2023 in Review: A Year of a Community That Came Together

Saxapahaw is already a tight-knit community, but in 2023, it seemed that we all came together in big ways for our friends and neighbors, helping them out when they needed it most, creating new events and opportunities, as well as just having a lot of fun, even if the world seemed a little crazy at times.

January

We always start off the year with our New Year’s plate, to bring us all good luck in the coming year.

A first time customer enjoying her Sax Gen breakfast on a beautiful January morning.

The first full moon of the year over Saxapahaw.

We had two karaoke nights in January, and with every karaoke night, everyone is welcome no matter age or skill level.

Also in January, we launched a monthly subscription for all-you-can-drink coffee. Fletcher was the first person to sign up!

We were flattered that this couple decided to have their 45th anniversary dinner with us at the General Store.

Maddie and Yvonne got into the February spirit a little early by making Valentines out of coffee filters.

Amber preparing some delicious catering dishes for a tasting.

Because one catering per month sometimes isn’t enough, we started off 2023 with TWO!

February

Amber loves baking, and everyone loves a good sale on baking ingredients!

Fresh bread delivery day has to be one of the best days of the week.

Farm fresh burgers and fresh house-made home fries… it doesn’t get much better than this.

Cheers to great friends and great coworkers, and one of the prettiest places on the planet.

Lenny grabbing a little wine and chocolate for Valentine’s Day.

We love catering! Ask us about catering for your next big event, whether it’s in February or any other time of year.

In the cold and wet of a NC February, sometimes the best thing to do is find somewhere warm and dry and enjoy hot, fresh farm-to-table goodness.

Or fresh, flaky salmon over risotto… this is why we’re five star!

Chris learning about the magic that is locally made Mary Jo’s toffee.

2023 was also the year that Kevin showed us he was serious about oysters, introducing Saxapahaw to this delicacy.

Scroll down to experience March 2023!

March

Jules, Fred and Danny providing music for the first Sunday brunch of March.

As spring arrives, so do the beautiful dogs enjoying a little bit of warmth on the patio.

Rashad looking like he’s about to drop his next taste masterpiece with these Italian subs.

Eye of the Tiger or Eye of the Emma?
Remember the time when Fletcher rode 1000 miles on his motorcycle from Saxapahaw to Key West and back in under 24 hours? He sure does.

It’s gonna be a good day when Mary Jo delivers her famous toffee herself.

Chad showed up to the General Store in full St. Patrick’s Day regalia to celebrate the season.

How to get our attention… with some Bojangle’s Hard Iced Tea.

We often cater to bands playing at the Haw River Ballroom, but it’s not as often when the band themselves come in to dine here, as was the case with Newfound Glory.

And sometimes we even do things like make a limited run pizza special for local bands like The Collection when they’re playing at the Ballroom. David is Team SGS.

Jeff and Ginger doing serious boss stuff.

Keep scrolling to see what April had in store!

April

We kicked off April with an amazing karaoke night. No foolin’!

You know it’s reeeally spring when the bikers show up on the weekends.

Chef Joe serving up some amazing lunchtime goodness.

It’s a wonderful sight to behold when the dessert case is full.

Weekends aren’t just for bikes, they’re also for perfectly preserved vintage cars!

We love filling our shelves with new locally made products, like this new NC made hot sauce called Wild Child.

That day when Gilley made fresh vegan peanut butter cookies? That was amaaaaazing!

A glimpse of one of our favorite entree salads, the duck salad. It’s simply delicious.

As is our bowl o’ mussels… have you tried them? If not, you really should.

You should also keep scrolling and click on the next page to check out May 2023!

May

Order up! Amber’s got lunch ready!

We only have the soft shell crab sandwich for a limited time in the spring, so when it’s on the menu, it’s a definite must-try.

The first Saturday in Saxapahaw means more cute pups come to visit!

You know who else showed up? A party of 15 who made it their mission to try everything on the lunch menu. And it was a blast!

They should have stuck around for dinner as well, because our brisket dinner is the stuff of legend.

Eden being her incredible self, handling collards with ease.

Everyone came out for our low country seafood boil!

The General Store is a first job or a high school job for many, and we love to see them grow, graduate, and move on to a life full of adventure!

Nic having a snack while waiting for people to sign up for karaoke.

The General Store, Reverence Farms, Boxcarr Dairy and the Haw River Ballroom threw a huge fundraiser for Randy Lewis of Ran-Lew Dairy after Randy had been injured by a bull. We all came together to contribute towards helping our friend get better.

June

Crabcake dinner with a side of mashed sweet potatoes and sauteed brussel sprouts? Count us in!

Why go to a florist when you can get farm fresh flowers from a number of local farms right here at the General Store?

June is a big month for us, and we started the celebration by unveiling our new painted signs, done by Ruth Turner.

The anniversary of the store also coincides with Jeff’s birthday, so boy did we have one heck of a party, with local friends like Suzanne from Reverence Farms coming by to celebrate.

Murphy ready to have some Gen Store birthday cake

And you know it’s not a Sax Gen Store party unless Kevin shows up with his oysters!

The day that Randy Lewis was finally out of the hospital and back to hang out with his friends and community was another reason to celebrate. And Margaret hugs always make everything better.

Cindy shows off the delicious Schmancy pizza she made, one of our most popular specialty pizzas!

Wine tasting inside, ice cream party outside… never a dull moment!

Scroll down and click the next page to experience July!

July

Take a little piece of summer home with you!

Randy wasn’t fully back to delivering milk in person like he usually does, but the rest of the team at Ran-Lew was happy to step in.

Gilley with some fresh off the farm corn from Reverence Farms.

Miles and crew from Oceanic Delights serving up some fresh oysters in the beauty of a July in Saxapahaw.

Why does this part of the state have so many awesome hot sauces? Don’t know, but also don’t care… just fall in love with the heat.

When local farmers give you fresh summer tomatoes…

Make some fresh mozzarella caprese stacks! A summer favorite!

All well-behaved beautifully mustachioed boys are always welcome here.

Summers in NC can get hot and sticky, but then sometimes you get the most amazing summer thunderstorms.

Keep scrolling and click next to see August 2023!

August

Rasheed goes cuckoo for cheesecake!

We’ve had all kinds of tastings under this roof, but in August, we had our first dumpling tasting with Moore’s Dumplings.

One of the great things about hiring new faces is when Jeff does the new hire orientation, which includes plenty of history, philosophy and education to bring everyone on board with our mission and the goals of the community.

Fresh summer figs from Rocky Run Farm!

And we even got some new Saxapahaw stickers by Stacy Harden!

When they want scallop tacos, ya give em scallop tacos.

Oh baby, we’ve just got something for everybody…

Donovan from Paperhand Puppets shows off the book detailing the many years of Paperhand Puppet Intervention, one of the nation’s best puppetry studios… right here in Saxapahaw!

And rain? Ooooh yeah we got rain. So much rain.

Keep scrolling and click through for September!

September

September started off beautifully, with a visit from vintage car enthusiasts.

Plenty of freshly made pizza…

And sooooo many paw-paws!

And peppers!

Even if you’re not vegetarian, you have to try our roasted veggie sandwich. So healthy and tasty, packed with farm fresh ingredients.

Oh, and this little poofy gremlin came to visit…

We even got a visit from a hot air balloon!

And a visit from Farmer John, bearing fresh produce!

When Nate’s off the clock, Voodoo Ranger is his relaxation beverage of choice.

2023 was a bad time for accidents. In September, our very own Bart was in a car accident, and we came together to help with some of his hospital bills.