Thirty years ago, Terry Pigott made a bold business decision and entered an industry that was all but extinct.
Pigott purchased Fernwood Grocery in 1983, becoming the fourth owner of the small neighborhood grocery that opened more than 50 years ago.
The small neighborhood grocery store is a symbol of Americana embodied with feelings of friendless and a sense of community. But it also exhibits feelings of nostalgia, because finding one of those stores can prove difficult today.
“Back in the day this store provided everything the community could need,” Pigott said.
Today, however, it’s a different story, and even by 1983, large corporate chains had put most of the small shops out of business.
It’s nothing less than remarkable that Pigott has not only kept his business open but has kept it thriving.
Two years ago, Pigott added a second meat cooker to his store, doubling his smoked meats capacity.
He can now smoke 70 turkeys at a time.
The small business owner from Summit is capitalizing on a niche market that the big chains cannot enter.
“This is Fernwood smoked sausage,” Pigott said. “Every morning people are here getting the famous sausage dog. That’s the real popular item here.”
Smoked meats are the specialty product at the Fernwood Grocery store. Pigott sells sliced sandwich meats as well as hot sandwiches, sausages, ribs and hamburgers for lunch. And everything is made in-house.
“It’s all fully cooked,” he said. “It’s on a heat-and-eat concept for somebody looking for a quick meal.”
Pigott’s other advantage seems to be location. His store is located on Highway 51 between Magnolia and McComb. He catches the traffic of people going to and from work at the nearby industrial plants.
His smoked sausages, which come in mild, hot, jalapeno and onion flavors, bring in people from everywhere. Pigott said his smoked sausages travel quite a bit and he knows of a customer who sent some to her daughter in Germany.
“I don’t really have a typical customer,” he said. “They come from all over, whether it’s a local resident or plant worker or someone who drove here from out of town.”
Fernwood grocery is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
