Don Sieve is no stranger to Middletown.

The Arnold resident comes to the town about 25 weekends a year to go hunt and fish.

Now, he has found a place to shop in Middletown – the Hilltop Variety Store.

“They’ve got a lot of variety in there,” Sieve said.

Sieve was the store’s first customer when it opened at 7:50 a.m. on Dec. 10, 10 minutes before it originally was scheduled to be open at 8 a.m.

“I thought there was going to be a big crowd when I got here,” Sieve said. “I just drove up here and I knew I was coming. I stood up here next to the store a little bit and they said, ‘Come on in.’”

Hilltop Variety Store is located on 420 Highway 161. The 6,000 square foot business had its grand opening on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11. It served free snacks and coffee during the celebration.

Owned by Enos and Vera Girod and family, Hilltop was previously located in rural Curryville in Pike County. The store sells a wide selection of goods, including food, poly lawn furniture and home items.

“I think it’s really nice,” Sieve said. “It has a lot of stuff in it.”
The store drew 10 people after the first 10 minutes. Enos Girod said the only bad part of the first day was the foggy weather outside.

“I was hoping we would have sunshine, but we can’t control the weather,” Girod said.

Sieve said he was looking forward to coming to the store since Dec. 9, the day before it opened.

“I drive by here on the way to where we hunt,” Sieve said. “We have to come right down that road. For weeks, they had a sign out there that said, ‘Coming soon.’ I drove over there and saw a couple of people out in front, which were the Amish people. I asked them, ‘When do you open?’ They said tomorrow is their first day.”

Sieve spent about 15 minutes at the store, buying items such as honey, bread and pie.

“I know the Amish have incredible pastry,” Sieve said. “The first thing I bought was a pie.”

Emily Jones of Middletown said she was thrilled to have a variety store in her hometown. She bought ground beef and homemade pie.

“It’s nice,” Jones said. “I hope they put a bunch of more stuff in there. If they do a lot more meat and stuff, that will be great.”

Hilltop Variety Store can be reached by calling 573-470-2449. Hours of operation are from 8 a.m.- 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.