On Monday while The Girl and I were headed up to the Maine Mineral and Gem Museum, one of the stops we made was to the Hungry Hollow Country Store in West Paris, Maine. Someone on the blog mentioned the place and well, after a quick search online, I knew we just had to stop and check it out.
Country/General stores in New England are really quite common, and most general stores are run out of old homes, which just makes the charm factor skyrocket in my opinion.
Old wooden floors and shelving, oodles of local products, staff members that not only live in the area but know everything that’s going on in town {and everyone in it.}. I LOVE these type of places!
Too tired to cook? Check out their freezer section. This particular freezer was filled with homemade soups and mashed potatoes.
Local honey and jams.
Need a gift? The Hungry Hollow Country Store has several rooms filled with all sorts of goodies {books, artwork, dishtowels, clothing, candles, pottery, housewares}. But that’s not the best part about the place if you ask me….
They’ve got a living room full of pies and bread and cookies and bars and cinnamon rolls too! Have you ever seen such a place? Seriously, what’s not to love about the Hungry Hollow Country Store? You just can’t find places like this in suburbia, you have to come to Maine to get an experience like this!!
Just look at these ladies! You’d be crazy not to want to buy something from them. That’s Shirley the owner, on the right. She’s 86 and still baking pies {although after running the store all these years, Shirley’s ready to retire and sell the the business}.
Here’s a little snippet I found online about the history of the Hungry Hollow Country Store:
“In 1979, Shirley Damm and her family purchased Colonial Orchard, now named Hungry Hollow Farm, up on the hill off Route 26 in West Paris. In 1984, they opened Hungry Hollow Country Store on Route 26 in West Paris to retail their fruits and vegetables year round. With a whole house to fill, they started with 19 craftsmen on consignment, a few baked goods and their own fruits, vegetables, plants and herbs.
Since that time, they have grown to where the bakery and the ”Heat and Eat” entrees and food have become the major portion of the business. Fresh, homemade food will remind you of ”Grandma’s Kitchen” and you get that food to go! They also carry homemade local crafts, gifts, antiques and collectibles.”
Not only did we leave with huge smiles on our faces, but a few treats as well {apple blueberry pie, a chicken and gravy pie to bake in the oven later, a dozen peanut butter cookies, dried mangoes and a box of my daughter’s favorite tea}.
The Hungry Hollow Country Store, put it on your list!! You’ll be so glad you did.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone,
~Mavis
Hungry Hollow Country Store
28 Bethel Road
West Paris, ME 04289
Karen says
Wonderful Country Store, fantastic products, and it’s for sale! Wouldn’t that be something for you?
Michele Cheney says
I love your field trips! Ive lived in Maine for 55 years and thought I knew a good bit about my adopted state. But Im learning about all these places I cant wait to visit! Thank you!
Jenn from MA says
That’s so funny- we have been driving past that place for years every weekend in the winter on our way to Sunday River and we’ve never stopped in….I think we might have to soon! Thanks for sharing 🙂
E in Upstate NY says
Oh Sunday River! This year I was their “resident” lobby knitter over the Christmas break. My son works there, and I went to work with him. Far better than sitting in an empty house!
Suzy young says
After us kids left home, my parents had these chicken pies for holidays and quite often bought extra~ they are amazing❤️
Teresa says
OMGosh! The pickles! How could you pass buy and not buy one of each? I love pickles. Were those pickled eggs too?
Jennifer says
You sharing gems like these just makes my mornings. Thank you❤️
Laura L. says
Hi Mavis,
Just wondering if you could share the muffin recipe you posted on a recent post? Or perhaps you have a favorite muffin recipe thats sweet, but not dry. I just made a batch of blueberry muffins using a new recipe and I have to say they weren’t all that great overall, not sweet enough and a bit too dry. I love a good muffin so if any of your readers have a tasty muffin recipe, I’d love to try it.
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes, I plan on sharing the cherry almond muffin recipe on Tuesday. 🙂 This is my favorite blueberry muffin recipe: https://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/super-delicious-blueberry-muffins/
Susan Backus says
That Throat Coat tea is amazing! I had a raging sore throat a few weeks back that hurt so bad I thought it must be Strep. I found this random old teabag someone had given me probably 4 years ago and thought what the heck. My sore throat was gone after only one cup! Now I have a box on hand for whenever I need it.
Diane says
Shirley Damm looks almost exactly like my mother (my husband and 4 old friends who knew my mom over decades agreed). I think Shirley’s one of those unrelated “twins” whom everyone supposedly has. My mom, who passed in 2014, would have been 94 last November. Mom was born in Tennessee and spent most of her life in California, then Oregon, so I’m pretty sure there’s no DNA shared between Mom and Shirley.
Thanks for the delightful shock of looking at that photo, having my mouth drop open, and thinking, “Oh my god, that’s MOM!!”