Carol Owens / The Meridian StarRichard Gatewood's store on Highway 45 specializes in products created by an Amish community in Ohio and offers a variety of produce such as tomatoes. 

When “Captain” Richard Gatewood started selling only Amish jellies and jams at the flea market on Highway 45 North, he didn’t realize it would turn into a full-time store located nearby.

Now, in its seventh year, the Captain’s Ole Country Store sells mostly products that are made by an Amish community in Ohio.

“I was selling the Amish jams and jellies at the flea market and had this location that I first thought was just going to be a produce stand, but I decided to build a store instead,” Gatewood said. “I think Amish food is the best of quality and the best of ingredients.”

His title, “Captain,” was given to him by a man who had a booth at the flea market on Highway 45 when he bought a bunch of captain’s hats and stuck one on Gatewood’s head.

“The name just stuck after that,” Gatewood said. “I have never been a captain in the military and have the highest regard for our military. I only served in the National Guard.”

When you walk into the store there is a general country store feel to it. Though small in square footage, it holds an abundant amount of Amish food products: 40 kinds of cheeses, noodles, butter, jellies, relishes and gourmet popcorn.

They sell cheese curds that are, like the butter, made from first cream from milk. As cheese is being made, curds form after the milk is acidified using starter culture and coagulated. The coagulated milk is cut and heated, separating the liquid whey from the solids making the curds.

“In Wisconsin they call it ‘squeaky cheese,’ because when you bite into it, it makes a squeaky sound,” said Cynthia Cochran, the store’s only employee.

Gatewood said the store’s customers are about half locals and half out-of-towners, with Highway 45 being a main thoroughfare for people traveling from out-of-state going to the Alabama Gulf Coast or other destinations. “We’ve had people from Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Michigan, Missouri and other states stop by passing through,” he said.

Though the Amish community does not use technology abundant in today’s modern world, they have been making healthy foods for decades. The line of many jellies and other products are also available in sugar-free at the store, which is a good choice for diabetics, Cochran said.

The bakery section includes fresh pies, Amish Friendship bread, and different breads. The friendship bread is a best seller, Gatewood said. The baked goods are prepared by Mennonites at what is known as the, “Old Country Bakery,” in Brooksville.

Fresh produce such as tomatoes, watermelons and other items are bought from the Farmers Market in Birmingham, Alabama, though Gatewood said he also sells local produce when he can. One popular product, Mexican Vanilla flavoring, is also sold at the store in regular or organic.

Food products are not all you find at the store. Beautiful handmade gliders, rockers and swings with or without frames, sit on the outside of the store, all of which are made by a Mennonite community in Missouri. Gatewood travels as far as Mexico for some of his wares, such as the 4-foot tall creatures you’ll find outside the store. There are roosters, bears and horses, he travels to the border to buy.

Gatewood moved to Mississippi from Missouri with his late wife, Erma, and his son as part of his then job, a district sales manager for a maintenance supply company.

“My wife kept talking to me about retiring,” Gatewood said. “Then I started to retire at 62 and I thought, ‘what am I going to do?”

He was an auctioneer for many years, having started in 1968, and then got out of it. He has reapplied for his license to return to it.

The store is only one of Gatewood’s businesses. He also owns Captain’s Mini Storage Units located on Highway 45 North and Lackey Road and holds mini flea markets there on the weekends. He sells a lot of products at auctions and goes to auctions two to three times a week.

“I travel about 60,000 miles a year,” Gatewood said. “I buy whole trailer loads; some of it close-outs, some seasonal.” 

He is also responsible for building two flea markets on Highway 45.

Cochran sells online products for him on the Lauderdale, Buy, Sell and Trade website. Much of what she sells are top name baby products from Graco, Fisher-Price and Ingenuity.

“It’s a wonderful place to work and I have a wonderful boss,” she said.

Gatewood lives his life by the same philosophy he had when he worked in sales.

“When I made a living in sales, I found out if you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything,” Gatewood said. “Whereas if you lie, you have to remember what you said and not forget it to cover it up.”

The philosophy is working well for him because at 79, he has no future plans to retire.

If You Go

Captain’s Ole Country Store is located at 7966 Highway 45 North, open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. For more information, call 601-479-5615.