Pictured left to right: Doug Busbee, Mae Busbee, Jud Busbee, Paul Salley, Betty Salley, Christopher Salley
Back row: Gwen Busbee Salley, Scott Moore
Photos and Article by Valerie Sliker, courtesy Wagener Monthly
After 69 years serving the community in five different locations, Busbee’s Hardware and Supply Company has closed the business to reopen under new ownership and a new name, same location. Paul and Tina Salley have purchased the store and have opened it under the name of Palmetto Hardware and Outdoors. The Salleys have extended the store hours. Follow them on Facebook/PalmettoHardware to stay current with the changes.
As Jud Busbee handed the keys to Paul Salley on February 9, 2017 in the presence of the store founder’s wife, Mae Busbee, his mother, the humorous spirit of store founder, the late Jim Busbee shone forth as Jud, leaving the store, took his mother’s arm saying, “Mama needs some gas money to get back home now.”
Jim Busbee would be proud.
Jim Busbee’s humor and infamous pranks will live on long past the closing of his store. First time visitors to the store were always invited to enjoy Jim’s special “ice-cream sale of the day” and encouraged to pop open the freezer to get an ice-cream. Locals are well aware that the freezer is stocked with a taxidermist’s dream, stocked full of larger-than-life vicious snakes and rodents killed by town residents, but new comers? Not so much. The screams could be heard throughout the store.
