Shopping local and supporting small businesses and vendors has never been more imperative. Ditch the drive-thru and long lines at Target and try something closer to home instead. Perfect for working families in need of a quick, restaurant-quality dinner at home, or homeowners looking to decorate their living spaces with unique art pieces and greenery, Clemmons Country Store brings a wide variety of local goods to the Clemmons community and helps keep the beauty of owning a small business alive.
Since the store first opened in 2000, owner Sherrie Billings and her husband Tim have been selling high-quality, local products to the Clemmons community. Clemmons Country Store customers rave about the hot commodities found on the store’s shelves, including birdhouse gourds and jewelry crafted by local artists, along with delectable homemade desserts and baked goods from local staples such as Camino Bakery. Sherrie and Tim love selling local products and giving talented bakers and artisans the opportunity to shine and showcase their goods.
In order to determine which products are sold at Clemmons Country Store, Sherrie and Tim research each product and are dedicated to knowing where each item is made and/or grown before selling it to their customers. To maintain the integrity of their goods and services, Sherrie and Tim ensure that food items are produced from licensed kitchens, and that all plant vendors are licensed through the N.C. Department of Agriculture. Without following these guidelines, Sherrie and Tim run the risk of compromising the health of their customers – something they work diligently to prevent.
When the store first opened over two decades ago, Sherrie attended pop-up seasonal markets to find different suppliers for products sold in-store. Now, Clemmons Country Store’s stellar reputation has spread so much throughout the community that new suppliers approach Sherrie and Tim on their own to inquire about joining their team.
How exactly did the idea for Clemmons Country Store come about? After seeing a need for a store in the Clemmons area focused on selling local products, Sherrie took the reins and made Clemmons Country Store the flagship location in Clemmons for local food and fare. Prior to owning Clemmons Country Store with Tim, she earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and worked as a private investigator for years. After getting married and giving birth to her daughter, her hectic schedule of managing a family while frequently traveling as a private investigator became overbearing. With her father and brother owning service stations throughout Clemmons, she became one of the only female owners/operators of an Exxon convenience store. In 1999, however, Sherrie signed the lease for Clemmons Country Store’s current location and was able to fulfill her desire of selling local products to the community.
Clemmons has turned out to be the dream location for the store that Sherrie envisioned it would be. She and Tim enjoy the small-town feel of the area, and the amazing and loyal customers who shop daily. Part of the fun of owning a local business for Sherrie and Tim is getting to know their customers by name and sharing exciting moments and memories with them throughout the years. Over the last 20 years, Sherrie and Tim have seen children grow up and become adults, who then bring their children back into the store to continue their shopping tradition. To Sherrie and Tim, the family-like atmosphere of running Clemmons Country Store is the labor of love.
With fall just around the corner, Clemmons Country Store is gearing up to change with the season. After enjoying a bounty of fresh produce this summer, Sherrie and Tim look forward to stocking the store with fall’s pumpkins, mums, pansies, scarecrows, fall flags, hay bales and autumn décor. Customers will find delicious fall produce and year-round staples, such as their popular local honey and elderberry, chicken pies, and quiche. Shoppers looking for a delicious and easy dinner can take advantage of the numerous take-and-bake items for sale in the store, such as lasagna, lobster and crab ravioli, and enchiladas.
To keep your home feeling green as the leaves fall off the trees, Clemmons Country Store is the perfect place to find plants and garden goods. If you’re a new plant parent, Sherrie suggests initially investing in a low maintenance plant, such as one of their locally grown perennial garden mums sold in-store this fall. Fall mums should be watered several times per week with no deadheading required. Want to put some of the store’s locally produced honey to use? Sherrie and Tim share recipes in the store and anticipate discussing plenty of apple dumplings and pumpkin pie recipes to try as we transition into the fall season.
Interested in seeing what Clemmons Country Store has to offer? Stop by in-person at 2690 Lewisville-Clemmons Road, or visit http://www.clemmonscountrystore.com/ to read more about the products sold in-store. For the latest updates from Sherrie and her team, check out the store’s Facebook page and follow @clemmonscountrystore on Instagram for all things local.
