaging 5 cents more than local.
Credit accounts were listed with date when payments were made and marked with X when balances were complete.
J.V.A. Moore died in 1962 after providing valuable historical information recorded by local writers and for the Clay County 1961 Centennial Celebration.
Babe’s Corner Market is a good representation of his family tradition stretching back to the 1800’s and over four generations. Marvin Mayhew Cardine Moore known locally as “Babe” carried the legacy forward with a long community career in retail business from Shooting Creek to Hayesville.
Later his daughter, Anita Moore, and her husband, Harold Lance, opened Town & Country Pharmacy in 1972 at 78 Sanderson Street in downtown Hayesville adding retail selections in the storefront.
Their daughter, Cindy, worked with Harold in the pharmacy and Anita managed the front of the store with part time assistance.
Their son, Josh, could often be seen as a youngster perched close to the front windows and customer “check out” counter. He learned good service from his parents and the value of connecting with patrons.
After graduating from Hayesville High School, Josh served in the Marine Corps, earned a law degree from the University of North Carolina, met his wife, Alison, and returned to Hayesville in 2020 to raise their two children in his childhood home.
Josh and Alison are proud to continue the Moore family legacy with their new business offering locally farm sourced goods and pantry favorites. Babe’s Corner Market is a new downtown Hayesville destination with homegrown goodness.
Visit: www.babescorner.com for more details and hours to shop.
Information was gathered from family members and Carl S. Moore’s book “Clay County Then and Now.”