Repairs are underway at O’Hurley’s General Store to repair damage from a vichcle crash on June 28, 2024.
The word “shop” in various European languages originally referred to a porch or shed. A place to store and display things and also to sit and relax. It seems like a good description of Shepherdstown, so no surprise that both O’Hurley’s and Dogwood have found a home and a base of customers here.
O’Hurley’s Built (And Rebuilt) on Tradition
The “O’Hurley’s clan” is how Genevieve O’Loughlin refers to herself and the other new owners of the general store that Jay Hurley created and ran for four and a half decades. All of them worked with Jay for many years and plan to continue the traditions that he built up over the years, including the enormous decorated Christmas tree in the great room (which goes up in early November) and the annual Halloween display (which will be up all during October).
O’Loughlin and her partners have taken over the great room on the side of the building for the past few weeks while their regular room in the front of the store gets rebuilt from the unwelcome intrusion of a speeding car on June 28. The repair work is proceeding well and O’Loughlin hopes to move back into the front room and resume business as usual sometime in August. O’Loughlin says the store sells a little bit of everything. “We’re on the road between Harpers Ferry and Antietam, so we see a lot of people on vacation who stop in. We sell a lot of hats, candy, and jams.”
Dogwood General Builds On History
Mary Ball, the proprietor of Dogwood General, describes her vision for a general store as “a community service, with tangible goods and a place to gather. This building works for that — it invites people in.” Not surprising, as the building started out as a general store in 1804.
Ball describers her customers as a mix of locals — gardeners, homesteaders, pet owners, folks looking for gifts — and tourists, especially on the weekends. She’s been open about a year and a half and continues to expand her stock with all sorts of home and kitchen essentials, including a line of natural cleaning supplies.
Ball notes the business is seasonal, but even in the winter months she saw a steady business with gardeners preparing for spring planting. She expects to be adding toys and puzzles this fall and plans to continue expanding what she offers based on feedback and requests from customers.
O’Hurley’s General Store, 205 East Washington Street, Shepherdstown. Open every day (except Easter, July 4, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day, and one day in November when they put up the Christmas decorations). Until the repairs are complete, the store is open 10 to 5. Once things get back to normal, the hours will be 10 am – 7 pm Tuesday through Saturday and 10 am – 5 pm Sunday and Monday. Web: OHurleys.com, tel: 304-876-6907.
Dogwood General Store, 109 West German Street, Shepherdstown. Open Monday 10 am – 5 pm, closed Tuesday, open Wednesday & Thursday 11 am – 5 pm, Friday 10 am – 5 pm, Saturday 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday 11 am – 5 pm. Web: DogwoodGeneralStore.com, tel: 304-876-0919.
