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Dixon’s Produce, in its time-worn wooden building at 3300 N. Main St., High Point, sits in sharp contrast to the new square generic grocery store in the background.

And most of us would be disappointed if it looked any different.
After all it’s a quintessential country store, complete with the last fresh German Johnson tomatoes, okra and Silver Queen corn of the season, hoop cheese and, of course, country ham. And what a welcome sight it is.

When you veer off High Point’s North Main Street onto Old 311, Dixon’s Produce is just past the Masonic Hall. You can’t miss it; owners Rodney Dixon and his parents, Harold and Margaret Dixon, have made sure of that.

The yellow and red sign, gravel and dirt drive and hand-written placards announcing “new mountain apples are here” and “we still have homegrown tomatoes” welcome you just as warmly as the aroma of apple pies from your grandmother’s kitchen.

Since the closing of Wood’s Produce on South Main Street last year, Dixon’s is High Point’s only year-round source of fruit and vegetables that have bypassed the grocery store.

And now that the roadside tomato and cantaloupe stands of summer have been folded up and put away until next June, Dixon’s Produce is the one place High Pointers can count on getting vegetables right off the vine. And for folks who were raised on fresh produce like Rodney Dixon — and me — it’s manna from heaven, via the garden of course.

Rodney Dixon and his parents have operated their quaint establishment for the past 18 years. Walk in and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped into one of the country stores that once dotted the crossroads of rural North Carolina. Brown eggs, double yolk eggs, dried apples (for pies), sourwood honey and old-fashioned apples with names like Stayman Winesap and Magna Bonum are staples here.

Then there are the specialty items like Conrad Hinkle pimiento cheese, jams and jellies handmade by the Amish over in Yadkin Valley, old-fashioned Christmas candy from a Lexington company and country molasses.

And don’t forget the seasonal delicacies.

“It’s about time for beats and turnips,” Rodney Dixon said as he reassures me that good food will indeed be available throughout the winter. “We’ll pick all the green tomatoes just before the first frost and let them ripen so we’ll have fresh tomatoes for a while.”

The Dixons do a steady business throughout the year thanks to winter crops like collards and all sorts of other greens, sweet potatoes, oranges and Rodney Dixon’s resourcefulness of supplying us with fresh produce from Florida. He promises that he’ll have vine-ripened tomatoes (and not the kind that have been through a processing plant or kept in cold storage) through the long cold months to come.

Real tomatoes in December. Tell me it isn’t so.

Speaking of December, Rodney Dixon also carries all those goodies that your grandfather made certain Santa Claus had on hand for your Christmas stocking. Rock candy, peanut brittle, candy orange slices and feathery light peppermint bon bons. Comfort food from a place that’s just about as comfortable as a pair of old shoes.

Dixon’s Produce is at 3300 N. Main St. and is open Monday through Saturday. Contact the store at 869-8199.

Share your scares

It’s October and that can only mean one thing ... I’m collecting spooky stories. I’ve already heard one spine-tingling tale this fall and am eager to share that and more with you.

Tell me about your unexplained encounters. Footsteps in the attic, dark shadows that you catch out of the corner of your eye, those creepy stories that have been passed down from one cousin to the next about the perpetually vacant house up the street.

Or maybe it’s just that awful feeling of uneasiness you get whenever you cross the threshold into the basement. Perhaps it’s the sense of foreboding your grandmother experienced just before bad news was delivered to your family. What about the cabinet door that just won’t stay closed no matter how many magnets you attach to the opening?

These are the real tales of the unknown, not the worn-out teen-scream movies or the hackneyed ghost stories that every community seems to share. I’m looking for events that you’ve experienced and cannot for the life of you explain.

A couple of promises from me. I never disclose the location of a place you think is haunted unless you give me permission. Instead I will describe its general location, such as a North High Point subdivision or a downtown High Point church. If you’ve got a ghost, you don’t need aggravation from the living too.

And I’ll only use your name with your blessing. Some of us don’t mind admitting that we’ve heard footsteps in the ceiling above our bed but others aren’t as comfortable letting the rest of the world know. Tell me your story and we’ll work out how I identify you.

Last but not least. I will not make you look foolish. I’ve collected stories of the paranormal for nearly 30 years and written about them for about 15. Like most folks interested in the paranormal, I’ve had a few experiences myself. But we’ll save those for another day.

Contact Cathy Weaver at CWeaverNR@gmail.com