Tom Rickman died in 1994 at the age of 93, but his legacy lives on in the form of a two-story – with a cellar – wooden building in Cowee that bears his name. Rickman Store celebrated a century in existence on Aug. 14, with family members, artisans, musicians, volunteers, the general public, and even local leaders like vice-mayor Stacy Guffey attending festivities.
Situated in Cowee-West’s Mill Historic District, in walking distance of Cowee School, the Rickman Store building – with store below and residence above – was built in 1895 and purchased by Tom and his wife, Fannie, in 1925. The store provided dry goods, seasonal produce, eggs, supplies, clothing, medicine, and much more to generations of Cowee Community.
After the store closed, Mainspring Conservation Trust purchased the property with intentions of preserving it and opening the store to the public every Saturday, from spring to December.
Surrounded by original dry goods shelves, a potbelly stove, display cases, and many other reminders of when Rickman Store was open for business, people shared memories.
“I came here as a little girl,” said Sharon Burdette, donor relations manager at Mainspring. “I came here to get ice cream. That was a special treat. On Saturday drives sometimes, we would stop in and get bread and bologna. [Mr. Rickman] had this huge thing of bologna that he sliced right in front of you. We would have bologna sandwiches for a picnic. This place is part of my heritage. So thankful that Mainspring preserves it and that our volunteers make the store come alive on Saturdays.”
“We have had people from all over the country and the world visit here,” said Connie Reynolds, a volunteer. “They are drawn here because of the history and especially the music.”
Elena Carlson, who was first a customer at Rickman Store and then became a volunteer after it became a heritage center, read from a history book that described Rickman as a “kind and gentle man … he’s rich, not from money but from friends.”
“We have plenty of testimonies about Mr. Rickman’s generosity when he was running the store,” said Carlson, who encouraged attendees to write memories of patronizing Rickman Store when it was in operation. “Children in the future need to learn about the Rickman Store,” she pointed out.
Linda Brogden, who married Tom Rickman’s grandson, Mack (who passed away this July), son of Zena Pearl Rickman Brogden, told those gathered that when she first met “Mamaw and Papaw Rickman (in the 1970s), I thought they were an amazing couple.”
She added, “Papaw ran the store and I can remember all the things that were here. And every Sunday after church, we would come over with our children and we would go up the stairs to where (the Rickmans) lived. Mamaw would cook chicken … and put out a spread that was delicious. Our kids grew up in this store; they saw Papaw on Sundays. He was so kind and so sweet … he had all these riddles and jokes he would share with the kids. That delighted them. After they ate all their lunch each Sunday, they would be able to come down the stairs to the store (which was closed to the public) and get a candy and a drink. They were always excited about doing that. So many memories of those days and this store.”
Carlson, who has been volunteering at Rickman Store for 18 years, implored those in attendance to consider volunteering on Saturdays so that Rickman Store will continue to be maintained for many more years as part of the community’s cultural heritage. Visit www.mainspringconserves.org/be-a-mainspring/volunteer/.