Monroe Mercantile was the Consolidation Coal Company’s company store. The original Monroe Mercantile building was destroyed by fire on February 21, 1911. By March 21, 1911, the construction of the new company store was underway, and they held the grand opening of the second building, which also housed Buxton Savings Bank, six months later. The second store was much larger than the first and was organized by department. People could buy many things there: groceries, hats, tailored clothing, carpets, musical instruments, tools and more. If a desired item was not on hand, the store could order nearly anything from automobiles to the latest fashions. The store even had a full mortuary service. Monroe Mercantile was so busy that they had to organize an ordering system in which people from a certain area of town were allowed to place their orders only on certain days of the month.
