Why an iconic 19th-century LI general store is suddenly the talk of social media

They didn’t have Wi-Fi when this opened.An 168-year-old general store on Long Island — which is the longest running business of its kind in the entire nation — is having a viral moment thanks to history lovers who are making this quaint slice of the past trend in the 21st Century.The two-story St.James General Store, which was built in 1857 by the Smith family — who famously founded nearby Smithtown — was the focus of a social media series episode on its unique lore by Hamptons-based videographer Jim Christiano, which drew thousands of viewers.“I really had never been personally affected by the power of social media until then,” Pat Rohr, who has been working at the North Shore site since the early 1990s, told The Post.“People were calling.

They were calling the store — they were calling me personally,” she said of the shop that, in keeping with its history, doesn’t have its own online presence.Long Island specifically loves this general store — which sits on the National Register of Historic Places — as over the years it’s severed as a meeting place for townsfolk, a post office, a pharmacy and a residence.It also a place for blissful memories to so many locals.“I know that from my own experience, watching these kids who came in with their parents back in the 90s, they’re all grown up now — some of them teachers, lawyers, doctors, and they bring their own kids in,” said Rohr.In the modern day, the St.James General Store is known for a delectable array of candies — Rohr said they are the top seller — plus toys, books, clothing, jewelry, dishware, and other eclectic items that come from over a dozen local merchants and other retailers.Above the shelves sit nearly 300 antiques found in the store over the years, like glass pharmacy bottles, old-style telephones, a stamp machine and even shoes and a bugle.A mix of candles, lavender, and the old wood that keeps the 19th-century homestead together also creates “a smell of its own...