Hannah Cohen

By 8 a.m., the regulars at Tussey&#8217;s Round Hill General Store are deep in town gossip.
Though ready to wind down, Doug and Susie Tussey refuse to cut the hours at the Kirksville community store. They know the unassuming characters who use Tussey&#8217;s for a social hub. As the older generation ages and members of the community die, loved ones and partners left behind &#8211; sometimes after half a century of marriage &#8211; rely on each other for support through struggles and change.
The Tusseys wake up each morning around 3:30. Aside from running a gas station, convenience store and cafe, Susie bakes for special occasions in the community. They haven&#8217;t taken a vacation in more than 10 years, and the only time the store shuts down is for Thanksgiving and Christmas. They open the store seven days a week, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and say they are growing weary of the routine.
&#8220;I&#8217;m fixing to quit soon,&#8221; Susie says. &#8220;I&#8217;ve got other things I need to be doing.&#8221;
But the store is one of the last of its kind, and others have closed because of encroaching big box depots. Regulars said they will miss it if it goes.
&#8220;If this store were to close, us country folk would all go nuts,&#8221; says Joe Masters, 62, of Kirksville, who visits Tussey&#8217;s most weekdays. &#8220;This is where we go to laugh, tell lies and socialize.&#8221;
Billy Dennis, 71, who owned the general store for 18 years before finally turning it over to the Tusseys in 2002, still frequents the store. He shares his life motto with anyone who listens: &#8220;You know the best way to be happy? Two things: Be saved by the Lord and be happy with yourself.&#8221;

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