"It is a 226 year old building and it was stripped out entirely. All of what is here now is new." Mark Broadhurst said that to the Observer-Tribune the day after he and his wife Maria reopened the store side of Schooley's Mountain General Store on Saturday, Oct. 17.
That quote is the clearest guide to the store right now. The doors at 250 Schooley's Mountain Road are open and the sandwiches are selling. The kitchen behind the counter is still being built out, though. Over the coming weeks the store will keep adding to its menu, so for now the morning is the most reliable time to go.
The Post Office Never Left
The store side closed in April 2025 when the former owner, Peter Andrich, retired. According to Patch, he had run that version of the store since 2006. The building itself stayed in use. The U.S. Post Office inside it, which Patch describes as the area's oldest, remained open the whole time.
That matters more than it sounds. Broadhurst told the Observer-Tribune that "quite a few people use this post office," and that some people in that part of the township "can't get mail delivered" any other way. So the reopened store had daily foot traffic waiting for it from day one, with mail customers already coming up the steps. He said visitors picking up mail during opening weekend were "full of questions."
The history explains why people have strong feelings about the place. Patch reports that the store probably opened in the early 1800s and has hosted presidential visits, Ulysses S. Grant among them. The Observer-Tribune calls it the state's oldest continuously operating general store and post office pairing. Reports disagree on the exact founding year, but they agree on what people kept saying when it closed. Patch reported that regulars called the 2025 closing "the end of an era."
Opening Weekend Ran the Shelves Down by Sunday Afternoon
The first weekend tested how much food the store could handle. By 3 p.m. on Sunday, the Observer-Tribune reported, the store had sold out of turkey, apples, muffins, soup, chili, banana bread, cookies and nearly all of its bread. Broadhurst placed an emergency order for bread, meat and produce to arrive at 6 a.m. Monday.
"What was most special yesterday was how this community came out and supported us," he told the paper.
Selling out during a soft opening says a lot about demand. It also shows the limits of the operation for now, and the next section explains them.
What's on the Counter, and What Isn't Yet
The store's early-morning hours fit the post office crowd and anyone heading out on errands. The paper reported weekday hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., with weekend hours described only as "similar." Before a Saturday trip, check the store's Facebook page, which the Broadhursts have used for updates all along.
| Served on opening weekend | Planned, pending or changed |
|---|---|
| Sandwiches, including "The Shoemaker," an Italian sub | Full hot-sandwich service, pending a grill hood |
| Soup and chili | Bacon and much of the baking, made at a Hackettstown commercial kitchen for the time being |
| Ice cream and caramel apples | Lavazza coffee and breakfast items, announced before the opening |
| Muffins, banana bread and cookies | Pizza, which is no longer on the menu |
The pizza is the biggest change for longtime customers. Patch noted that the store used to sell snacks, groceries, meals, coffee and pizza. When the Broadhursts took over, they planned to keep sandwiches and staples but drop the pizza.
The grill is the most important item on the pending list. Broadhurst told the Observer-Tribune the store is waiting on a hood for its grill, which makes hot sandwiches "problematic for now." He expected that to be fixed "in the next few weeks." He gave that timeline on opening weekend, so if you go in late October, the cold side of the menu is the safer bet.
Why the Store Is Opening in Pieces
The slow rollout is about the building, and about how much of it had to be rebuilt. The paper reported that the Broadhursts leased the building in March for two years with an option to buy. They had hoped to open in the spring, but the reconfiguration took longer than expected because the previous owners had cleared out the store area completely. Patch's April story had expected a summer soft opening.
"Between having an architect and going back and forth trying to outfit a 226 year old building to code in 2026 and getting all those reviews and going through the process, it takes time," Broadhurst told the Observer-Tribune. He also credited the Washington Township mayor and professional staff as "really helpful and supportive."
The building also explains why the owners wanted it. They run Schooley's Mountain Confection Co., which they started last year, and they own the Cold Stone Creamery franchise in Bedminster. The store's good-sized basement helps with storing apples, which are central to their confections, and it now holds a prep kitchen too. Mark Broadhurst told Patch that sourcing from local farmers and food producers is a priority, and that the couple wants to honor the building's heritage.
So caramel apples, an apple cellar downstairs and a fall opening all go together. The confection side was ready for the store's first weekend, while the hot kitchen needs more equipment.
Fitting a Stop Into Late Fall
With early hours and a cold-sandwich menu, the store works well as an early stop or a place to pick up lunch to take somewhere else. Three nearby options fit that pattern:
- Schooley's Mountain County Park, 91 East Springtown Road in Washington Township, is open daily from sunrise to sunset, with trails, picnic areas and a lake, according to the Morris County Park Commission. A sandwich and soup from the store make an easy trailside lunch.
- Long Valley Pub & Brewery, 1 Fairmount Road, lists hours of 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday on its website. That covers a hot dinner while the store's grill is still offline.
- The WMC Memorial 5K Turkey Trot starts at 8 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, at 259 Bartley Road in Chester, according to the race site. The store's reported hours are its regular schedule, so check its Facebook page before planning a stop that morning.
For the store itself, the simplest plan for the next few weeks is to go early, expect the cold menu and check Facebook for weekend hours. The grill will come once the hood is installed.
Historic buildings like this one bring the same issues every owner faces sooner or later: code updates, renovations that take longer than planned, and the question of what a 200-year-old structure can handle. If you own or are considering an older property in western Morris County and want a clear read on what that work involves, Stone Homes NJ is glad to talk it through with you in a free, no-pressure consultation.
