Finding Minnesota: Fremont Store Of Winona County

WINONA COUNTY, Minn. (WCCO) -- A person encounters many crossroads over the course of a lifetime.

And if you happen upon the intersection of County Road 6 and Fremont Store Road in Winona County, you may want to just stick around for a while.

"It's like Little House on the Prairie, the Mercantile Store. Something old and classic, that's what it is," said customer Mary Neldner.

Old in the sense that the Fremont Store was built in 1856 -- two years before Minnesota even became a state. Classic, like it's 100-year-old owner, Martha Johnson, who's always ready to sell you something.

"Candy, pop, eggs. A little bit of everything and not much of anything," Johnson said.

The grocery runs on history. Vintage signs are everywhere, relics of things customers bought more than a century ago. It's also what attracts business.

"People stop here from Australia to Alaska to South America, wherever," Johnson said.

"They love it. We've brought relatives here from Norway and they can't get over it. The quaintness. The coziness," Neldner said.

Ownership has changed over the decades, but the appeal hasn't. Johnson credits a lot of the store's endearing qualities to her son, and one of the former owners, Don. Born with muscular dystrophy, Don and his wife ran the store for years.

"He just loved the store so that's why I try to keep it the way he had it," Johnson said.

Don put his heart and soul into the grocery until he passed away in 2004. So Johnson took it over as a way to keep his memory alive. But she's added her own unique flair.

"I'm computer illiterate," Johnson said. "I don't have a cell telephone."

No working computer, no cell phone -- a place where millennials would surely struggle. Customers also pay on the honor system, they add up what they owe.

The store keeps Johnson young. But she does get help from family and friends, including her daughter-in-law Helen Johnson.

"She's very knowledgeable. She remembers from 90 years ago at least," said Helen.

Not many people can say that. And to keep the good times rolling, Johnson and the crew have a celebration every five years. Two weeks ago the store hit a milestone -- 160 years in business.

Though with more sight-seers than actual customers, Johnson jokes she may have to start selling Victoria's Secret merchandise to make a profit.

But for her, it's not about making a dollar, it's about making a friend.

"I love the people," she said

Johnson said customers vary from day to day. Some days it's one customer, other days it's dozens.

She also has 39 grandkids and 9 great-great grandkids.