Hill’s Store has been around longer than it’s current owner. Oscar grew up in the store, setting the stage for Todd to do the same, and his grandkids, and now his great-granddaughter, Mika is following the tradition. Here are a few of Oscar’s memories.

On growing up at Hill’s:

On his rise from gas boy to owner:

On farming and his 15 minutes of fame in a Food Town (now Food Lion) commercial:

Finally, every family has their own lore. In this tale, Oscar’s youngest sister Orene thought she was going to die because she had eaten “her peck of dirt.”

Mary Lou Lawson was an important person in the Hill’s Shoes story. She was a fixture in the store for many years as our first resident shoe expert. While not technically a member of the family, we feel she is and always will be an important part of the family in our hearts.

Mary Lou remembers coming to work at Hill’s, the growth of the shoe department, Grandma Hill, and tells a tale of a shoplifter getting caught.

Mickey, another of W.C.’s grandsons–Orene’s son, grew up two doors south of Hill’s. His dad, Junior Leonard worked at the store for many years.

In this clip, Mickey tells us what it was like coming home from school to the store, a tale of a “life of chapstick crime,” and his brother, Scott’s ex-girlfriend who was not satisfied with Scott’s sandwich skills.

Mickey shares what it was like growing up living next door to “Grandma and Grandpa Hill” and Grandma and his mother’s love for coffee made him short.

Kids growing up in a family business have to have a game or two to play. We had Laser Tag. Here’s Mickey’s memory of one of the things that did go wrong when chasing your cousins around the store in the dark with no lights on.