By Justin Suder
The Parsons Advocate
When David “Dave” Stemple worked in a thrift shop while still in high school he told the owner at the time that he would own the thrift shop one day. In July of 2012 Stemple took over the thrift shop in Parsons now known as Dave’s Deals. Where he once worked he now is the proud owner of. But that was not enough for Stemple. On May 11 of this year he opened another business.
What started as a sort of joke, Dixie Dave’s, also owned by Stemple, began shortly after Walmart, eBay and Amazon pulled the Confederate Flags from their merchandise. When the items started being removed from the companies, Stemple joked with a friend saying he would open a store himself if they kept pulling these items off the shelves. As the items were taken off the shelves, the joke started to become a reality for Stemple. Dixie Dave’s is just what Stemple said it would be. It carries the items that were pulled from merchandise at the bigger retailers.
“We started with just carrying confederate merchandise,” stated Stemple, “but now we have expanded to what we call redneck ware and hillbilly commodities.”
Dixie Dave’s carries a variety of items such as pro-gun items, religious items, biker, firefighter and EMS items along with items of every branch and division of the military. Other items Dixie Dave’s carries include bumper stickers, many items that he claims are politically incorrect and even body jewelry.
According to Stemple, Dixie Dave’s is the only place in Parsons that carries body jewelry.
Stemple and his father worked on renovating the building before opening the store. It took approximated six months to get ready. Before the renovation process, the building was a storage building for items from the thrift shop. Installation of insulation and dry wall had to be done, as well as much rewiring.
According to Stemple, he plans on doing different vendor events on some weekends in the future. Some of vendor events will take place at carnivals and fire department events. On May 28 of this year Stemple attended a vendor event at Mt. Storm’s fire department. This was during their annual flea market, which was started the previous year and Stemple attended the vendor event then.
Stemple plans on expanding the inventory at Dixie Dave’s. According to Stemple, he hopes to provide merchandise that will allow customers to not have to drive all the way to Elkins to purchase what they need.
According to Stemple, he is a proud member of the National Rifle Association Business Alliance as well.
Located at 418 Second Street, Parson WV, Dixie Dave’s is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The shop is closed on Saturdays and Sundays. You can contact Stemple during hours of operation at 304.621.1804. You can also find Dixie Dave’s on facebook and view more of the inventory through the pictures posted on the site that is currently for sale.
