OVERVIEW

An Alderson WV Landmark Business Location

The Historic Johnson & Gwinn Hardware Building, Alderson, WV

Outstanding business opportunity in The Gem of The Hills, Alderson, WV. This historic and large building could be used for a variety of businesses, including cafés, Antique Malls, offices, professional services, hardware stores, craft shops, vendor spaces, and even an owner’s living quarters. Nestled in the heart of Alderson’s historic district-where the Greenbrier River glides past century-old architecture and the echoes of train whistles still stir nostalgia-stands a storefront that is as much a portal to the past as it is a gathering place for the present.

THE TOWN OF ALDERSON

Alderson, West Virginia, is a quaint small town on the free-flowing Greenbrier River in Greenbrier, Monroe, and Summers counties; it was settled in 1777 by John Alderson, a frontier missionary Gospel preacher for whom the town was named. In later years, an Alderson descendant founded a Baptist seminary that was later moved north because of the Great Depression to become Alderson-Broaddus College at Philippi, WV. The Federal Reformatory for Women was the first federal prison for women, established here in the 1920s after a group of local businesspeople visited Washington, D.C., to propose to the federal government that the Institution be placed in Alderson. The town is famous for its annual “Best” Independence Day Celebration and the Strawberry Festival, held every May. Camp Greenbrier for Boys has been a staple in the community since 1898, and every summer is busy with campers from across the United States.

HIGHLIGHTS

This is the shared home of Sam’s Vintage Tools and Old Stuff and Ginny’s Goodbites, two distinct yet harmoniously paired businesses located in the storied Johnson and Gwinn Hardware Building on the Monroe County side of town. Sam’s Vintage Tools and Old Stuff Step through the door and you are greeted by the scent of aged wood, oiled metal, and stories waiting to be told. Sam’s shop is a treasure trove of bygone craftsmanship-hand drills, cast iron wrenches, antique saws, and curiosities that once powered the hands of West Virginia’s builders and tinkerers. The shop with reverence to the past; many items are tagged with a handwritten note that often includes their origin or a snippet of lore. Locals affectionately call it “Big Sam’s Museum” you can buy from,” and visitors are known to linger, drawn in by the charm of tools that still bear the fingerprints of history. Ginny’s Goodbites Just a few steps away, the aroma shifts from oil and iron to cinnamon and fresh biscuits. Ginny’s Goodbites is a cozy café and bakery where the menu was handwritten daily, and the recipes are rooted in Appalachian tradition. Owned by Sam’s Better Half Ginny Walker; during festivals and town events, Ginny’s becomes a hub of laughter and conversation, with pop-up specials and indoor dining with the comfort of central heat and air conditioning. Currently, Miss Ginny only opens on special occasions; however, her catering service is always in demand. Equipment and fixtures at Ginny could be available for the right price.

THE HISTORIC JOHNSON and GWINN BUILDING

A Historic Setting the Johnson and Gwinn Hardware Building itself is a landmark, having once been a bustling supplier of goods to farmers and tradesmen. Its large front windows and storefronts, and the building is listed among the contributing structures in the Alderson Historic District, which spans both Monroe and Greenbrier counties. Just outside the door, the Alderson Memorial Pedestrian Bridge-built in 1914 and the only concrete arch bridge in West Virginia-connects the two sides of town, offering sweeping views of the Greenbrier River, a favorite spot for fishing, kayaking, and quiet reflection. Neighbors with Legacy Adjoining the storefront is Alderson’s Store, the oldest continuously operating family-owned retail business in the state, founded in 1887 by descendants of Elder John Alderson. Its Art Deco architecture and vintage displays are a testament to enduring local pride. Within a short stroll, you will find City Hall, the U.S. Post Office, Lobban Funeral Home, the Alderson Artisans Gallery, Fritz’s Drug Store, and the Alderson Volunteer Fire Department and EMS-each a thread in the town’s tightly woven fabric. Just Down the Tracks A few blocks away stands the C&O Railway Depot, built in 1896 and still serving as an Amtrak whistle-stop on the Cardinal line. The depot’s museum showcases Alderson’s rail history, including visits from presidents and the town’s role as a livestock shipping hub in the early 20th century. Camp Cupcake And just a mile from the storefront, tucked into the hills, is the Federal Prison Camp at Alderson, known colloquially as Camp Cupcake. This minimum-security facility for women gained national attention when Martha Stewart served her sentence there in 2004. Despite its nickname, Stewart later described her time as anything but sweet, recalling solitary confinement and harsh conditions. Together, Sam’s and Ginny’s offer more than goods and bites-they offer a win.

• Alderson, WV, aka The Gem of the Hills
• Home of “The Best” Fourth of July celebration
• High visibility from Route 3 and the entire downtown shopping district
• City Hall only steps away
• Wonderful art shoppe, antique and collectible and more only steps away
• The restored 188’s era C and O Railway Depot straight ahead
• Modern and active AMTRAC boarding only steps away
• Only steps away from the Alderson Post Office
• Only steps away from the picturesque Memorial Pedestrian Bridge
• Right in the epicenter for the annual Strawberry Festival
• Situated adjoining the renown Alderson’s Store
• Only steps to the beautiful town Gazebo Park area
• Walking distance to Camp Greenbrier for Boys. An Alderson landmark since 1895
• Zoned B1
• Constructed in 1926 as per public records
• Tall ceilings
• A shower stall is partially finished
• Two half bathrooms (one in need of repair)
• Approximate total floor space 2777 Square Feet
• High-speed internet
• Hardwood floors
• Central heating and air for the cafe
• Not in the FEMA 100 Year Flood Zone
• FEMA elevation 1550.9 ft +/-

Ginny’s Goodbites Cafe

FEMA FLOODMAP BIRDSEYE VIEW

POINTS FOR THE TOWN OF ALDERSON

• Known as “The Gem of the Hills”
• Located in three counties, Greenbrier, Monroe, and Summers
• Voted “Best Fourth of July Celebration” by West Virginia Living Magazine in 2012. Alderson is the place to be to celebrate America’s Independence Day! Yet, there are so many more events that we want you to attend…so explore below and…Save the Date!
• 2020 population of approximately 1200
• Leagues: Alderson Basketball League – Greenbrier Girls Softball League – Alderson Little League Baseball – Alderson Chiefs Youth Football – Chiefs Cheerleading – Chiefs Country Tumbling
• Numerous civic clubs and groups
• Active Main Street association
• Active Veterans of Foreign Wars
• Home of the annual May Strawberry Festival
• Located on the beautiful Greenbrier River
• Well-known for fishing, boating, swimming, canoeing, and kayaking
• Home of Camp Greenbrier
• French the lion is the town mascot.
• AMTRAK stop at the historic C & O Depot
• Excellent town park
• The Alderson Mini Park on the river
• The historic Alderson Memorial Pedestrian Bridge
• Home of Old Greenbrier Baptist Church, which was founded in the 1700s by elder John Alderson, a frontier preacher
• A scenic walking trail is established in the town
• Weekly farmers market, Tuesday afternoon during warm months
• Two full-time volunteer fire departments
• A full-time town police force
• Full-time hometown ambulance service
• Home of “Camp Cupcake” Federal ladies’ camp

LOCATION

Google Coordinates: 37.723184424967755, -80.64174732996759
Address: 342 S. Monroe Street, Alderson, WV 24910
Elevation: 1550.9 ft. +/-

DRIVE TIMES

WILDLIFE

With only a few steps to the Greenbrier River, an exciting view of wildlife changes daily with the seasons. The town has a local family of bald eagles that you see as they soar above the river. Otters and beavers are often seen paddling around the historic Memorial Bridge. Canadian geese and a variety of ducks are residents and can be seen about every day. Great Blue Herons, Cranes, Ospreys, and Egrets can occasionally be seen near the old bridge. A wide range of birds from A-Z can be observed with a close watch throughout the year in Alderson.

MINERAL RESOURCES

West Virginia is one of the states in the US that has two ownership titles, those being SURFACE RIGHTS and MINERAL RIGHTS. A title search for mineral rights ownership has not been conducted. All rights the owner has will convey with the property. A mineral title search could be conducted by a title attorney at the same time when the surface title search is being conducted.

BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY

The property is described by the Clerk of Monroe County as:  PT LOT 102 145’X33′ 26’X9′.

A deeded easement is of record for the back entrance of the building. The easement is 77 feet x 14 feet.

The property is being sold by the boundary and not by the acre.

UTILITIES

Water:  Town of Alderson
Sewer:  Town of Alderson
Electricity:  MonPower
Telephone:  Frontier Communications and Optimum, and others
Trash: Weekly curbside on Thursday by Greenbrier Valley Solid Waste
Internet:   Optimum, Frontier Communications, Starlink and various cell providers
Cellphone Coverage:  Excellent

ACCESS/FRONTAGE

The property is at the corner of Railroad Ave. (aka Route 3) and South Monroe Street. The owners and customers utilize convenient and free shopping district parking.

ZONING

The Town of Alderson is subject to some zoning and subdivision regulations. All prospective buyers should consult Mr. Eric Duff as the zoning officer for the Town of Alderson. The property is zoned B-1 by the Town of Alderson.

PROPERTY TYPE/USE SUMMARY

The property has been used as a store and as a café. In the past others uses have been hosted at this building.

DEED AND TAX INFORMATION

Deed Information: DB 301 Pg. 392
Monroe County, West Virginia
Acreage: 0.13 acre +/-

Real Estate Tax ID/Acreage/Taxes:
MONROE County (32), West Virginia
Alderson Corp (1)
Tax Map 3 Parcel 30.1, Class 4

2024 Real Estate Taxes: $467.00

SCHOOLS

(* Note the property is in Monroe County, the Greenbrier County school system is closer. The brand-new Alderson Elementary K-5 is about 1.5 miles away)

Greenbrier County School District

Public Elementary School:
Alderson Elementary School (A brand new 13-million-dollar school has just opened)

Public Middle School:
Eastern Greenbrier Middle School

Public High School:
Greenbrier East High School

Colleges:
New River Community and Technical College (Lewisburg campus)
West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine

Private Schools:
Lewisburg Baptist Academy (PK-12)
Seneca Trail Christian Academy (PK-12)
Greenbrier Community School (PK-8)
Greenbrier Valley Academy (2-8)
Renick Christian School (2-7)

MEDICAL

Alderson is home to two medical clinics. The closest hospital is Greenbrier Valley Medical Center in Fairlea/Lewisburg, which is a 15-minute drive. To the south in Hinton Summers County, ARH Hospital is about a 25-minute drive.

The area is also blessed with the amazing service of Health Net helicopters. A helipad is located at the River of Life Church on Route 63.

VETERANS HOSPITALS/CLINICS

West Virginia has VA Hospitals in Clarksburg, Martinsburg, Beckley, and Huntington. Nearby Salem, VA, has a Veterans Hospital. Nearby Community-Based Clinics in Lewisburg and Princeton.

SURROUNDING AREA

THE AREA

The Town of Alderson, affectionately known as the “Gem of the Hills,” is tucked away in the lush Greenbrier Valley of southeastern West Virginia. It is situated along the beautiful Greenbrier River and includes Greenbrier, Monroe, and Summers Counties.

In 1763, the nearby Muddy Creek settlements were destroyed by Shawnee Indians under Chief Cornstalk. It was not until 1777 that the town was settled by “Elder” John Alderson, a frontier missionary for whom the town was named. Here, he founded the first Baptist church in the Greenbrier Valley. In the early 1900s, a John Alderson descendant started a Baptist seminary that was later moved north to become Alderson-Broaddus College at Philippi, WV.

The Federal Reformatory for Women, the first federal prison for women, was established here in 1927.

The town is renowned for its annual Independence Day celebration, which West Virginia Living Magazine acknowledged as the state’s “Best Independence Day Celebration” in 2012.

Alderson, WV, today is primarily a residential community with retail establishments in its downtown historic district. These serve the many camps and vacation homes along the Greenbrier River and tourists visiting the surrounding countryside. Commerce and property values are increasing due to increased tourism and the sheer beauty of the river and surrounding farms. Alderson contains many fine homes from the turn of the 20th Century, many of which are in mint condition, always the same as their well-tended, original appearance.

The town of Alderson has been an active community for generations. Alderson’s amenities include churches, an elementary school, a motel, a national bank, Dollar General, Family Dollar, gas/convenience stores, two medical clinics, a hometown pharmacy, an outstanding hometown hardware and builders supply, an artisans studio, martial arts center, a farmers market, two funeral homes, antique shops, mechanics garage, several restaurants, electrical and general contractors, a veterinarian, an insurance agent, and several Airbnb’s.

Lewisburg, the Greenbrier County seat, was voted the Coolest Small Town in America and is just a 20-minute drive to the thriving downtown historic district. The downtown boasts a year-round live theatre, Carnegie Hall, a new $3MM library, several fabulous restaurants, antique shops, and boutiques. There is also a modern hospital, all attendant medical facilities, and all the big box stores. Several new schools have been built in the area.

The Greenbrier County Airport, which has WV’s longest runway, is just 25 minutes away and has daily flights to Chicago and Washington, DC. The world-famous Greenbrier Resort is 25 minutes’ drive, and Snowshoe Ski Resort is about 2 hours’ drive. Blacksburg, Virginia (Vtech) is about 90 minutes away, Roanoke, Virginia, is about 2 hours, DC is 4 hours, and Charlotte, North Carolina, is 4 hours away.

Just 30 minutes to Sandstone Falls, Bluestone Lake, Bluestone State Park, and Pipestem Resort, the surrounding area offers unlimited soft recreational activities, including white water rafting, golfing, fishing, camping, hiking, bird watching, and rock climbing. Snow skiing at the Winterplace Resort is less than an hour away. You can catch the Amtrak train in Alderson and ride to the Greenbrier Resort, Chicago, or New York City. The Beckley Airport is just 45 minutes away. The new 10,000-acre Boy Scout high adventure camp is an hour’s drive.

CAMP GREENBRIER FOR BOYS

Camp Greenbrier is a summer camp for boys in the Allegheny Mountains on the beautiful Greenbrier River in Alderson, West Virginia. It was founded in 1898 and is the oldest privately owned summer camp in continuous operation in the United States.

Camp Greenbrier operates three programs: the Boys Camp for boys from 7 to 15 years old – the Leadership Academy for young men 16 or 17 years old or who have finished the 10th grade. Campers and staff come from throughout the United States and from across the world to enjoy our excellent climate and to make friendships that will last a lifetime.

WATER RESOURCES

THE GREENBRIER RIVER

The lower Greenbrier River possesses the excitement of life on one of the nation’s great wild rivers. The focus of a vast outdoor recreation destination flows untamed out of the high Alleghenies, attracting anglers, paddlers, and naturalists from across the globe.

At 162 miles long, the Greenbrier is the longest undammed river left in the Eastern United States. It is primarily used for recreational pursuits and is well known for its fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and floating opportunities. Its upper reaches flow through the Monongahela National Forest, paralleled for 77 miles by the Greenbrier River Trail, a rail trail that runs between the communities of Cass and North Caldwell.

It has always been a valuable water route, with many of the important cities in the watershed being established river ports. The river gives the receiving waters of the New River an estimated 30% of its water volume. Over three-fourths of the watershed is an extensive karstic (cavern system) supporting fine trout fishing, cave exploration, and recreation. Many important festivals and public events are held along the river throughout the watershed.

The Greenbrier is formed at Durbin in northern Pocahontas County by the confluence of the East Fork Greenbrier River and the West Fork Greenbrier River, both of which are short streams rising at elevations exceeding 3,300 feet and flowing for their entire lengths in northern Pocahontas County. From Durbin, the Greenbrier generally flows south-southwest through Pocahontas, Greenbrier, and Summers Counties, past several communities, including Cass, Marlinton, Hillsboro, Ronceverte, Fort Spring, Alderson, and Hinton, where it flows into the New River.

Along most of its course, the Greenbrier accommodated the celebrated Indian warpath known as the Seneca Trail (Great Indian Warpath). From the vicinity of present-day White Sulphur Springs, the Trail followed Anthony’s Creek down to the Greenbrier near the present Pocahontas-Greenbrier County line. It then ascended the River to the vicinity of Hillsboro and Droop Mountain. It made its way through present Pocahontas County by way of future Marlinton, Indian Draft Run, and Edray.

THE NEW RIVER AND BLUESTONE LAKE

Nearby, about a 30-minute drive to the New River and 2000-acre Bluestone Lake at Hinton. The New River is the second oldest river in the world, preceded only by the Nile; it is the oldest river in North America. The New River is unique because it begins in Blowing Rock, N.C., and flows north through Virginia into West Virginia. The Nile and Amazon are the only other major rivers that also flow north. Year after year, it produces more citation fish than any other warm water river in WV. Smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, sunfish, hybrid striped bass, and muskie are all common species of fish found in the New River and Bluestone Lake.

Great hunting and fishing opportunities abound at the 17,632-acre Bluestone Wildlife Area adjacent to the park and nearby Camp Creek State Forest.

Lewisburg, which is the Greenbrier County seat, was voted the Coolest Small Town in America and is just a 20-minute drive to the thriving downtown historic district. The downtown boasts a year-round live theatre, Carnegie Hall, a new $3MM library, several fabulous restaurants, antique shops, and boutiques. There is also a modern hospital, all attendant medical facilities, and all the big box stores. Several new schools have been built in the area.