Aden Grocery … charm, nostalgia, fried bologna sandwiches …

The sign out front certainly shows its age. That’s precisely the point, its age.

The weathered beadboard white ceiling and linoleum floor inside Aden Grocery in Nokesville (actually, Aden) prove that this is a place people have been coming to for years and gladly.

Because it’s here where folks can grab a snack, pick up some groceries, live bait, and a variety of hot foods to go. Back in the late 19th century, they could pick up their mail, too, since the Aden post office was established in 1890.

Aden Grocery sits at a quiet, country crossroads at the corner of Aden Road and Fleetwood Drive in the tiny village of Aden, but with a Nokesville address. It dates to circa 1890 and is one of the oldest continuously-running businesses in Prince William County with that elusive charm that keeps people coming back.

Rodney Jones, a Nokesville native, owns the tiny store and remembers coming here for years. When asked about some things he remembers as a kid, he said, “Candy cigarettes, but they stopped making those.” When asked if he knows most people who walk through the door, he answered, “Yes, because they’re ‘every-dayers.’ We’re still in the Rural Crescent, you know.”

Jones also remembers hearing from his father, Roger Lee Jones that the store was originally in farm field across the street. The June 1987 Historic District Survey Form File 76-252 confirms this and describes the store at 13717 Aden Road as “2 stories, 3 front bays, gable roof of metal with a standing seam, vernacular porch, 1 story of wood metal roof and concrete floor. The building has served as the community grocery store since the turn of the century. An earlier store stood directly across the road.” 

Jones purchased the store in October 2002 from Roy Whetzel, Jr. “When I bought it from Roy, he wrote the date, October 1, 2002, on a five-dollar bill and gave it to me saying, ‘This is your first $5 profit.’ I’ve kept that bill all these years,” Jones said.

Besides the typical beverages, snack items, canned and boxed food choices and live bait, the store is a great place to pick up a warm grilled sandwich, chicken wings or pizza. In the morning, they serve fresh egg breakfast sandwiches to pair with their hot coffee. Ideal for that textbook “country store feel,” there are bulky jars of pickled eggs and pickled sausages, floating in pools of that red vinegar liquid to keep them properly preserved.

Although the exterior sign has been replaced over the years, Jones wanted to retain the cool, retro feel; therefore, he ordered the sign to be designed with the original cursive-style letters for “Aden” and “GROCERY” in upper-case letters. “That’s how they wrote it back then,” Jones added.

Robert Connors of Manassas dropped by on a recent Sunday afternoon. He has been walking through the store’s door for years since he lived in the light yellow house just steps away from the gravel parking area. “We used to be here every day.”

When asked if he ever worked there, Connors jokingly snickered, “No, they’d run me out!” When it comes to the food offered at the grill, his favorite is the fried bologna sandwiches. “Oh, they’re delicious – and with melted cheddar cheese. One of those and you’re good to go. And, the deviled eggs,” Connors added.

Jesse Brown of Nokesville has worked at the store since April 2012. As a junior at Brentsville District High School, he counted himself as a “regular,” but now works there serving neighbors and the occasional stranger who walks in.

With close ties in the community, he added, “Yes, my grandfather, Stanley Herndon, went to school just down the road.” The old schoolhouse sits on Fleetwood Drive near the old yellow house where the Connors lived. (Told you it was a tiny country village.)

Sarah Young of Burke travels from Fairfax County to board her horse in Nokesville and makes Aden Grocery a regular stop. “I take the pretty back roads to go home, so I stop here to get something to eat and take a break. Everyone’s so friendly; I love it here,” she said.

According to Eugene M. Scheel’s, “Crossroads and Corners a Tour of the Villages, Towns and Post Offices of Prince William County, Virginia Past & Present,” Aden Grocery was one of two stores in the village. It was then operated by “Cash” Shaffer (also sometimes spelled Schaeffer) in the 1920s and Sam Wetzel (sometimes written as Whetzel) and his wife, Mary, in the following two decades. There was a gas pump offering motorists “Standard Oil” with fuel delivered by wagon costing drivers a whopping 10 cents a gallon.

Also, President Grover Cleveland (the only U.S. president to serve two non-consecutive terms, 1885-1889 and 1893-1897) believed during his second term that that no one should “walk more than two miles to pick up or post mail,” according to Scheel. Therefore, hundreds of post offices sprang up, including one at Aden in the late 19th century.

According to Tish Como in the RELIC Room at Bull Run Regional Library in Manassas, a microfilm from the National Archives called “Post Office Department Reports of Site Locations 1837-1950” shows a typed application form for the new Aden post office. The application on letterhead from the Post Office Department in Washington, D.C. is dated June 2, 1890, addressed to “Jacob Eichelburger” (also seen as Eichelberger).

The application requests information before a new post office can be granted and informs the applicant: “Select a short name for the proposed office, which, when written, will not resemble the name of any other post office in the State.” The proposed office was to be called “Aden,” which is handwritten on the form.

Ron Turner, Prince William County historian and author, researched business records that show letterhead for Aden Grocery when it was owned by Eichelberger; the store was known as “A.S. Eichelberger General Merchandise.”

According to Turner, “A.S. Eichelberger General Merchandise” opened in 1890, so the store was built in 1890 or early 1891. It was called that at least until about 1910. A.S. Eichelberger General Merchandise was the first known store at this location. All the records I have seen show it was sold to Joseph P. Smith. The store was then known as ‘J.P. Smith General Merchandise.’” 

Turner’s website (http://www.pwcvabooks.com) includes a “Statement” (receipt) dated July 7, 1913, with the store owner’s name, Joseph P. Smith. In typed letters, it shows, “Jos. P. Smith Dealer in GENERAL MERCHANDISE” (in all caps, similar to the exterior sign outside Aden Grocery). Below this receipt, it lists the items sold at the store: “Millinery, Boots, Shoes, Dry Goods and Notions, Groceries, Tobacco, Cigars, Feeds and Farm Implements.” 

Ernest Brown operated the store from October 1959, carrying the same type of grocery merchandise as decades earlier. Today, a black-and-white photo hangs in the store, showing an aerial shot of Aden Grocery with blocks of farmland resembling irregular-shaped puzzle pieces. In cursive writing in the upper left-hand portion of the photo, it is dated August 10, 1972, and states the photo was “Given to Ernest Brown.”

Old country stores – indeed, they’re a rare breed, and that’s what makes them all the more appealing. It’s this unique draw that keeps people coming back. Maybe, it’s the familiar faces, the sense of community or maybe the scent and sound of fried bologna sizzling on the grill. Eating one of those sandwiches might just do the trick. But Jones needs to order more bologna because, “Now,” he admitted, “I’m out!”

Aden Grocery is open from 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Friday; 8 a.m.-9 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sundays. It is located at 13717 Aden Road in Nokesville. Its phone number is 703-594-2626.