By Miles Layton

BELVIDERE — Monday morning was nice, maybe 60 degrees, so I thought it would be a nice day to head to Layden’s Country Store deep in the heart of Perquimans County.  

Why? Because Layden’s is one of those iconic, grounded in the community places that locals swear by — a country store – those are rare these days in a world filled with megalomarts. Whether a stopover for Belvidere Day or to relax with a bottle of Cheerwine and some chips, Layden’s is an experience of sights, smells and customer service with a smile. 

About Layden’s County Store

• Address: 1478 Belvidere Rd, Belvidere, NC 27919
• Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday
• Phone: 252.297.2875
• Social media: https://www.facebook.com/LaydensSupermarket/

Before customers see the long butcher counter or hear the bell on the door, they smell it.

“What do I smell in the air?” I asked Charlie Layden, the third-generation owner of Layden’s. And it was a heavenly smell.   

“Smoked meat,” he answered.  

That smell — hickory and pecan, slow and familiar — has greeted generations at Layden’s Country Store, a small rural business that has outlasted trends, chains and convenience by doing something increasingly rare: refusing to change what works — Northeast NC culture and tradition at its finest.

In an era dominated by speed, self-checkout and shrink-wrapped convenience, Layden’s Country Store stands apart — slower, more personal, and deeply rooted in tradition.

The store remains one of the last of its kind in northeastern North Carolina, a place where meat is still cut to order, sausage is still made by hand, and customer service means far more than speed.

“Longevity,” Layden said.

That single word explains why Layden’s still thrives while similar stores have disappeared.

A store built on old-fashioned values

Layden doesn’t hesitate when I ask why the business has endured.

“Number one is just customer service, treating people kind of the old-fashioned way, staying to those true customer service values.”

For Layden, that philosophy isn’t a slogan. It’s how the store operates every day, from how customers are greeted to how long employees spend behind the counter ensuring an order is exactly right.

Those values were learned early—not in a classroom, but within the store itself.

Layden’s Country Store has never been just a job for Charlie, 45, who has worked there since he was knee-high to a grasshopper.  In 2019, Layden took over the family business from his father, Doug Layden, who had taken over from his father, Charles, in 1986.

“Absolutely. I’ve been here my whole life,” he said. “I left for a short time and then came back, but I’ve been doing this for about 35 years now.”

Layden graduated from Perquimans High School in 1998, but long before that, he was learning the rhythms of the business.

“I’ve done every aspect from the cash register all the way to the meat department.”

That experience still shows. Layden moves easily between customers, counters and coolers, speaking comfortably about cuts of meat, suppliers and longtime patrons by name.

The store, he said, reflects the place it serves.

Rooted in a small community

“What’s special about living in northeast North Carolina?” Layden was asked.

“The small-town feel,” he said. “Everybody knows everybody, willing to jump in and help you if you’re in a bind. Just that small community base.”

That sense of community shapes how Layden’s operates, including where it gets its products.

“We usually try to source everything as local as we can,” Layden said.

Pork and chicken come largely from North Carolina suppliers.

“We use several different suppliers that are North Carolina-based mainly for our pork and chicken.”

Beef is brought in from out west to maintain quality.

“Our beef does come from out west. That’s just where your higher-end quality beef is usually raised.”

Still, Layden said supporting local producers whenever possible remains a priority.

“Absolutely, local as much as we can. All our produce, we try to keep it as local as possible. Support a community because they support us.”

The heart of Layden’s: the meat counter

Ask what Layden’s is known for, and Layden doesn’t hesitate.

“Our specialty, what we’re most known for, is our smoked meats, our sausage, and our cheese.”

Unlike chain grocery stores, Layden’s prepares nearly everything in-house.

“We still smoke all of our own meat. We still do it the old-fashioned way and still hand-make our own sausage every day.”

Those traditions, Layden said, are the foundation of the business.

“Those things really have carried this business a long time.”

They also set Layden’s apart in a changing retail landscape.

“It’s a dying tradition,” Layden said. “There used to be stores like this everywhere you look, and now we’re one of the very few that are left still doing what we’re doing.”

At Layden’s, meat isn’t pre-cut or pre-packaged.

“With our meat department, we don’t pre-cut anything. Everything is customer-service based over the counter.”

That approach allows customers to order exactly what they want.

“You get exactly what you want. It’s cut right then and fresh for you. It’s not just in a pack, and this is what you have to choose from.”

Layden takes pride in the skill behind the counter.

“I love the art of butchering,” he said.

Now 45 years old, Layden has been cutting meat almost his entire life.

“We cut meat since I was eight or nine years old.”

Asked about his personal favorites, Layden points to the store’s staples.

“Obviously our rib eyes are top notch. We’re known for our rib eyes a lot.”

The sausage ranks just as high.

“We make a large variety of different sausages, so those would probably be at the top.”

That lifelong dedication, he said, is part of why customers trust Layden’s — and why they keep coming back.

Customers who travel for tradition

Despite its small-town location, Layden’s customer base stretches far beyond Belvidere.

“The bulk of our business is actually not local,” Layden said.

Customers routinely travel long distances just to shop at the store.

“A lot of people travel in just to come to the store, to see the store, to get their meats from here.”

Some come from nearby communities and neighboring states — “As much as Virginia and Elizabeth City.”

Others come from hundreds of miles away.

“We get tons of people from north Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey.”

Many of those visitors have family roots in the area.

“They have family here, and they come down and load up and carry it back because they just can’t get these items where they live now.”

Faith, service, and going the extra mile

Layden credits more than hard work for the store’s success.

“Absolutely. Our family has always put God first,” he said when asked about faith.

He described the family as “a very Christian, faith-based family.”

“We absolutely give all the glory to Him.”

That belief, Layden said, shapes how customers are treated.

“It’s really just based on treating people how they should be treated.”

Layden’s still offers services most stores abandoned decades ago.

“We still carry groceries out to people’s cars. We still pump their gas for them.”

The goal is simple.

“Making somebody feel special when they come in the door instead of it being a nuisance to wait on them.”

Why Layden’s still matters

From hand-smoked meats and over-the-counter service to faith-driven values and a commitment to community, Charlie has preserved something that many places have lost.

“Longevity.”

At Layden’s Country Store, that word isn’t just about survival. It’s about staying true to who you are — and trusting that customers will notice.

And judging by the steady stream of people drawn in by the smell of smoked meat, they still do.