Cooper’s Country Store — Salters, South Carolina
SC Picture Project | Williamsburg County | Cooper’s Country Store
Cooper’s Country Store in the Williamsburg County town of Salters may look like a regular pit stop for travelers on their way to the Grand Strand, but it is actually a destination for South Carolinians looking for the some of the state’s most savory barbecue and tastiest country hams.
When United States Highway 521 was built in 1937, connecting Manning to Georgetown, entrepreneur Theron Burrows decided to take advantage of the traffic that would be passing through his town. He opened an Esso station that also stocked the usual convenient store staples and fed hungry day trippers.
When Burrows died in 1974, the store fell under the ownership of his daughter and son-in-law, George and Adalyn Cooper. The Coopers built a smoke pit and began selling barbecued chickens and hogs. In addition to the smoked meats, patrons can select a country ham or any part of the pig to take home and cook themselves. It even sells the whole hog head for making headcheese.
Today Coopers’ Country Store is run by George and Adalyn’s nephew, Russell Cooper. It remains a popular stop with travelers and locals alike, boasting spicy barbecue sauce that, according to Cooper, will “pull the sweat out from under your eyes.”
Reflections on Cooper’s Country Store
Esther Fogle, a longtime SC Picture Project contributor, describes the scene she found at Cooper’s Country Store in 2008: “If you want to step back in time, take the ‘back way’ to Myrtle Beach and travel down US 521, two miles from Salters. You will find Cooper’s Country Store, owned by Adalyn and George Cooper. It’s like being in another era. It still has the old wooden floors and old-timey meat cases. They sell buckets of lard and barbecued pigs’ feet. In the back of the store, you will find country hams hanging from the ceiling the old fashioned way. It’s probably one of the last ole-timey ‘Mom and Pop’ stores around and it’s right here in South Carolina.”
John Nelson, who sent us the below photo of the ceiling-strung hams, says: “Inside the store is a screen ‘closet’ where they hang up hams to cure. What an aroma!”
Cooper’s Country Store Info
Address: 6945 United States Highway 521, Salters, SC 29590
GPS Coordinates: 33.581317,-79.822230
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19 Comments about Cooper’s Country Store
August 10th, 2019 at 1:47 pm
Great place. It takes me back. I stop in whenever I am seeing friends in Surfside.
July 23rd, 2019 at 1:51 am
Cooper’s Country Store does not have online ordering, you may call them directly to see if they do any type of phone ordering. Their phone number is (843)-387-5772.
July 22nd, 2019 at 7:04 am
I am trying to see what I can buy online?
July 3rd, 2019 at 7:32 pm
I second the motion for online purchases.
June 28th, 2019 at 7:17 pm
Online shopping, would be nice.
January 11th, 2019 at 6:23 pm
I was driving back to Melbourne Florida and saw this place out of the corner of my eye. I had to stop in. This place is a classic.
December 1st, 2015 at 6:32 am
Send my good friends and customers a country ham at Christmas from Russell’s store.
May 30th, 2015 at 4:44 pm
The only place I go to get ham and bacon. 80 miles round trip, I go 2 times a year, it is worth it. Ham and bacon cut to how I want it and the sausage is good also, so pick up a box.
March 24th, 2015 at 4:30 pm
Really good food!!!
February 28th, 2014 at 12:55 pm
This barbeque is delicious. The sauce is exactly what folks from our area live, and then some! It has a zap to it that is addictive and if I got 3,5, or 7 pounds, sometimes I believe I’d be able to eat it all in one sitting. Go Kel and Rus! I wish I was your neighbor so I could have some every day! …Wait, that’s not a bad idea! I’LL MOVE TO SALTERS!
November 28th, 2013 at 5:43 pm
I drive by every time when I go to Georgetown. The barbecue, country ham, and sauce is the best. I love it.
January 3rd, 2013 at 2:32 pm
I have lived in Kingstree SC for a long time and love passing and going to Cooper’s.
August 22nd, 2012 at 9:02 am
We love visiting Cooper’s Country Store on our way to Pawleys Island. It wouldn’t be breakfast at Pawleys without country ham from our favorite ol’ timey country store in Salters, SC!
July 19th, 2012 at 9:30 pm
I forgot, they have shotguns too.
July 19th, 2012 at 9:29 pm
I bought fried chicken skins there just today. FRIED CHICKEN SKINS! I love that place. Reminds me of my granddad’s store. They still have fan belts hanging on racks, hardware, meat counter, panty hose. You name it.
March 2nd, 2012 at 4:05 am
Do they still sell sunbeam jumbo honeybuns?
June 12th, 2011 at 9:24 am
Cooper’s has THE BEST sausage I have ever eaten. Can’t get enough of it.
March 4th, 2011 at 4:52 pm
I’m from Baltimore MD and I love this place. I look forward to stopping there when visiting my mother-in-law and family. This place has the best BBQ and BBQ chicken, not to mention country ham. I love to browse around in there looking for treats to take back home like jellies, preserves, dry beans, and canned goods. Can’t wait to get there this summer.
March 2nd, 2011 at 8:55 am
Coopers has some very good barbecue, too!