Country Junction - World's Largest General Store

Country Junction's Grand Opening

Pappy's Animal Farm is now OPEN. It will be good to see your old friends.

The new 2009 PATIO CIRCULAR is out. Click on Patio Circular to see all the new patio collections and the low prices.

In the early hours of Nov. 27th, a fire alarm was called in for our Wilkes-Barre store. Operation has been suspended until we rebuild. Please visit our Hazleton, Quakertown, and Wind Gap stores for all your holiday needs. HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

To all our friends, We'll see you in the Spring. Signed, Llamas, chickens, peacocks, & goats.

We find the best homes for our puppies. Come in to our WIND GAP store and fall in love with one of the beautiful Cairn Terriers, Cockapoo, Border Collies, Golden Retrievers, Shih-tzus, Maltese, Mini Dachshunds, Jack Russels. Norweigan Elk Hounds, Yorkies, Schnoodles, Chihuahuas, and Peekapoos, to ...

Come to our Wind Gap, PA location to check out these cute little pups: Norweigan Elk Hounds, Mini Dachshunds, Yorkis, Schnoodles, Cockapoos, Golden Retrievers, Chihuahuas, Cairn Terriers, Peekapoos,

We find the best homes for our puppies. Here is what we have in our Wind Gap store this week: Cairn Terriers, Cockapoo, Border Collies, Golden Retrievers, Shih-tzus, Maltese, Mini Dachshunds, Jack Russels.

Fire levels Country Junction
Some 200 firefighters couldn't save landmark Carbon County store

DAVID KIDWELL and GEMA MARÍA DUARTE
By Catherine Rodriguez
Pocono Record Writers
October 04, 2006


FOREST INN — The Country Junction, a landmark, family-owned retail store, was leveled by fire early Tuesday morning.

Even as the rubble of the rambling 170,000-square-foot building smoldered, too hot for state police investigators to begin poking around, the store's owner, Jim Everett, was talking about rebuilding.

"This took 20 years to build," he said. "How long will rebuilding take? We'll rebuild something. I'm not sure what it will be."

The cause of the fire and damage estimates were not available late Tuesday.

As of Tuesday afternoon the fire was not suspicious and is under investigation, said Pennsylvania State Police Trooper David P. Cusatis of Troop N Fire Marshal Unit, Hazleton Barracks.

No people were injured in the fire, but pet-shop animals like puppies and kittens died, as did one llama from the petting zoo. Other petting zoo animals survived and were transported to surrounding farms. Also salvaged were some delivery trucks.

Country Junction, touted as "The World's Largest General Store," covered three acres on Route 209 in Carbon County between Lehighton and Kresgeville and employed about 200 people.

The loss of the business would be a huge economic blow to the county in terms of job losses, tourism impact and inventory, county officials said.

The store was just entering its busiest time of the year, and is known locally for hosting the "Great Pocono Pumpkin Festival," featuring a pirate ship, haunted ghost town, corn maze and hay rides.

Everett told his employees Tuesday morning that the festival was going to continue as scheduled, since most of the activities take place outside on the undamaged grounds of the store. The first "Fright Nite" of the Halloween season had been scheduled for this Friday.

Employees stood and watched the remains of the business smolder and smoke Tuesday morning. Some cried, others hugged each other, and some just stared.

Lisa Prutzman of Palmerton had worked there as a cashier for seven months.

"It's a great place to work. Everybody's like family here," she said. "It's amazing. For the short time I'm here, I love it."

Les Lehman, 72, who lives within sight of the store, was already trying to help clean up.

"I've retired here four times, but I keep coming back," he said. His eyes bleary from crying, Lehman pushed a shopping cart through stinking rubble, grabbing anything that looked salvageable.

"These people have been so good to me, I need to do something," he said.

The fire moved quickly and was unstoppable by the time firefighters arrived around 5:20 a.m.

The first call came in at 5:10 a.m., said Capt. Richard Bachert of the Towamensing Volunteer Fire Company.

By the time Bachert was making his way to the fire from Lehighton, he could see flames shooting 75 feet through the roof of the building, he said.

"It was an exterior operation. We were unable to make entry," Bachert said. "We were trying to keep it from spreading."

Carbon County fire companies received help from Monroe, Northampton and Lehigh counties.

About 55 fire engines were there, and about 200 firefighters helped control the fire.

There are no fire hydrants around for miles, and tanker trucks couldn't provide sufficient water fast enough to save any part of the main building.

Throughout the day, volunteer firefighters ferreted out h