This document thoroughly chronicles the history of two distinctive Berrien County, Georgia, country stores: Shebargie in New Lois and Sheboggy in Alapaha, both serving as essential community hubs. Shebargie functioned as a local general store providing basic goods, a grist mill, and famously hosted the community's first radio, drawing crowds to listen to the Grand Ole Opry. Its name derived from locals bargaining for goods. In contrast, Sheboggy, also established in the late 1920s, gained a more infamous reputation. Initially a store and service station that doubled as a moonshine bootlegging operation where liquor was kept cool in the river, it later evolved under new ownership into a notorious gathering place known for "wide open gambling and liquor," brawls, and even murder. Despite a subsequent effort to clean up the place and rebuild with a more family-friendly atmosphere, both stores ultimately declined and were demolished or moved by the late 20th century due to changing transportation patterns and infrastructure, such as the opening of new highways. These establishments were more than just shops; they were the social anchors of their rural communities, much like a local watering hole and general store wrapped into one, evolving with, and eventually being eclipsed by the march of modernization.

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