2 Alabama general stores make Southern Living list

Mentone, the tiny Alabama mountaintop town that is home to the wonderful Wildflower Café, and Athens, “the friendly Southern town” that can boast of being Alabama’s fastest-growing city, each has another reason you should pay them a visit.

Southern Living magazine includes the Mentone Market in idyllic Mentone and U.G. White Mercantile in booming Athens on its recent list of 37 General Stores in the South You Should Visit.

A general store, by definition, is a “retail store located usually in a small or rural community that carries a wide variety of goods, including groceries but is not divided into departments.”

The kind of place where you can get a dozen eggs and a can of motor oil, a wedge of hoop cheese and a 25-pound bag of dog food.

A place like the Jefferson Country Store in rural Marengo County or J&J Grocery & Deli in Bessemer.

In addition to Mentone Market and U.G. White Mercantile, Southern Living’s list includes such iconic small-town stores as Callaway Gardens Country Store in Pine Mountain, Ga.; Luckenbach General Store in Luckenbach, Texas; and the Old Mill General Store in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

Here’s what Southern Living’s Caroline Rogers wrote about the two Alabama general stores on her list:

Mentone Market, Mentone

“Mentone, a tiny town atop Lookout Mountain, has views, local artists’ galleries, and a great little general store known as Mentone Market. You can order lunch and sit on one side of the building to enjoy your meal, or you can browse the grocery on the other side, which is stocked with foods and sundries as well as Alabama-made gifts and souvenirs.

Mentone Market is at 5872 AL Highway 117, Mentone, AL. The phone is 256-634-4686. For more information, go here.

U.G. White Mercantile, a landmark in downtown Athens, was founded in 1917 and moved to its current location 20 years later..(Huntsville Times file/Glenn Baeske)

U.G. White Mercantile, Athens

“Provisions, dry goods, gear–U.G. White Mercantile has it all. Browse their website, and you’ll see a glimpse of what’s inside: pocket knives, vintage-style toys, cast iron, green tomato relish and much more. As a business with a history spanning over a century on the square in Athens, Alabama, it’s still a beacon for locals and travelers passing through.”

U.G. White Mercantile is at 101 North Jefferson Street, Athens, Ala. The phone is 256-232-4540. For more information, go here.

To read Southern Living’s complete list of 37 General Stores in the South You Should Visit, go here.