Cheely's General Store & Cafe' is a great business within Monroe Mercantile Co. The owner's (Chad and Elizabeth) started their company in 2017 and moved to Monroe in 2018. They are really great people and they love Monroe. Their menu consists of hot dogs, sandwiches, soups,  wraps, quesadillas, ice cream, coffee, and desserts. The Cheely Dog is the best dog in town! Check out their Facebook and Instagram (@CheelysMonroe) for their daily specials. The General Store has locally sourced goods such as jams, jellies, honey, sauces and seasonings. They are also the official Monroe vendor of Melissa and Doug products. Chad and Liz have never met a stranger, so stop by, have a Cheely Dog, and say hello.

 Check out these pictures of the Different Businesses that have been inside the Monroe Mercantile Co. Building 

The picture on the top left was taken between 1932-1933. The photo shows a sale outside the W.H. Nunnally Co for the owner who had recently passed away. Check out those cars!!

 The next picture on the top right was taken in the 1960's when Gallant Belk Co. was located in the building. It was a largest department store in downtown Monroe.

The picture on the bottom left is a picture of  William Dunnally and his staff.  He is the one holding the hat on the left, on the far right is his son.

The picture on the bottom right is also of Mr. Nunnally, his son and a few of his employees. If you look closely you can see the high end men's suits that they sold and the beautiful cabinets on the right full of amazing hats! You were definitely looking good after being fitted for a suit by the Nunnally's.

Not pictured is the well known Buckles Hardware Building. Buckles Hardware was located inside the building for 40+ years. The family was very well known and local residence knew just where to get their seeds for gardening, oak rockers for their porch, candy for their sweet tooth, pecans for the holidays, and a friendly smile. Buckles Hardware closed in 2016 and JEC Development purchased the building giving it its current name of Monroe Mercantile Co.

If you would like to see a larger version of these pictures, visit the Monroe Mercantile Co. Building in downtown Monroe. 

   The question of the week is, what makes your business a success? According to Chad, the owner of Cheely's General Store & Cafe, the employees and customers are what make a business successful. I then ask  why did you pick downtown Monroe to relocate your business too?  He said that the growth in downtown Monroe along with the amount of new residence has been amazing. With the revitalization of the city more customers love to visit and it makes int a prime location for new businesses.
   Then asked the owners of Olive Branch Antiques & Home Decor, Nicole and Maggie what  makes their business a success. They said their business is a success because of it's amazing customers, hard working vendors and the amazing location they are blessed to have.
    The owner of Southern Belle Boutique, Susan, also says that the people are a big part of what makes her business great. Customers along with the comradery of all the other businesses inside the Monroe Mercantile Building make business great! Monroe is a great town and they are loving their new location and all the amazing people in downtown Monroe. 
So plain and simple, that makes business so great in downtown Monroe?...... The CUSTOMERS! Thank you for supporting all the businesses in downtown Monroe! 

This week we have a chocolate walk and we would love for you to come out to Downtown Monroe to join in all the fun! This Thursday @5-8pm stop by the visitors center to get a bag and a map of all the businesses participating. And while you are here make sure to visit the Monroe Mercantile Co. building where there are four stops on the chocolate walk route. They also have food in the back of the store at Cheely's General Store & Cafe, along with Valentine chocolate and strawberry drizzle milkshakes.  Take time to walk around you never know what you will find amongst the beautiful antiques, cool retro pieces, local Monroe attire, home decor, and other items. So tell your friends and come downtown for a fun night of family, friends, shopping, & chocolate!