Cooperative Living March/April 2019 - 32

Thomas in 1970.
When his mother died in 2013,
Thomas inherited the store.
" A store is a way of life that
allows you to be part of peoples'
lives and serve your community, "
he says.
A community hangout, Thomas
From top: Thomas Store. Wayne LeVere,
owner of LeVere Seafood, supplies oysters
to the store. David Thomas, one of
Richard's two sons, works at the store.
Store sells groceries but also offers
unique items like local oysters in
season and goat-milk soaps.
" We use local suppliers when we can.
Our sandwich counter goes back to my
mother; people would say 'I'm hungry' so
she started making sandwiches, " Thomas
says. " We still sell sandwiches, and our
deli is in its second year, offering things
like ham, corned beef and cheese. "
Wayne LeVere, owner of LeVere
Seafood, supplies Thomas Store with
fresh oysters.
" I left here in 1967 and went to Job
Corps to take up a trade in welding, "
LeVere recalls. " I couldn't wait to get
back here! "
LeVere, who began working on the
water with his father and uncle, divides
his time between the oyster business he
started in 1986 and a welding business.
A dad to two adult daughters, his wife
Delores passed away in 2017. He married
wife Pauline in 2018.
" I retail some oysters myself, but the
bulk goes to Thomas Store, " he notes.
Thomas says LeVere's oysters help draw
people to the store. Thomas and wife
Cynthia have two sons: Richard Jr., a
Richmond County deputy sheriff, and
David, who works at Thomas Store.
A strong proponent of small business,
Thomas says, " Shopping local affects
small businesses. I like to say it's a 'we'
thing, not a 'me' thing. "
The area's newest residents are Amish
families from Maryland relocating to the
area, attracted by land availability and
The Rev. Kenny Park,
pastor of Jerusalem Baptist Church
for the past 16 years.
lower prices. Henry (who declined to give
his last name) says eight to 10 Amish
families plan to make the move.
Thomas observes, " We'll need to share
the road with our new neighbors, who
use horses-and-buggies and horses
for transportation. "
Down the road from Thomas Store, the
Rev. Kenny Park is in his 16th year as
Jerusalem Baptist's pastor. The son of
missionaries who spent his childhood in
Chile, Park and wife Leslie, who pastors
Warsaw Baptist Church, live in Jerusalem's
parsonage. Park says service times at the
two congregations are adjusted so Leslie
can also serve as Jerusalem's pianist. Park
also oversees a Hispanic congregation,
which meets at Jerusalem two Sunday
afternoons a month.
He describes Emmerton as " quietly
significant, " noting, " A quiet community
doesn't mean there's nothing going on ...
I love the way people here respect and
appreciate each other. "
continued on pg. 32
L to R: The Griffith family in and around the swing in 1905. Staige Lemoine Griffith holding giant corn stalks. The road from Warsaw to
Farnham (now Route 3) looking at the Griffith car dealership in 1924. Emma Griffith modeling a car with the Griffith store in the background.
30 | Cooperative Living | March-April 2019
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