111-Year-Old Dean's Store To Continue Welcoming Visitors

WOODSTOCK-TOWNE LAKE, GA - From the Office of Economic Development in Woodstock: The Woodstock Downtown Development Authority and the Woodstock Area Convention and Visitors Bureau closed last week on the purchase of one of the most historic properties in Woodstock, Dean’s Store.

Dean’s Store has been a mainstay on Main Street for one hundred and eleven years and has served as Woodstock Visitors Center since 2001. The store belonged to Alice Felton, daughter and granddaughter of the store’s founders. Mrs. Felton passed away January 20th and her estate offered the opportunity to purchase the property to the DDA and CVB.

Dean’s Store opened in April 1906. A local physician, Dr. William Dean, and his eldest son Linton, who had recently graduated from business school in Atlanta, intended to operate a doctor’s office and pharmacy at the prime location on Main Street. Unfortunately, Dr. Dean passed away in the store’s first year so Linton turned the store into a patent drug store and general store.

The store was the home of the area's first Coca-Cola fountain. It also served as a Trailways Bus Station, a service that was discontinued in 1975. At different times, the store served as the collection agency for telephone, electricity and water, in addition to some city services such as payment of taxes and applications for business licenses. Due in part to the soda fountain and the abundance of Coca-Cola products, and even more so to Mr. Dean's welcoming spirit, Dean's Store has served as a meeting place for decades. Woodstock's retired gentlemen have gathered in the store throughout its history.

Linton Dean operated the store for 75 years until he passed away in 1981. At that time, Alice made keys for “the guys”, as the men who meet at Dean’s Store daily are called, and composed a note saying the place was as much theirs as it was hers. She kept up the expenses associated with the store and it remained open daily. Eventually, her generosity also provided a home for Preservation Woodstock and The Woodstock Visitors Center.

The Woodstock Visitors Center welcomes over 14,000 visitors a year to the community. It’s one of the State of Georgia’s Regional Visitor Information Centers and is staffed by two Georgia Certified Travel Planners, City of Woodstock’s Tourism Manager Kyle Bennett and Marketing Manager Stacy Brown. The center is composed of historical displays, an extensive inventory of brochures, and a growing retail selection.

“Dean’s Store has been a central part of Woodstock’s downtown business district almost since the beginning of our city,” Woodstock DDA Chairman Perry Tanner stated. “As a visitors center, it’s been pivotal in the effort to build a vibrant, energetic downtown. The Woodstock DDA and Woodstock Area CVB are excited about the opportunity to continue this store’s contributions to both residents’ and visitors’ enjoyment of our city.”

The DDA will be investing in updates to the store that will keep the store’s historic charm intact
while improving the function of the space. Staff is currently planning to refine the historical
displays bringing the generosity and spirit of the Dean family to life and highlighting the vital
history of retail in our charming downtown.

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