Stand at the intersection of Edinburg Road and Old Trenton Road, and you can’t miss it: a big, old, white building at the intersection with the words “Village Pantry” emblazoned on the front.
A popular convenience store and place to get lunch, this is one of West Windsor’s most historic sites. It is also our town’s oldest extant storefront, having operated as a store of sorts for well over 200 years.
It’s also one of the major contributing elements of one of our town’s oldest and most historic communities: a mid-1700s hamlet called “Edinburg,” located directly at this very intersection.
The store’s address is 1720-1722 Old Trenton Road. It features two ca. 1960s gas pumps out front. At the time of this writing (2025), the building houses the “Village Pantry” deli and “Greenhouse Graphics” graphic arts company.
This building was constructed around 1816. It seems to have been smaller at first and expanded over time. James Hutchinson had purchased this property — part of a 1.5-acre tract that also included the property of 1726 Old Trenton Road next door — from William Tindall, Esquire, in 1814.
This may have been the same William Tindall who served as West Windsor’s very first Tax Assessor and Justice of the Peace starting in 1797, and was also a Township Committeeman, Commissioner of (Taxation) Appeal, Overseer of the Highways, and Moderator/Judger of Elections from the 1790s-1810s.
Township tax records from 1819 show James operating a “merchant shop” – presumably this same building. What, exactly, he sold is unclear, but dry goods and produce may be good bets. He, and his successors, very likely catered to both locals and travelers looking for provisions.
While the lineage of ownership for the next two decades is unclear, what is certain is that in 1837, John Hutchinson, Esq. and Elizabeth Hutchinson sold the 1.5-acre tract to David and Susan Silver. A “David Silver” is also listed as a West Windsor Overseer of the Highways and Judge of Elections in the 1840s.
Following David in ownership was James Cubberly from 1845-47, and then Richard Rogers, from 1847-53. A post office was established in this building in 1851 with Richard Rogers as the first recorded postmaster.
Most storekeepers after him presumably operated as Edinburg’s postmaster as well.
Following Richard Rogers in ownership were a long line of (comparatively) short-term owners.
Not all were necessarily storekeepers themselves, for other names that appear in the 1883 publication History of Burlington and Mercer Counties as storekeepers (but not owners) include Marco Krakakie, Job Silvers, Lucient Britton, Richard Waddy, Israel Baldwin.
However, the lineage of storeowners is as follows:
• William I. Tindall (1853-18??)
• Possibly another owner (18??-18??)
• Isaac Baldwin (18??-1863)
• Amos Martin (1863-66)
• Isaac Rogers (1866-69)
• John Rogers (1869-71)
• Charles & Mary Hutchinson (1871-73)
• Samuel & Lydia Tindall (1873-80
• Joseph & Kate Watson (1880-88)
• Alexis & Susan Rainear (1888-91
• Rachel Conover (189?-1898)
In 1898, the store and the adjacent property of 1726 Old Trenton Road were finally split from each other, resulting in the current property demarcations. That same year, the store was sold to Levi Updike. The next year, the property again passed to Joseph Watson and his wife, Kate.
The subsequent lineage of ownership is unclear until 1929, when Harry Hohenstein and his wife, Mary, purchased the store. Harry delivered groceries to customers three times a week via horse and wagon. The Hohensteins also sold penny candy, bread, cupcakes, and more treats for kids.
In 1936, Viola and Douglas “Duke” Stults acquired the general store. Duke, blind from birth, nevertheless knew where everything was. He could slice luncheon meats on the machine and count coins, but relied on the honesty of customers when handling paper money. Both he and Viola managed “Duke’s General Store and Chair Caning Shop.” In the rear 1-story extension (next to parking lot) was a game room with a pool table that was a popular hangout location. In 2023, this is a kitchen. During their ownership (if not previous ownership as well) the store also operated as an Esso gas station.
Myron and Bernice Tantum bought the store in 1960 and replaced the older gas pumps with the current relics (which themselves stopped operating long ago).[39] After the Tantums, starting in 1972, were Ronald and Dorothy Maze, who ran “Maze’s Village Pantry,” and sold deli meats and groceries. By this point, a lean-to addition on the east side of the building had been raised to two floors. This same addition house many other shops over the years – too numerous to detail in this article.
A few decades ago, Larris “Lucky” Lee and his wife, Patricia, purchased the property; their son, Scott, had helped run it for many years. It sold to a new owner last year. Yet, despite this change, the Village Pantry still operates out of this building, alongside a graphics arts company called Greenhouse Graphics on the east end and in a 1-story gable-roof addition. This centuries-old building remains part of the lifeblood of historic Edinburg.
To learn more about Edinburg – one of West Windsor’s oldest historic communities – visit: www.WestWindsorHistory.com/Edinburg
The Historical Society is an all-volunteer nonprofit; all our volunteers donate their free time to document and promote our Township’s history. There is a lot to celebrate, but we can’t do it without your support. Please consider volunteering and/or donating to help us grow and expand our impact. To learn more, visit: westwindsorhistory.com
Paul Ligeti is the president of the Historical Society of West Windsor.
