Bo's General Store, once the Helme Tobacco Co. cantina, still serves a vital role in the borough. On most days, there's always something to talk about at Bo's General Store. Morning coffee and the latest news, served up Helmetta style. Word of mouth is how most news gets around town, locals say. Andrew Tidd, standing, and Roger Bloomfield, both sub-contractors in the borough, share news and morning coffee on the front porch of Bo's General Store on Main Street.
Today there's something to sing about.
All three of Bo's waitresses, Terri, Angie and Nancy, are celebrating a birthday today. And maybe the only secret in Helmetta that's safe at Bo's is their ages. If someone has a baby, everybody knows it. But the building has served as both a retail outlet and town-gossip mill since 1894, when it was known as the Helmetta Mercantile Co., Bohinski said. Back then, the Helme Tobacco Co. owned the general store and employed most of the town's residents in the snuff mill that now stands vacant across Main Street from Bo's.