The Simmons - Wright Company

This place is intriguing. From the moment you step through the antique front door, it feels like you’ve traveled back to the early 1900s. It is a mixture of museum and shop. You can see what the shop looked like before. In between the displays you can find baked goods, handmade toys, soaps, other items. We brought home frozen Brunswick stew, Alabama Pecan Bread, pralines, and peach salsa—all delicious! Highly recommend a visit. It’s a one-of-a-kind experience.

We really enjoyed eating at and looking around The Simmons - Wright Company. The old store building was built in 1884 and retains much of its original character. Today it serves as a cafe, snack shop and antique display. The food was good and the people are nice.

Visited this store about 20 years ago on a trip down I-59 and it doesn't seem to have changed a bit. Some of their wares are really crazy, like the Dukes of Hazard trashcan, the ancient leather shoes and the massive glass soda bottle collections (pictured). We were too early for lunch but the staff was very nice. If you're road weary and need a break, I recommend stopping by.

Very glad I stopped by today after finding this spot on Atlas Obscura! This is such an impressive building with a long history. There are many vintage leather shoes and older books upstairs. I came by right at 7:30 so it was too early for me to eat, but they have a good menu you can check out. I ended up just buying a shirt as I’m traveling, but there are crocheted animals and clothes, linens and tea towels upstairs, kitchen goods, tools, and so much more. It was lovely to talk with the shop owner and hear about his garden and the history of this building.

We stopped in on a very quick trip from Georgia to Texas on a whim. We just followed the signs, and I am so glad we did. While we did get there after closing, you all were the nicest folks and still served us the best pulled pork sandwich I've ever had. We picked up some of the BBQ sauce and hot sauce to go because we wanted to have it at home too. Thank you so much for your kindness and sharing such a cool place with us!

Off the beaten path, local fare. We each had a pimento burger and a side of fried okra. I'm a burger snob and I rarely order them because they lack flavor. This burger was delicious! Even without the pimento cheese, the seasoning was excellent. The owner sat with us and we exchanged stories of travels and family and the aftermath of the recent hurricane. Leave the chains and grab a bite here, browse the antiques and listen to the history...

Really unique atmosphere that shows you what a true general store looked like 70 or 80 years ago. The breakfast choices were great and tasted good. The bacon was excellent! We enjoyed meeting the staff and cook.

Antiques galore and lot of interesting history. Owners couldn’t have been nicer. Fresh lunches and homemade deserts served daily. They sell homemade soap. They also have hoop cheese which is delicious. Lots to enjoy.

We are so glad we stopped here! They allowed to us overnight in our RV. In the morning we went inside for a home cooked breakfast. The owner chatted with us and kept the fire going to warm us up. It was the friendliest breakfast we've had in a long time! The general store was chock full of the most interesting selection of items! I read about the corn flake cookies, and they had their own coffee beans, so we stocked up on both of those items for the road.

Welcoming place to stop for food & antiques. Handmade soaps too! The couple we met today were very nice. Support small local business when you travel.

Located in Kewanee, Mississippi, The Simmons-Wright Company is like a time-machine as it has operated as a general/mercantile store since 1884. Visiting the store is like stepping into history with so many random pieces from the past inside. There are so many treasures to be found here if you have time to have a look. A box of old postcards was very entertaining. A nice stop on the road if you are in the area!

This is a combination antique/junk store and a restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch. I was a bit confused by their menu offering red beans & rice on a Tuesday instead of the New Orleans traditional Monday but other than that this place was fun. This establishment is between the Mississippi and Alabama border which is a short ride from the interstate to get to. You might want to plan a little more time here than you expect as there are quite a lot of things to look at all over the two levels of the store. You can also eat in this place on the two levels and shop as you dine or just enjoy looking at all the interesting stuff all around you. This place is the authentic version of what Cracker Barrel and lots of other establishments attempt to copy in a very weak way and visiting here will show you exactly what a bad copy the pretenders are.

Simmons & Wright is certainly a step back in time. I had this store on my radar to stop and see almost ten years ago. On that trip, we drove up, got out and peered in the window of the screen door, but they were closed for the day. Years later I still had the place bookmarked so we detoured off to stop by. Upon driving up, Mr. R said "hey, we've been here before!" But this time they were open. The store originates from 1884, however there was a fire and it was rebuilt in 1926. While we were parking there was a stray dog watching us. When we got out of the car she took off. Mr. R mentioned it to the lady at the counter when we got inside, and she said that they feed her and everyone calls her Kewanee. I guess several people have tried to take her in but she won't come close enough to let anyone touch her. You're not going to be able to do your week's shopping at Simmons & Wright these days, but you can pick up some vintage items, a few convenience items or a hot breakfast or lunch. During the Great Depression, customers who built up a tab at the store were allowed to pay it off with cotton. Upstairs in the general store were rows and rows of very old women's and children's shoes. Bins of cotton lined one end of the room. We ordered lunch since they had fried chicken and greens on the menu and we hadn't eaten yet. Our meals arrived after about 15 minutes in styrofoam boxes: two chicken legs each, greens and a piece of cornbread. I typically will pass on chicken legs, but these were very good. The dark meat was flavorful and moist, and the breading was seasoned nicely. The greens were OK but I've had some that appealed to me more. While we were paying to leave we threw in a cornflake peanut butter cookie that was available by the register and it was a great treat to end our lunch. If you find yourself crossing the Mississippi Alabama border and need a break, get off the beaten path and poke around the Simmons & Wright store.

Tasty, simple lunch. We had fried chicken, field peas, turnip greens and jalapeño cornbread. Reminded me of a meal my grandmother would have made for me decades ago. Came with tea and a dessert. Interesting to walk around and look at all of the items in the old store.

Super nice people and super delicious food! I had the BBQ. It was fantastic. I could have spent hours looking at all the antiques and memorabilia. If you're in the area, you must stop by.

Very unique atmosphere. The antiques where incredible! This places captures the Mississippi old country store vibe perfectly. The cheeseburgers where delicious! Exactly the what you would expect from a place like this! The fries could use some work. The place is a step back in time! I recommend you stop and grab a burger and an apple turnover!

This place is an institution. It adds so much to our community. We love living in Kewanee because the people here are wonderful and good people. They serve breakfast and lunch. It's all homemade. Lots of neat antiques to look at. We highly recommend.

What a wonderful experience. If you want gourmet dining stay away. But if your up for a truly different experience and good food make this the place to stop. Gary and Janice who own the S&W Co. along with their world renowned southern cooks will delight you with one meat and two vegetable lunch specials or items off their menu. They will uplift you with their true southern charm in a very old southern way of sitting on hard pine benches at a long pine table with guest from all over. Every one you meet will be your friend before you leave.