Yoho General Store – Circa 1960s

A Little History

In 1907, the Yoho General Store sat on the southeast corner of Solsberry’s town square in southern Indiana. Until the 1930s, the three Yoho brothers, Frank, Oscar, and William, operated the store. Unfortunately, the store was destroyed by a fire in 1933.

The current Yoho General Store was constructed in 1934 at the corner of Highway 43 and County Road 420 North (today known as East Tulip Road). Otis Sullivan operated the general store until 1939. From 1940-1944, the building housed the Rotha Sim’s Rainbow Store. In 1944, townsmen Wayne Sherrow and Fred Cooksey operated the store. Then, in 1947, Dwight “a.k.a. Cotton” Yoho bought out Cooksey. The store operated as Sherrow-Yoho until 1950, when Yoho bought out Sherrow and renamed it the Yoho General Store.

The “Yoho General Store” name has been serving the Solsberry community for 98 years.

Cotton and his wife, Pearl, operated the store for almost 50 years. Cotton passed away in 1999, and Pearl a year later. Their youngest son, Donnie, ran the store until his passing in October 2011. Lavon Yoho, Cotton and Pearl’s oldest son, operated the store with the assistance of his family and community members until CFC Properties, a real estate development and property management company specializing in historic restoration, purchased the building in July 2012.

After an extensive restoration, the Yoho General Store reopened on December 1, 2012, under the management of CFC Properties. As with many CFC restoration projects, the original store fixtures, plank flooring, wood-shelving units, and the Hot Blast Florence Stove were restored to help preserve the history and heritage of the store.

Following the renovation, Lavon Yoho visited the store on a daily basis until passing away in November 2019. Lavon always brought a smile along with his fun, mischievous attitude and greatly enjoyed sharing stories with whoever was sitting the closest to him.

Throughout its history, the Yoho General Store has been a gathering place for Solsberry residents and visitors alike. In the past, the Masonic Lodge and Eastern Star organizations met on the second floor.

Today, the store offers a dining area that serves a deli-style breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Popular items include oversized breaded tenderloins, stacked burgers, monthly specials, hand-scooped ice cream, and pies. Other necessity items and gasoline are available as well, making it an ideal one-stop location.