New owner to keep vintage feel of Noxon store

 

January 21, 2021

Shana Neesvig

NEW OWNER – Joe Hokel has taken ownership of the former Main Street General Store and renamed it the Angry Beaver General Store. He is looking forward to providing the community with quality products while retaining its historical features.

The Main Street General Store in Noxon changed ownership last fall when Joe Hokel purchased the historic mercantile. He has a few goals in mind for the newly named Angry Beaver General Store. He plans to keep the antiqueness by incorporating "subtle changes" and offer products the community wants and needs.

While many people try to recreate an old west ghost town feel by introducing reclaimed and refurbished commodities, the Angry Beaver General Store is special in that it simply is the real deal. The historical store features are for the most part originals, not imposters. Keeping true to the novelty of the building, Hokel is not about to change it. He is keeping it real, preserving it, retaining its originality. It is pretty simple to do given that the building naturally retains its unique, vintage charm.

Customers are greeted by passing through double doors outfitted with thumb latch handles. The original hardwood flooring throughout the mercantile supports a four-section, latch-and-strike handled beer cooler. If it is not the store's original refrigeration system, it has served the store well in keeping refreshments cold for quite some time. Additionally, there are vintage deli meat and produce display case coolers sure to have been fixtures for many decades, adding to the nostalgia.


The deli section is seeing more action these days as Hokel is serving freshly made sandwiches and meats supplied by Wood's Meats in Sandpoint, Idaho. "We started serving sandwiches a couple weeks ago and it has been fantastic," shared Hokel, who added that a Famous Dave's pickle is served with every sandwich. He admitted he was already making an unplanned trip to Missoula to replenish his stock of sandwich ingredients because he was not prepared for them to be such a hot seller.


Sanders County Ledger canvas prints

Hokel said he is carrying name-brand, quality products on his shelves and will have a respectful variety of fresh produce, meat, and cheese available. He has also brought in non-food items such as gloves, hats, phone chargers and has smelt right now, but in spring he will carry an ample supply of bait to keep the fisherman happy, and plants for eager gardeners and landscapers.

Hokel lived in Clark Fork, Idaho, for a short time before moving to Noxon. He said he had his eye on the Noxon store for about two years before the sale took place. "How can you not just love this store?" he asked when explaining why he chose to take ownership. He finds comfort in living his "retired" life in Noxon, after working 22 years as a rural carrier for the U.S. Post Office in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.


Although, Hokel's story does not start in Idaho. He is originally from Iowa. He enlisted with the Air Force and lived in Fort Worth, Texas, for some time, then worked for Budweiser and made a living in the construction industry. A friend of his, from Heron, introduced him to the Pacific Northwest. Hokel eventually made the move to Idaho, taking a position with the U.S. Postal Service. It was not surprising to hear that after retiring from the USPS, Hokel had his own bait shop in Athol, Idaho. His ball cap features a large fishing hook in the bill; making it clear he takes a liking to the sport.

Shana Neesvig

ANGRY BEAVER OWNER Joe Hokel will continue to utilize vintage iceboxes for produce, refreshments and displaying Wood's meats, cheeses and freshly made deli sandwiches.

The Angry Beaver General Store, which got its name from a closed lumber company Hokel used to buy wood from, is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed on Sundays. During the summer months, the store will be open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day of the week.

 

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