Born in 1918, John Houston Taylor II (namesake of his daddy known as "Sweet John" the molasses maker) grew up and made a life long career in the grocery industry selling all types of food products. He began as a young boy delivering to homes and businesses on his bicycle, his basket loaded with basic food supplies and sweet treats. He later decided to take one of those products and use it for his personal mission to make folks smile and quickly became known as "MoonPie John". What better name for the old Hump General Store our Granddaddy once served? Am I right?
MoonPie John's Mercantile officially opened on June 25, 2022! Now you and your guests can take another step back in time and purchase cool souvenirs, locally crafted gifts, vintage sodas and candy, toys, coffee (hot or iced and many flavor options), hand dipped ice cream, snacks, and more. You can also grab lunch at our "Full of Baloney Cafe" featuring sandwiches and specialty hot dogs! Dine inside or take in the country view from the relaxing front porch!
We offer products from great local vendors such as Hippea Camper (plant based food and drink items including "Hump T's"-flavored fruit teas), Northside Coffee (awesome coffees and teas including our own MPJ Blends ground fresh in the store), Red Door Originals (door greeter signs and crafts), Sulphur Springs Trading Company (extremely local honey, all natural soaps, wood crafts, essential oil products), Coco's Closet (boutique and handcrafted items), Linda Lou's Designs (silk flower arrangements, wreaths, plant growth supplies), Corbett Farms (jams, jellies, seasonings, hand/lip balms), and of course all available Moonpie Brand logo products!
This one of a kind store built around 1899, specializes in uniqueness. What else would you expect from a town named Hump? We have carefully selected our local craftspeople to provide variety and cool stuff you can't find just anywhere. We even have our own Moonpie John/1910 Gin logo swag! And did we mention Moonpies? We have the flavors you can't get in big box stores....and ours come straight from the Chattanooga Bakery! Need a cool gift? Ask about our assembled to order/store pick-up gift baskets! Just tell us the dollar value you want, and we will pull it together for you!
Now...we still have day jobs so we won't be open every day. Current hours are 9am until 4pm on Saturdays, and Sundays from 11am to 4pm. We will also support 1910 Gin venue events when requested. If the OPEN sign showing, come in and see us! Check out our story on WAFF's Tennessee Valley Living!