Old 52 General Store Opens in Sabin MN

Amy Hill


Sabin, MN - Old 52 General Store opened its doors to the public in late July in Sabin, MN. The store has an old-fashioned soda fountain and sells everything from groceries, ice cream, coffee, and old-fashioned candy to hardware. “We want to bring back the nostalgic feeling for everyone,” owner Charles McWethy said. Regardless of the generation you grew up in, McWethy said there is something in the store that will create a sense of nostalgia for you.

“It’s worth the drive!” he said.

McWethy said he decided to open the store in Sabin because he felt there was a need there. There was a building available in Sabin, and McWethy explained that Moorhead is just far enough away where it would take a valuable time out the day for Sabin residents to make a trip to the store, so he sent out postcards asking if people thought the new store was a good idea. He received an 80% response rate and the majority of responses were favorable, so McWethy decided to pursue the idea.

McWethy said he is familiar with the hardware aspect of the business (he is the President of Mac’s Hardware), but the challenge was dealing with new vendors and regulations for the food portion of the new store. “The actual setup isn’t difficult,” he said. For McWethy, the best part of opening the Old 52 General Store was seeing it come together. “It’s been fun working with the people in town,” he said.

Stacy Nowacki will be running Old 52 General Store. There are six to seven employees working at the store. McWethy said he wants to see how business goes, but plans for the future include expanding to include lunch items in the store.

Old 52 General Store is located in a remodeled grocery store five miles south of Moorhead on Old Hwy 52. The building is approximately 1,900 square feet. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday 7 am- 8 pm, Saturday 8 am- 6 pm, and Sunday 12 pm- 5 pm.

By: MikeRG

Good luck with the new store. Great idea for a growing community.

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