The End of an Era at Susan’s General Store
As Susan’s General Store prepares to close, we say goodbye to a downtown Hammond landmark and the woman who built it.
Susan’s is the kind of place where you walk in and are known, and if you aren’t yet, Susan and her staff want to know you. A large white dog named Beaux emerges from behind the counter, sniffing around your legs, patiently waiting for a kind hand. Time slows just enough to notice the small things.
Susan came to Hammond following her husband at the time, who had relocated for work. She searched for a job and quickly learned that opportunities for women were limited. Eventually, she found herself driving a Hanes delivery truck filled with L’eggs stockings stacked neatly in their plastic egg containers, traveling across Tangipahoa and St. Tammany Parishes.
Around the same time, the company her husband worked for was considering expansion. When he mentioned that Susan was looking for something to do, the company head’s wife reached out. The two women decided to open a business together. Susan quit her job, secured a lease, and prepared to open. Then, unexpectedly, her partner dropped out.
What could have been the end was instead the beginning. That partner left Susan with invaluable business advice that grounded her as she stepped forward alone. Between 1979 and 1980, Susan Duvic opened her store.
Susan’s General Store did not always occupy its current location. Originally, it sat closer to the middle of the block, where the karate studio now stands. Eventually, Susan and the dojo swapped locations, moving shelving, supplies, and inventory piece by piece until Susan landed where she remains today.
The store grew over time. What was once a shallow back wall steadily moved farther back until only a small storage closet remained. Susan purchased the building early on and was always opposed to franchising. She wanted ownership of her space, her vision, and her future.
From the start, Susan chose inventory based on what Hammond did not yet have and what people wanted but could not find locally. Early on, the store leaned into smoking accessories, incense, and graphic t-shirts, filling a gap left by a shop that had recently closed. Over time, Susan expanded into gifts, including candles, soaps, and thoughtfully chosen goods sourced from markets and retailers she trusted. Eventually, she reached a point of knowing exactly what Hammond liked, and from there, she listened.
That, Susan says, is the secret ingredient: her customers. Someone mentions butterflies are in, and soon butterfly-themed items appear. Lately, it is mushrooms, now tucked throughout the store.
The store itself is full of quiet delight. An old payphone still hangs on the wall. When Susan moved in and had phone service installed, she asked the provider to connect the payphone too, and they did. To this day, when you call Susan’s General Store, that original payphone rings.
Beaux is part of that magic. For the past five years, he has been the store’s greeter, Susan’s constant companion, and a beloved fixture. Some people stop by just to see him. Years earlier, a cat named TC lived in the store, sunbathing in the windows.
Susan’s advice to young business owners is simple: be conservative, do not overspend, buy only what you need, and think everything through. It is advice passed down from her father. Susan comes from a family of business owners, third generation.
Inside Susan’s sits an extraordinary old cash register, ornate and fully metal, with glass still intact at the top. It originally belonged to Duvic’s Incorporated, her family’s marine business founded in 1901 in the French Quarter. When Susan opened her store, her father offered her the register with one condition: if the business failed, it could never be sold.
It still prints receipts that read “Duvic Inc.” at the top.
Susan’s father did not live long enough to see the full success of her store. It is hard to imagine he would not be proud of the grit, resilience, and heart of the woman he raised.
When asked to describe herself, Susan offers one word: driven. Retail is hard, especially now, and it was no small feat to survive downtown Hammond through the 1980s and 1990s when storefronts sat empty. Susan’s endured and thrived.
Her children grew up in the store, and Susan is now serving third-generation customers, children who once came in holding their parent’s hand, now returning with kids of their own. Susan’s daughter, Deidre Dore, will take ownership of the building. A financial advisor at United Wealth Management, she plans to renovate and reopen later this year. The historic register will live in her lobby. Susan is incredibly proud. A fourth-generation business owner.
Over the years, Susan tried every form of advertising imaginable, but nothing worked like word of mouth. Susan’s does not need to shout. Even longtime Hammond residents still wander in for the first time, surprised it exists.
Susan’s General Store is currently 50 percent off and plans to close by February, or sooner once inventory is gone.
Susan will miss the community she built. During the interview alone, multiple groups stopped in to hug her and wish her well. Friends have flown in just to be with her when they heard she was closing.
When asked about retirement, Susan smiles. “Every day is gonna be a Saturday.” She plans to travel with Beaux, tend her garden, and turn her home into the refuge Susan’s General Store has been for nearly five decades.
Susan’s General Store is not disappearing entirely. Music Express will carry a curated selection of Susan’s items, and her coffee will move to Berry Town.
Susan Duvic has been held and loved by this community. We wish her and Beaux luck on this next chapter.
