Though store closed long ago, Smith’s Grocery remains a landmark on River Road

Brandon Smith smiles as he works on renovating the building that’s been in his family since the early 1900s.

“Everything kind of comes back together for me, as I go through it,” Smith said. “Thinking of my dad, how hard he worked to really raise a family and working the job … it makes me feel really proud of this, restoring it as close to its grander years as possible.”

Located along River Road in Hahnville, this is the former Smith’s Grocery, or as many longtime parish residents might have called it growing up, “The Big Green Store.” It’s a St. Charles landmark – the one-time store that also served as a bed and breakfast was established by Smith’s grandfather Joseph, who ran the business for many years with wife Laura before passing it down to Smith’s father, Leonard. The family operated the business for more than 80 years, beginning in 1921 and finally closing in 1998 upon Leonard’s retirement.

Today, it’s the home of Smith’s sister, Donna. As for Smith, it was where he grew up.

“It was a beautiful place to grow up,” Smith said. “It was a much smaller community back then. My dad worked the store, ran the store … he drove the school bus. He worked so hard, and he raised us well with the entrepreneurial spirit. So, I really have a strong drive and feel fortunate to be in a position to renovate that house.”

It was something he’s long wanted to do. As has been the case for many locally, this renovation project was spurred into action by a familiar motivator: Hurricane Ida, which damaged the site.

“It’s maybe a blessing in disguise, or that’s how I try to look at it, in a way,” Smith said. “You can really go in and make it nice, and Ida was kind of the driver to that. It accelerated the project, got it underway a lot sooner than I expected.”

Smith said he feels pride when he’s heard recollections from those who came across his father at the store over the years.

“A lot of people who grew up in Hahnville, or passed the store while coming through, definitely use that store as a reference to Hahnville,” Smith said. “People say, ‘I used to go to that store … I remember sitting on that porch and Mr. Smith was so nice. He always had that smile.’ I hear people call it the big green store.”

Of course, some younger locals might scratch their heads at the latter reference of “big green store.”

“At one point, it was painted blue,” Smith said. “Older people, 60s and above, they remember that original green. But the younger people know the blue. I always wanted to find a nice green to get it back to that landmark that people around my age remember.”

He’s done that. In fact, the renovation of the exterior is nearly complete, and the attention now turns to the inside.

The building has been in his family for three generations, and could be passed down again one day. Smith’s daughter is 32 and son is 26.

“They have fond memories of spending time with their grandfather,” Smith said. “He always had a good meal for them. When he passed away, that was hard … over time, it would be nice to pass it down to one of them to keep it in the family, if they were interested in it.”

 

About Ryan Arena 2946 Articles
Sports Editor

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply