Category: General Stores

The Country Peddler - Not Your Usual Antique Store

8/26/2018

It takes a bit of luck to find the Country Peddler Antiques & General Store in downtown Campobello. It’s a couple of blocks off of the main drag and that makes it in the country by Campobello standards. The morning I visited a customer walked in for her second visit in two days. Heather, the customer from Greer, had just discovered the store the day before because of a bridge detour which took her right past the Country Peddler. She liked what she saw so much she made a second trip to pick up some items she had eyed on day one and picked up that and some other finds she hadn’t planned on day two. That’s what makes a shop like this so much fun—you’ll never know what you’re going to find.

The shop is owned and operated by business partners Jeaneen Cobourn and Debbie Denton. Jeaneen is there all the time and Debbie comes in on most Saturdays. The two ladies started the store in 1995 and do it all. They always have. Jeaneen’s husband comes by to cut the grass and take care of other chores from time to time, but it’s Jeaneen and Debbie’s pride and joy and they make up the entire staff.

Debbie Denton & Jeaneen Cobourn

Jeaneen does what she loves.

The store overflows into three buildings within just a few feet of each other. Each of these buildings is crammed full of interesting treasures. In addition to antiques (and there are a lot of them), The Country Peddler also sells other items one might expect from a “general store.” So next to antiques you’ll find salves, liniments, Fuller Brush items, candy, toys, corn meal, and grits. Jeaneen says she has regulars who drop by just to pick up some salve, or oilcloth, or a bag of meal. The Country Peddler is so much more than just another antiques store.

If you’re not from this part of the foothills, you might not know that the area has become an antique-lovers paradise. It’s a destination for antique seekers from Greenville, Spartanburg, Asheville and places in-between and farther afield. It takes a bit of knowledge to find this one because it’s just a bit off the beaten path and that’s what drew Jeaneen to this location. She and Debbie had batted around the idea of starting some kind of business together and this was their choice. Jeaneen said, the “location spoke to me. It’s quiet and rural and I didn’t want to be in the middle of a city somewhere. This location was perfect.”

Jeaneen isn’t quite ready to embrace social media so a Facebook page is just not in the current marketing plan. So if you want to “like” this place, you’re going to need to go check it out in person. Slow down and enjoy your stay.

UPDATE: Jeanneen reports she DOES have a Facebook page and is learning to use it. So search for Country Peddler Antiques & General Store and look for a photo of Pappy. Then, click that "like" button.

“Do what you love” is Jeaneen’s advice to anyone looking to start any kind of endeavor. It’s obvious she loves what she’s doing.

More to Know

You will find the Country Peddler at 305 Depot Street in Campobello, South Carolina. It’s open 10 to 5, Tuesday through Saturday. There is a website (www.countrypeddlersc.com) and basic info can be found there. But if you really want to know what they have, you’re going to need to get yourself there. Phone: 864/ 468-5200.