Ma's General Store reopens at new site

Ma’s General Store found a new home about a half mile from where the Littlestown landmark was destroyed by fire about six-and-half months ago.

The new storefront, 314 N. Queen St., Littlestown, opened Saturday with the same name.

Knowing it was going to be a longer process to rebuild at the former site, Ma’s General Store owner Kathy Briner learned she could move in and “open fairly quickly” at the new location.

“I wanted to stay in Littlestown,” Briner said. “This is only one minute down the road, and that really helped make my decision.”

Since opening Ma’s General Store in 1990, Briner has worked six days a week and spent the extra day searching for other items to bring into the store.

She plans to continue the same routine.

The store is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 12 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, according to Briner.

Five days before Christmas last year, passersby saw flames coming out of the roof of the Edge of Town barn and stopped in the parking lot at 5227 Baltimore Pike. A man called 9-1-1, while a woman ran inside the burning building to warn people in the store, including Briner. The cause of the fire remains unknown, Briner said.

The 5227 Baltimore Pike property has a contract on it with a sale pending, Briner said. Details of the sale could not be disclosed.

Since the fire, she has received hundreds of messages of support.

“Every night, I would sit and read the cards, and it would make me cry,” Briner said. “The town has really supported me. No matter where I went, people expressed their condolences and wished me luck in my new business.”

Featuring primitive home décor and antiques, Briner started collecting her inventory in January, storing items in trailers as well as with family and friends.

While the store is about half the size of the previous location, it still takes customers back in time with antiques like cupboards, pie safes, and dry sinks, according to Briner.

“All of these antiques are one-of-a-kind,” Briner said.

When entering the store, customers are greeted with an old-fashioned candy counter including nostalgic candies.

“It’s very similar to my old store,” Briner said. “But because my previous store was an old barn with wooden beams and ladders, that is what I don’t have here. The ambiance of the barn is what I miss. I miss that here.”

Throughout the past six-and-a-half months, Briner said she has learned how to be more patient since she needed to wait for permits and other things following the fire.

One thing Briner was disappointed that did not make it through the fire was her full collection of Ma’s root beer tin signs. She restarted the collection with two tin signs found so far and hopes to recreate the display with the full set of 30 to 35 signs in the new store.

“That is my one goal,” Briner said. “I would like to replace my old Ma’s root beer tin signs. Hopefully over the years, I will find them.”

Briner plans to focus her time and energy on the new location and determine future goals for the business at the end of the five-year lease, she said.

“I am thrilled to be open,” Briner said. “I can’t wait to see all my customers again.”

Readers may contact Vanessa Sanders at [email protected].

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