Refilling the Shop at the Mercantile

August 31, 2025
Behind the Scenes / Local Life

Today was about refilling the shop at the Mercantile on West Main. I spent the morning folding tags, sealing sleeves, and restocking the Saltville and Allison Gap stickers—the ones that always seem to disappear faster than expected. The table was covered in packaging and Appalachian charm, ready to head back to town.

Yesterday, during the Labor Day parade, I spotted one of my stickers out in the wild. A black-and-white “SALTVILLE (Saltvul)” oval, stuck proudly on the back of a car parked in the lot. No fanfare, no photo—just a quiet moment of recognition. That little sticker made its way into someone’s everyday life, and that’s enough.

Later, I chatted with a few ladies who’d been buying my stuff—stickers, postcards, the whole charm package. They were excited. Said they’d been looking for something local, something that felt like home. I didn’t take a photo of them either. I was too busy smiling and mentally restocking the holes they made.

So today, I packed. For the shelves on West Main. For the folks who know the bend in the road, the way the light hits the hills at 5 p.m., the sound of gravel under tires on a backroad.

The hills are quiet, but the shelves are never empty for long.

Thank you for being here—for reading, for supporting, for sharing in the rhythm of this little shop tucked between the trees.

P.S. If you like stories with sass, fog, and the occasional sticker surprise—join the email list. It’s where the good stuff lands first