A popular White Horse Beach business is closing. Here's what you need to know

PLYMOUTH − A symbol of White Horse Beach history will close its doors soon.

The White Horse General Store's last day of business will be April 1, according to a post on the store's Facebook page. The property has been used as a store for over a century, under different names. The current owner has run it as the White Horse General Store for 40 years.

"The memories are fading," the post said.

There will be a celebration with cake after 5 p.m. April 1 in front of the store to commemorate its four decades of business, according to the post. The store is at 121 White Horse Road.

Store owner Francis Kuhn said he is retiring from running the store full time to spend time with his children and grandchildren.

"I've totally enjoyed it," he said. "We have a lot, a lot of regulars."

The store sells everything from antiques to lottery tickets, Kuhn said. Pop-up openings of the store may occur in the future and individual wares can be bought through eBay or by appointment via Facebook. The store also sells honey made by Kuhn's father.

"We've had a lot of people ask where they can get their honey from now. Can't get much more local than a hive in Manomet," he said. "We're going to try to accommodate through the Facebook page."

The general store is a popular meeting place for neighbors and residents of White Horse Beach, with a group of patrons called the "Coffee Club" pulling up chairs and catching up around the store's coffee pot, Kuhn said.

"A lot of the babies and children in the '80s that came here are grown and bring in their own kids," he said.

Since the announcement of the store's closing, many people have been visiting the store to buy mementos, Kuhn said, particularly miniature replicas of the White Horse General Store itself.

Kuhn, who owns the property, said he may make the space into a community center or rent it out.

Kelly McGuinness, Kuhn's daughter, said she is happy her father will have more time on his hands.

"It's bittersweet because my kids love going there," she said. "We're losing something, but we're gaining something else."

Regarding the store property, McGuinness said there are ideas in the works about having more community gatherings there in the future.

"This era is done, but we're starting the next era," she said.

Rin Velasco is a reporter for Old Colony Memorial in Plymouth. She can be reached at rvelasco@gannett.com.