Champion Company Store

Before the 1950s, the Champion paper mill in Canton had its own supermarket which offered dry goods, fresh produce—even a soda fountain. Customers would come with a list or phone-in their requests and a clerk would gather all the items and send them to the customer’s home through a fleet of delivery trucks.

Eventually, the store expanded to include a second story and two side wings. Before World War II, employees could use company scrip or “doogaloo” in lieu of cash. As a Christmas present from the company, employees received a dividend for two weeks’ worth of groceries each December. In 1959, Champion tore down the store along with the YMCA building to make room for a mill expansion.

Photograph courtesy of Canton Historical Museum

Caption courtesy of Michael Beadle, Haywood County (Images of America)