(Not So) General Stores: Ira Miller’s General Store
Take a journey throughout the Granite State, and visit Ira Miller's General Store and seven other of New Hampshire's unique General Stores
What makes a general store more than a place to buy pantry items and run into the neighbor down the street? It’s a family-centric quality; it’s an “everyone is welcome here, browse-at-will” vibe; it offers feelings of warm nostalgia while placing a strong emphasis on serving the local community. We feature eight stores on the following pages that celebrate that feeling of community and nostalgia in just the right amounts.
Read more about some of NH’s (not so) general stores:
Harrisville Country Store- Harrisville
Calef’s Country Store – Barrington
Zeb’s General Store – North Conway
Newfields General Store – Newfields
Old Country Store and Museum – Moultonborough
Mont Vernon General Store – Mont Vernon
Like the late Ira Miller, Amy Darling knows the power of community, especially in New Hampshire. After moving to Scotland with her husband, Roy, and having their first baby, the couple looked back across the pond to New Hampshire, where Amy was born and raised, to continue growing their family.
They settled in Milton Mills in 2000, and by 2007, their now four girls walked hand in hand to Ira Miller’s General Store for their penny candy every Friday, while Amy and Roy watched from their front stoop. The owner closed the store that same year, but it wasn’t until years later that the Darlings had the thought of resurrecting their town’s landmark.
“Ira Miller was heavily involved in Milton Mills in the back half of his life and opened the general store in 1880. It was a very suc- cessful business and continued to be a crucial part of the town over the years, even as it changed many hands, so it wasn’t a surprise that after a few years without it, we started to feel the weight of the hole that it left behind,” Amy says. “Roy is a contractor by trade and specializes in old buildings, so we knew it just made sense for us to carry the torch next.”
The Darlings purchased the store in 2018, and 19 months of restoration later — including repurposing the original wood throughout the store — Ira Miller’s General Store reopened.
Stepping into the store now is like walking into a cozy time capsule — one where you would find George Bailey at the lunch counter snacking on a malt with Mr. Gower. “We wanted to keep the original character and charm alive,” Amy says. “You can see it in the products that we stock, the food we make and the warm environment we create.” 
The shop carries everything from last-minute grocery necessities to apothecary items to locally made toys and artwork (ask about their sticker collection). They also encourage bringing your own containers for pantry items like flour or sugar, and mason jars or growlers for things like kombucha, coffee or local maple syrup.
While the shopping options are enough to make you want to blissfully hang around for a few hours, it’s also the food that turns drop-by visitors into well-known regulars.
“The Kevin Bacon sandwich is a classic, and people always come back for our breakfast sandwiches,” Amy says. “All of our food is delicious and made with so much love and intention, which is why it takes us longer to prepare it. It’s worth the wait if you happen to arrive during a busy spell — take time to relax on the porch or visit the butterfly installation and our ‘Millie Mae Miller’ persona out front.”
There is something that will satisfy any appetite and dietary restriction, from “afternoonies” like biscotti and Scottish shortbread to wraps, sandwiches, salads, a menu for littles and even a dairy bar complete with root beer floats, frappes and brownie sundaes. Their café is full of options for coffee, wine, beer and tea lovers alike.
Dogs are even welcome and have their own “dogaccino” menu item to indulge in, too. Before you leave, grab a quarter and put it through the gum ball machine (a kid favorite) — if a black gum ball pops out, you win an ice cream cone.
The store is open year-round, but like many businesses, the “hunker down” winter season tends to be a bit slower for the store, but not too slow to still have a little fun.
“We’re hoping to bring back our ‘chef nights’ this season where we bring in a chef and make the store like a restaurant,” Amy says. “We also want to do live music nights. We always have some tricks up our sleeve for anyone who comes through our doors.”
Ira Miller’s General Store may be off the beaten path, but for the Darlings, it’s still its own small-town lighthouse, a beacon of home guiding visitors to comfort and connection from two streets down to two states over. “It’s our greatest joy to bring back the heartbeat of community,” Amy says. “We can’t wait to welcome you in.”
48 Main St., Milton Mills, iramillers.com
