“Hey Honey, we’re out of milk, and can you pick up some peanut butter while you’re at it.” A refrain often heard in a typical household, especially if it’s a family with kids. It usually means someone will shortly go to the store…but what kind of store?
If you live in suburbia, it’ll probably be a chain grocery store within a mile or two of the house. There might even be a convenience store nearby that carries basic staples. But if you live in rural parts of the Lowcountry, it’s going to be the country store, usually found at the intersection of two well-traveled country roads. Such stores also serve as communication hubs where local folks can get the skinny on why the danged county hasn’t filled the pothole in front of the church or why somebody’s husband is sleeping on the couch.
One such gathering spot is Keith’s Country Store, anchoring the northwest corner of the intersection of SR 278 (Grays Highway) and SR 3 in the thriving metropolis of Grays, SC, sporting a population density of between 15 and 25 persons per square mile. As a fun fact for your next trivia night, SR 3 is officially designated Solomon Blatt Highway, honoring Solomon Blatt Sr. (1895-1986) a powerful politician who served as Speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives for over thirty years. Who knew?
It’s also good to know, if you run out of bloodworms while fishing with your kids, you can add those to the milk and peanut butter shopping list when you run on over to Keith’s Country Store. Betcha can’t find live bloodworms on the shelves at Publix, but it’s also unlikely you’ll find fresh Brie at Keith’s.
While we can certainly extol the memory of Representative Blatt, as well as Mr. Keith Smith (now deceased) for whom the store is named, there’s more to this story. I might mention we bought our first tractor from Mr. Smith over twenty years ago, a Massey Ferguson 241. It still runs great, a workhorse on our farm a mile or so up the road from the store…and I surely have purchased a ton of bloodworms at Keith’s.
Nowadays, an important presence at Keith’s Country Store is Mr. Henry Mitchell, purveyor of scrumptious, finger-licking good barbecue. Henry, his wife Mary, and an array of other kinfolk show up most Saturdays at Keith’s Country Store if the weather’s good. When it’s raining, super windy, or freezing cold, forget about it.
The Mitchells set up their smoker grill, pans of cornbread, hambone-seasoned butter beans, and baked beans, all to accompany slabs of pork ribs and piles of grilled chicken. Frankly, I can’t resist.
On a recent visit, Mr. Henry was there, and I found him happily eating a plate of his own cooking. He seemed to enjoy it as much as I do. For me, that’s as good an endorsement as a Michelin star.
There are usually multiple generations of Mitchell women present, all of whom have stories to tell. They are a congenial family, and there’s always a lot of talking.
The star of the show is great-granddaughter Royalty. Her name is spot on because there’s no question who rules the roost in the Mitchell family.
Also helping on my last visit was nephew A.J. Mitchell, who adds brawn and brains to the family operation.
Thus, if you are so inclined, after you’ve done your shopping at Keith’s, just step out onto the grass behind the store, grab y’all a load of barbecue, and see if you can make it home without taking a bite or two of Henry Mitchell’s cooking. The aroma is pure temptation.
So, there you have it. Just another ho-hum Saturday afternoon in Grays, SC, a small Lowcountry community at a rural crossroads where you can stock up on bloodworms, sundries, an array of cold drinks, and a plate of seriously good barbecue. Y’all come on, ya hear!