2018 Update: Sadly, proprietrix Marion Thomas Harbaugh passed away in 2015 at age 91. in 2017 it was reported by the Hanover Evening Sun that the building will be gutted and turned into a museum and apartments:
“Biglerville’s historic Thomas Bros. Country Store will soon have a new purpose — a museum to honor its family history and new apartments for seniors.
David Thomas, president of the nonprofit Thomas Bros. Country Store and Museum foundation, and the last Thomas involved with the store, said the first floor will be a museum, with nine 1-2 bedroom apartments on the second and third floors.
The whole building will be gutted, he said, and renovations will take two years at approximately 3 million dollars.”
Strangely, the website for the store lives on – it’s almost haunting to hear the music playing when you know it’s no longer there. http://thomasbroscountrystore.com/
Original 2012 Post:
For 100 years, the nicest people in the world have passed through the doors of Thomas Brothers Country Store – make sure you’re one of them! 
RetroRoadhusband and I made a quick stop there this past fall. President “Ike” and Mamie Eisenhower visited the store in 1960, and it’s in the Register of Historic Places. When our pals at Vintage Allies Broadcasting visited they interviewed store owner(and daughter of the store founders) Marion Thomas Harbaugh and videotaped their visit.
I’ll let her fill you in on the store history just like she would if you were visiting the store yourself – including her memories of what it was like to grow up in the store, gypsies, going to college during wartime and even a papier mache figure of William Penn. You’ll also get a glimpse of the interior of the store that no words of mine or snapshots can effectively evoke.
(If you’re wondering who the dashing gent is in the photo behind her – NO, not honest Abe, the man smoking the pipe! – It’s her husband, who passed away when he was only 46.)
When we approached the store on a brisk fall day, we weren’t sure what to expect. But with the proliferation of flags and references to the previous Presidential visit, we were hardly surprised to hear Sousa military march music playing the store as we entered (you can hear it in the background of the video). It certainly lent a “stepping back in time” kind of vibe to our exploration of the store!
The patriotic theme continued throughout aisles of the store, where we were amazed by the amount of merchandise – old and new, on display and in storage around the store.
Hats, gloves, books, sweaters, candles, perfume bottles, decorative plaques, jewelry boxes, tote bags, candies, flyswatters, home goods, garden implements, gimcracks and gewgaws, you name it, you could probably find it there. It’s more like a combination museum/antique store/gift shop and blast from the past.
(I honestly wasn’t sure if this gum was for sale or just for display, but when the setting sun hit it just right I just had to snap a photo.)
As you wind your way down the aisles lined with merchandise you’ll come across a “store within a store” – yes, this historic store itself has a representation of an antique country store within it, giving you an idea of what might have been sold during the past 100 years at this very location. So it’s (stepping back in time) x 2!
The signs outside indicate that there are all sorts of prom dresses for sale, unfortunately for us they are on the second floor of the store, and we were told it was closed the day we were there. There’s also a back room with all sorts of hardware store and paint items on display and even a basement level you can roam around in if you ask nicely.
Mrs. Harbaugh seemed quite smitten with Retro Roadhusband, and you could see from the photo she proudly displays of her departed husband that she knows a good looking man when she sees one! Retro Roadhusband added to his allure when he purchase an Amish style hat from her, and wore it proudly (or stoically, as the Amish might) as we left the store.
If you’re ever in the Biglerville area you absolutely must visit Thomas Brothers store and make the acquaintance of Mrs. Harbaugh yourself. It’s just a few miles up from historic Gettysburg, so make sure you’re added to the list of the nice people who have passed through their doors.
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