November 5, 2025 UPDATE: Thirteen joists replaced. Three main structural beams replaced and the whole front of the house (2-story) rested on TWO small jacks for two days. After 2.5 weeks, the subfloor (first layer) went in. A day later, atop the subfloor we now have a moisture barrier, subfloor two and then the LVP, which is almost an inch thick with a cork layer and then layers of the other floor material and I don’t know what it all is but it’s lovely.
I celebrated by buying a red velvet cake from Carlie C’s IGA which used to be the Pig but there’s a new girl in town. The ladies who bake and decorate the cakes had a great time with this one. Many of the recipes used at the store here on River Road and the store in Chocowinity are our HVAC guy’s grandmother’s own recipes. His family owned the original grocery store in Chocowinity back in the day and sold the recipes along with the store. Trust me when I say the 15 layer caramel cake is insanely fabulous. The scary spider cake was $9.99 by the way. The Carmel cakes are $18 I think. Cakes vary in price and layers.
Here’s the intro to the Carlie C’s story, you can read the rest by clicking on this link.
In February of 1961, Carlie C and Joyce McLamb opened a small country store in Johnston County on Highway 242. Right from the start, they understood the challenges that lay ahead of them. They knew that it would be hard work, but neither one of them had ever been afraid of working hard for what they wanted. The store quickly became known for its quality meats, fair prices, and customer service.
Carlie C had acquired the store from Otis McLamb. They had been running the store for a little over a year when the landlord would not renew their lease. At about the same time, Mr. Floyd Altman, who owned a grocery store on Highway 301 between Dunn and Benson, approached Carlie C and Joyce about operating the store he was running. Mr. Altman was ready to retire and felt that the store needed a younger couple to come and operate it.
