A different perspective

 Staff Writer Ben Joubert, another Michigan man, provides his account of what struck him about the Country Boy Store

I am in the same boat as Dave. A fellow Michigander we both are interested in the unique quality of the rural Kentucky community. Even so, unlike Dave, I am slightly more at home on the back country roads of Kentucky.  I grew up in the small town of Charlotte on a nice plot of land surrounded by Amish farmers and rocky dirt roads that seemingly led to nowhere. A quaint store was stationed just across the street from my house and sold anything from soda and candy to gasoline at an exorbitant price to unlucky drivers who happened to find themselves in the middle of nowhere with an arrow dangerously hovering around E.

But Charlotte was no Kentucky. I thought I had the South pegged and figured out when I got used to older men calling me “son” and women my own age (early 20s) calling me “baby” or “honey” or “sweetie.” The first time I saw someone light a cigarette in a restaurant I thought he was some kind of heroic Rosa Parks character standing up for civil injustice. Quickly, I realized smoking tends to be a given in most Hopkinsville bars and restaurants. I had gotten used to seeing a congregant of Michigan bar customers huddled together, sharing body warmth, 25 yards from any building, sucking down smoke as quickly as possible before rushing back inside.

Some of the knickknacks available in a display case

Needless to say, this is not what defines Kentucky. From what I can tell, The Country Boy Store is what currently best represents the Kentucky I anticipated in my move from the Mid-North to the South. Located amidst corn and tobacco fields, The Country Boy Store is what I define as a “culture shock.”

Guns, watches, army uniforms, helmets, guns, a rusty banjo, dirty coffee cups, ammunition, busted-up typewriters and scores upon scores of other items littered the store. Next door was a small barn loaded with furniture and stained mattresses. I couldn’t help wondering, is anyone really going to buy a freezer filled with brown water? Or a used toilet covered in cobwebs? Despite my questioning, the place was a wonderland of curiosities. I could have spent another hour scrounging around for something I could barter for. It was truly fascinating. Organization was not a factor. Things were piled on top of other things and the place was lit by a little outdoor light and a single light bulb. It seemed like just the place I had read about in books and seen in movies.

A variety of toilets can be found behind the store

Now, that’s not to say that places like The Country Boy Store don’t exist in Michigan. I just wasn’t aware of any. That being said, I don’t think anyone will be buying a double-barreled shotgun or a loaded crossbow from Jones Country Store across the street from my old house anytime soon.