Vicksburg Hardware Store
112/114 S Main Street
The Rise
These two buildings have worn many hats over the years—from a young village establishing its first institutions, through the boom years of The Mill, to the steady, essential commerce that keeps a small town running.
By 1884, Carter’s Hardware was operating at 114 South Main, and next door at 112, the community had grown large enough to support its own bank. That year, S.J. Wing opened the Vicksburg Exchange Bank—the Village’s first permanent financial institution—after an initial period operating from the parlor of the McElvain House. The bank remained a fixture of the block for years.
In later decades, the building became home to Harding’s grocery market, a neighborhood anchor serving the daily needs of Vicksburg families. When Harding’s relocated to a larger standalone location, the building found its next calling as a hardware store—a trade that continues at 112 and 114 South Main to this day.
The Fall
After 35 years, Steve and Brenda Schimp were ready to step away. In a small town, that moment can be genuinely precarious. Not every threat to a community business appears as a shuttered storefront—sometimes it arrives as a retirement. Finding the right buyer, maintaining continuity, and structuring a deal that works for everyone involved does not happen automatically. Without the right support, a hardware store that had served Vicksburg for generations could quietly disappear from Main Street.
The Rejuvenation
The Mill Group stepped in, acquiring the building and guiding the transition—connecting the outgoing owners with new operators and ensuring the store remained open on Main Street. What could have been a quiet ending became a thoughtful handoff. Today, the store continues under the ownership of Johnny and Meliani DeBault, still serving the community at 112 South Main. The building remains part of The Mill Group’s downtown portfolio.
