Don’t worry, you don’t need to know a codeword to enter the new speakeasy area at Old Pop’s Corny Village Emporium. Nope, if you are interested in sampling some moonshine from Triple Nickel Distillery, all you have to do is drive on up to Philipsburg and make your way to the new store on Troy Hawk Run Highway. The speakeasy is in the back and down the stairs, naturally.
There you will find a room newly added to the store that opened last year, with a plethora of moonshine flavors to sample in a room that harkens back to a time when moonshine was made by outlaws and served in places hidden from the law.
Inside you will find Prohibition-era decor, including a picture of a bootlegger, a copper still (decoration only), flapper style clothing, and a whole lot of moonshine behind the bar.
The atmosphere of the speakeasy is another dose of nostalgia offered by owners Mark and Grace Crompton, who opened Old Pop’s Corny Village Emporium last year with a goal to bring back something that Grace remembered from her days growing up in Hawk Run, visiting her uncle’s convenience store.
“Back then, when she was growing up here, the general mercantile stores were all like a gathering place where people could come to talk and sit together,” says Mark. “That’s why we put the porch out front and the rocking chairs by the fireplace, because they could just come and tell their stories and their fishing stories and whatever they wanted to do. So when we bought this place, we developed it to bring that back.”
“I remember going to these stores. I remember the nostalgia of it. My uncle had a little convenience store in Hawk Run, where he had a couple of gas pumps outside and you’d walk in and he had a glass candy case and ice cream and potbellied stove. I really am doing homage to him with this,” says Grace.
And the store does have that old-time feeling, like it is a place to sit and talk about that big fish you just caught or are going to catch. The outside porch looks like a nice place to sit and rock the day away.
Of course kids love the frozen yogurt parlor, which has a nostalgic feeling. Now adults have another reason to stop by and shoot the breeze in the speakeasy.
Their hooch (I have always wanted to use that word in a story) is supplied by Weedville-based Triple Nickel Distillery. The distillery was established in 2018 and offers a variety of spirits that are blended in-house using 100-percent natural juices out in Elk County. Now their offerings (including their bestselling salted caramel, along with apple pie, lemon drop, peanut butter cup, blackberry, red raspberry, American oak, maple oak, vodka, and more) are available a lot closer to home for folks in Centre County. Mark and Grace feel it is the perfect pairing with what they offer in the rest of the store. There are interesting (pickle moonshine, who knew?) and seasonal offerings to try as well.
“The beauty about Triple Nickel is they use all natural ingredients. Their apple pie is made with apple juice with a cinnamon stick in the bottle. And, it’s kind of the way they distill it. You know, we happen to think they’re the best ones around tastewise,” says Mark. “You really get that good distilled natural flavored moonshine.”
Of course, moonshine used to be illegal, made during Prohibition and sold by bootleggers in speakeasies. Now, we can give all of Triple Nickle’s flavors a try with complimentary tastings up at Old Pop’s without having to worry about some Eliot Ness federal-agent types coming in for a bust. So, feel free to sit back and relax and enjoy; you just might find some flavors you would like to take home to your own speakeasy.
“We want people to feel welcome,” says Grace. “Come here and enjoy your time here. When I came back home to the area, I really wanted to bring that. We want people to come in and have an experience. Come in and enjoy some tastings.”
Grace’s previous experience as a wedding planner is going to be put to use as they start offering the speakeasy as an event space. And don’t forget to keep an eye on their social media for when food trucks might be on hand to add to the experience.
Then sit back and enjoy your time on the porch, relaxing away. Maybe you’ll meet a friend who comes by and tells you a fish story, just like back in the old days. Then stop by the speakeasy for a taste of your favorite moonshine. That always helps make those stories a little more believable. T&G
Vincent Corso enjoys drinking local and meeting new people at central Pennsylvania’s many interesting establishments.
