It’s been bought and sold, used and abused, but one of LincolnCounty’s old general stores just keeps coming back.

Operating under a new name and new ownership, the Olde CountryStore and Café at 434 Monticello St. in Bogue Chitto is in itssixth week of business after an extended closure. The roughly100-year-old store has changed hands several times for variousreasons, but its newest owners see their role as a mission, andthey plan to stick around for a while.

“God’s hand was in this,” said Susan England, whose husband,David, opened the store in March. “There’s a sweet spirit in thisplace. I think there’s a ministry here – I don’t know if it’s to bea friend to someone or to help a child that’s wayward, but we’regoing to listen.”

The newly named Olde Country Store and Café was built in the1900s and was most famously owned by the Price family before beingoperated by Johnny and Elaine Roberts for 30 years. It changedhands a few more times and closed down last year, sitting vacantfor eight months before the Englands stepped in.

David England had always wanted to own his own business, hiswife said, and talked about the store constantly when he passed byit on the way to and from work. She thought the idea was a deadend.

“I told him to go ahead and stop, thinking ‘I’ll shut him upnow,'” Susan said. “I didn’t think it would happen, but next thingI knew my husband owned a store.”

It was just in time for Susan, who had only recently lost herjob as a pubic relations director for a north Mississippibusiness.

“I was pretty much freaking out for three weeks. I just kind ofsat in my bus and cried,” said England, who travels with herhusband for gospel music performances.

She’s happy now.

As one of only a few businesses operating in Bogue Chitto, thecountry store has done well in its first few weeks and it probablywon’t slow down anytime soon. Conscious of the fact there are fewother places to shop in the little community, the Englands have setthe store up to meet many needs.

It’s a gas station, a café, bait and fishing shop and evencarries plumbing supplies and a little hardware. In the future, theEnglands hope to be able to sell fishing and hunting licenses andare planning to have gospel, country and bluegrass music everyother Saturday.

“It’s not a gas station, not a convenience store, it’s anold-timey general store,” Susan said. “There’s a camaraderie here.The older people come in here in the morning and drink coffee andtalk. That’s how it’s supposed to be.”

The Olde Country Store and Café will have a grand openingSaturday beginning at 2 p.m. Susan’s gospel/country band, “RedneckExpress,” and other entertainment will perform. Door prizes will begiven away.

“We want to have a grand opening to thank this community foropening their arms to us. They didn’t have to. They didn’t know usfrom Adam,” Susan said.