Mableton Mainstay, Barnes Hardware, to Close Dec. 31

, a Mableton mainstay after 82 years of business, will close its doors indefinitely on Dec. 31.

Current owner Betty Barnes became involved in the business in 1954 with her late husband, Benson Barnes.

Betty told the Marietta Daily Journal in a recent feature, “I just think it’s time to close. I’m ready to go to the beach for a while. It’s just time.”

Below is the feature South Cobb Patch ran on its first day in December 2010 about the Mableton mainstay. Check out the photo gallery and leave your memories in the comments below.

With a former governor named Roy Barnes, Barnes is a famous name in the state of Georgia. However, the Barnes name is probably most famous in the former governor's hometown of Mableton.

on Veterans Memorial Highway is one of the first businesses in Mableton and one of the longest running and it was created by Roy's grandfather, William Henry Barnes.

Betty Barnes, the store's proprietor, recalls the history behind one of Mableton's longest running businesses.

In 1929, William Henry Barnes (called W.H. by most folks) bought the store from Willie Landers.

It was a fertilizer plant with wooden floors, which are still there to this day, and a railroad spur that came right up to the back door for easy loading.

What is now the front of the store was added on by W.H. and used as a general store. At the time, the original portion of the building was completely made of tin.

W.H. wanted a sturdier building made of brick. However, the railroad owners told him that he did not own land that extended past the walls of his plant and therefore, he could not build brick walls around it.

So, W. H. began to build brick walls inside the store. When he finished, he just tore the tin off.

"I always thought that was just so clever," said Betty.

W.H. had two sons, Felton and W. C., father of Roy Barnes. The two sons helped their father operate the store, which mostly sold to local farmers.

"Farmers would buy what they wanted to plant and didn't pay until harvest," Betty said. "The store was like a bank."

As he got older, W.C. decided he no longer wanted to be a part of the store and he left the family business.

"It looks just like it did when he (W.H.) was here," said Betty, who has been helping with the store since she married Benson, Felton’s son, at age 19 in 1954.

"This was just a little grocery store. Now we sell all hardware items, feed, seed, Carhartt clothing and boots," she said.

The store also sold gas until the mid-1980s when the federal guidelines for selling fuel became stricter, and W.H. decided he did not want the extra hassle.

The store, which celebrated 80 years last year, including the time when it was a fertilizer plant, is one of the longest running businesses in Mableton.

Betty Barnes said the business has generations of customers and she often hears questions like, "Remember my dad, so-and-so?"  or "Do you remember when I used to come in here when I was just a kid?"

Betty doesn't know what's next for the store. Her daughters, Beth Skelton and Carla Snavely, are not currently involved with the family business.

Betty said there is really no secret to their success. "We never have advertised. We just treat our customers well, and they keep coming back."