SMITH MOUNTAIN LAKE, Va. – After 52 years of dedicated service to the community, Brownies Hardware and Auto Parts is set to close its doors for the final time at the end of this year.
While the store may be shutting down, the memories it created will last a lifetime. Established in 1972 and named after Glenwood Brown, whose nickname was “Brownie,” the store has been a staple in the Smith Mountain Lake area. Brown passed away 12 years ago, and his wife, Agnes, with the help of their daughter has continued to run the shop.
Kenneth Paganes, a regular at the store, expressed his sentiments: “It gets me out of the house. After you retire, you miss certain associations with people that you dealt with, and this is just one of the places that you meet people and friends and catch up on the news.”
Over the years, Agnes has witnessed significant changes in the community. “We were here when there wasn’t anything. It was just four stores,” she recalled, highlighting the evolution of the Smith Mountain Lake area.
Agnes’s decision to close Brownies comes with a sense of bittersweet reflection. Due to her age, she feels it’s time to retire, but she acknowledges the deep emotional ties to the store and the memories of her late husband. “He started it, and you hate to let it go because it’s something he started. But you know everything has its season, ya know? I guess you’d say our season is up, so it’s time to move on to something else.”
For Agnes, that “something else” involves traveling by bus. “I like to take bus trips. I want to go on several bus trips while I can, that I’m able to go.”
Saying goodbye to the community won’t be easy for her. “I’ll probably cry because you get used to the people and seeing them, and you enjoy the people. We’ve got a good community; the people have been good to us. We’ve had loyal customers; we’ve really had some loyal customers.”
As the community prepares to bid farewell to Brownies, one thing is clear: the relationships built, and the memories created over the years will endure long after the doors close for the final time.
They have a going out of business sale with everything in the store 40% off. Location: 2837 Scruggs Rd, Moneta, VA, United States, Virginia