Back in the days before impersonal supermarkets and oversized shopping centres, the humble general store was a community hub, a place that served an important social, as well as supply, service. General stores were once prolific in towns across the Peninsula region, stocking everything from kerosene and toothpaste to fresh bread and milk, run by owners who knew many of the customers by name. In 1924, Merricks General Wine Store opened to serve a variety of needs of the local community.