The brick building at the corner of Main Street and Gaither Street in downtown Mocksville opened in 1920 as Kurfees & Ward Pure Oil, followed by Boger Service Station and a series of galleries, gift shops, and a used bookstore.

Now it’s The Station, a modern-day general store and taproom.
“We are a little different than an old-fashioned general store,” said owner Suzanne Lakey, with a laugh, “we don’t sell wheelbarrows.”
They do sell old-fashioned candy out of tin tubs, soda in glass bottles, and a variety of unique gift items. They also sell a rotating list of flavors of snowballs and 12 flavors of Blue Bunny ice cream.
Their signature concoction? An ice cream sandwich made with cookies from Ketchie Creek Bakery.
The Station Will Soon Offer a Taproom
The adjoining taproom, which will offer 11 beers and one cider on tap, will open as soon as the ABC license is approved.
A front courtyard features picnic tables with umbrellas, a fire pit, and a rock pit with a collection of metal trucks where children can play.
Sold Out Events Are Already On Tap
The Station has been very well received since opening on Wednesday, June 3rd. In fact, during their first Friday night live music/food truck event on June 5th, they sold out of food, ice cream, and snowballs.
“It was crazy but good! I think the community was ready to get out,” said Lakey. “We enjoy a good beer or cider on a Sunday afternoon and somewhere to hang out with our kids. We felt like a lot of people in the community would feel the same way. So far that has proven to be a good call and has been successful. I hope the community continues to support us. So far they’ve done a great job!”
Lakey, and her husband, Bryan, aren’t new to owning a retail business in Davie County. Last October, they purchased Southern Ties Boutique, a ladies’ apparel shop located in Farmington. The shop is also housed in a historic building, a former general store built in 1837 which is listed on the national historic registry.
Perserving & Renewing a Piece of Davie County History
“Our kids jokingly asked us ‘so in three more months what other old building are we going to bring back to life?’,” she said with a smile. “I was like well, you never know.”
“Bryan and I are homegrown. We were both born and raised in Davie County. We started dating in high school, got married, went to Appalachian, and then came back home. Davie County is in our blood.”
“We love Mocksville. We love the history and the people and the community, and downtown is such a cool spot. When this opportunity knocked and God opened the door we walked through. Bryan and I walked into this space and we just knew.”
Their initial vision was for a downtown gift store but it evolved into a general store/taproom and she is thrilled with the result. “Justin Draughn and his crew worked tirelessly to capture our vision and added their own cool twist.” She is equally grateful to the many friends and family members who pitched in to help with the “beast of a project.”
A Family & Pet Friendly Space
“I just love the fact that we offer a spot that is family-friendly, non-age specific, and pet-friendly. We have four girls ages 15 down to 5. Having four girls, we wished we’d had somewhere like this to take them; somewhere that was family-friendly and good clean fun and a quick drive from the house.
There just wasn’t anywhere like that in Mocksville which is why we are so excited to bring that sort of vibe here to downtown. We wanted to create a place where mom and dad can get a beer, the kids can eat a snowball, and they can all enjoy being together.”

The Taylor family enjoys a snack during their walking trip to downtown Mocksville. (L to R) Sekaiah, Salem, Quinn, Haven, Zeke, and Chuck.
Chuck Taylor agreed. “We love family walking trips to downtown Mocksville. Now that The Station has the best of what makes a rural downtown fun, it makes our trips even better.”
“I’m just so excited and love how well this has all come together,” said Lakey enthusiastically. “It makes me happy to see the kids’ faces light up when they see the candy and stuff. It puts the joy in my day!”
Lakey said The Station will feature food trucks and live entertainment every Friday night with other events like trivia nights sprinkled in. She explained that the best way to keep up with the upcoming events is to follow The Station on Facebook. She also looks forward to supporting the local downtown district and hopes to coordinate with other businesses to sponsor additional family-friendly activities.

The Station is located at 185 North Main Street in Mocksville. The general store is open Tuesday – Thursday 10 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday – Saturday 10 a.m.- 10 p.m, and Sunday from 1 – 9 p.m. The store is currently closed on Mondays for cleaning, re-stocking, and prepping for the week ahead. The taproom hours have yet to be determined.
Parking is available along Main Street and Skyline National Bank has offered patrons the use of its parking lot across the street.
