EGGVILLE, Miss. (AP) - The Hardin family has seen a lot of changes to its business on County Road 1498 in the Eggville community.
Bobby and Sarah Hardin opened Hardin’s Country Store in 1986. Before that, it had been a dairy barn. When dollar stores began popping up in the community, the business couldn’t compete as a grocery, so it turned mostly into a restaurant.
The Hardins’ son, Ben, and his wife, Diana, joined them in the business in 1989. Four years ago, Ben and Diana took over the reins.
“We serve a full-line breakfast here from ham, eggs and pancakes to a sausage biscuit,” Ben said. “At lunch we have chicken strips, hamburgers, pizza. Supper is fish plates, ribeye steaks, hamburger steaks. We stay busy.”
Hardin’s, as locals call it, is the heartbeat of this Lee County community. Regulars pack the cafe next to the kitchen, and three private dining rooms are available for meetings and family gatherings.
But the recent coronavirus pandemic has changed the dynamic of Hardin’s. The cafe and dining rooms are closed to the public. Customers call in orders and come into the store just long enough to pick up food.
“Our business has slowed down some, but we’ve been fortunate,” Diana said. “Our regulars have really supported us. We’re out in the middle of nowhere, but we like to call it downtown Eggville, USA.”
Jeff and Tammi Edwards of Mooreville started eating at Hardin’s about three years ago.
“I came here with a men’s group for a meeting and had their food,” Jeff said. “I’m like a stray dog – I found good food and just kept hanging around.”
A few weeks ago, Jeff, a truck driver, and Tammi, who works at BancorpSouth, made their regular Saturday morning breakfast run to Hardin’s. Because they couldn’t sit in the cafe, they took their food outside and pulled the tailgate down on their pickup for a make-shift table. Before long, a friend of theirs and his son drove up and did the same.
“We were able to visit and catch up and eat, but we were a safe distance apart,” Jeff said.
The next weekend, the Edwardses were joined for breakfast by some church friends, Richard and Maryann Rodgers. Richard has Mid-South Extreme Pest Control in Fulton and Maryann teaches at Verona.
“The weather was so nice, we stayed until almost dinnertime,” Richard said.
Last Saturday, the two couples met again for a tailgate breakfast and a friend, Ken Pearson, a retired UPS driver, joined them. The weather was not-so-nice – about 45 degrees and overcast – but the regulars were determined to support Hardin’s and visit with one another.
“Since we can’t see each other at church, this is the way we catch up,” Maryann said. “We tailgate in chairs beside the trucks. We have our visiting time while still social distancing.”
Jeff said the food Hardin’s prepares is like the food you prepare in your own kitchen.
“That’s right,” Tammi said. “It’s country cooking at its finest.”
Hardin’s is open Tuesday through Saturday from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Normally it has about 20 employees, but half them aren’t working right now. Two full-time workers, Christy McCasland and Tori Funderburk, are still there every day.
“It’s like family here,” said McCasland, who’s been at the store for almost 30 years.
“It doesn’t even feel like work,” said Funderburk, an eight-year employee.
Until COVID-19 restrictions are eased, the Hardins will keep the dining areas closed off from customers, but that won’t keep the customers from coming.
“This has been really scary,” Diana said. “We appreciate our customers keeping us open. They’re not just our customers. They’re our friends.”
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