Healdsburg's Jimtown Store

Urban meets rural at the Jimtown store in Healdsburg, California.

The original owner, James Patrick who opened the store in 1893, would no doubt be pleased to see his little store flourishing. He sold provisions and hardware, but it also became an important meeting place for area residents. Local gossip never goes out of style.

Years and owners passed, but when the store closed in 1985 the future was uncertain. Maybe little Jimtown was just too old-fashioned and no longer necessary in our mega-store world.

After six years without a Jimtown store, some "big city" folks arrived on the scene. Carrie Brown and her late husband, John Werner saw an opportunity to create their up-dated version of the general store. They gave up their New York apartment and started a new life on the opposite coast.

When the store re-opened on Memorial Day in 1991, the offbeat operation captured the attention of the media both for its inventory and its food. It has appeared in national publications such as the New York Times and Gourmet magazines.

Brown and Werner revitalized the Jimtown with their creative vision. Today the store is a part café, part antiques shop and a general tribute to Americana. They're big on nostalgia in all forms.

This is after all, Sonoma County famous for wine, where you might expect snobby sophistication. Forget that notion. Carrie Brown is dare I say it...perky and down-to-earth. She's one of those rare souls whose energy seems to know no bounds.

Gourmet food items at the store made from local produce rub shoulders with products from the past and useful necessities. One aisle contains wax lips and silly putty while the next aisle contains hand-made brooms and oilcloth by the yard. I'm not much of a shopper, never have been--I found the store fascinating, nonetheless.

Carrie seems to have the golden touch. A line of fresh refrigerated condiments developed in 1991 and a catering business contributed to the success. A cookbook hit the shelves in 2002. The book was a natural extension of the Jimtown store, which attracts locals, tourists and winemakers with its sandwiches and desserts such as espresso brownies.