Encouraging Update: College Freshman Brings a Nostalgic General Store Back to Olde Towne Community in Virginia

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Despite having her college years ahead of year, and only just obtaining the right to sign her name, a young Virginia woman has joined the ranks of American small business owners with a distinctly rustic flair.

With a childhood spent browsing old-timey general stores among the mountains of North Carolina, Lindsay Goodwin wanted to bring that nostalgic charm to her own town of Portsmouth.

She only graduated from Churchland High School last summer, but had been co-owner of Marketplace and General Store in Olde Towne Portsmouth since 2023.

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She’s embarking on her freshman year of college towards a major in Arts at Virginia Wesleyan University, and admits that juggling both will be a challenge, but one she’s excited to undertake.

“Portsmouth is known for its history, and so we wanted to bring back the historical feel, but also the old-fashioned family place for everyone to come,” Goodwin told Kamilah Williams at WTKR News Norfolk.

Lindsay opened the store alongside her father, Tony Goodwin, who has long been a commercial real estate professional. He said that the store was purposefully built to give his daughter a plethora of opportunities: to have another anchor to the community she grew up in, to gain business experience for her university minor, and, of course, the opportunity to make a good living.

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That last point doesn’t always seem immediately obvious. Foot traffic can be substantial during high season, festivals, or holiday periods like Christmas, but sales can and do fall off.

Regardless, customers drawn to the old-fashioned shopping experience frequently remind them the father-daughter duo of why they came up with the idea in the first place.

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“When they come in, they say, ‘Man, this reminds me of something I grew up on back home,’ and that’s what makes us feel good about what we’ve done,” Mr. Goodwin said. “We’ve created a space that is nostalgic and fits Olde Towne perfectly.”

Beyond his daughter’s future, Mr. Goodwin said he sees the store as part of an effort to revitalize the historic city’s High Street, which has struggled with vacancies over the years.

For Lindsay, the goals are a little bit more immediate—keep up the sales, keep up the vibes, keep up with classes—then let the rest figure itself out.

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