R. G. Meador General Merchandise

Around 1880 Rufus Green Meador had a structure on Vermillion Street built to house his R G Meador General Merchandise store. After his death the store was closed. The Mick or Mack, George Everett's Athens Market, and Homer Ball’s Athens Market were all located in the building at different times through the years.

When R. G. Meadors owned the store it had the post office in the back until it was moved to Jim Pendleton’s house. Rufus had the first telephone in Athens. On the left side of his store, he had men’s suits, shoes for everybody, men’s hats, bolts of unbleached domestic and outing and piece goods. On the other side he had kitchen appliances, cutlery, sieves for flour, pie pans, and a chamber pot from which he served water in a dipper.

There were no packaged foods except Arbuckle’s coffee. Sugar and salt were sold in small paper bags and weighed by the pound. Barrels of pickles and salt mackerel were sitting around and the general odor of pressed tobacco filled the air. 

He had milliners come in each spring from Baltimore. They brought lovely cloth, flowers, rubber grapes and hats to fit all heads. Mr. Meadows sold winter hats when none had been available before.

There were rooms to rent available on the second floor. 

The store building was demolished in 2007. Photographs of the demise of the old Meador General Merchandise Store may be found in the Change chapter, under its more recent name of the building, Athens Market.

Read more about Rufus Green Meador in a Spotlight dedicated to his life and contributions.