by Gerri Peterson
A building that has been a part of downtown Mullen for over a century is now an empty lot.
Known as the Rustic since 1978, the building had been unoccupied for the last several years. It was full of mold from water damage and was falling in on itself. Licking Rentals LLC purchased the property in March of this year from Gary and Rhonda Reiser and tore the building down last month. Nick Licking said he isn’t sure yet what he is going to do with the lot.
If the building could talk, it would have had a story involving nearly every Mullen area resident at one time or another.
The farthest back the Tribune could trace the building was 1922 when it became Dutton’s Store.
According to the story written by Marjory Dutton in the Hooker County Historical Society’s book, “Hooker County, Nebraska - The First 100 Years, 1889-1989”:
“Dutton’s store was started in 1922 by Stuart and Anna Dutton. At that time it was a general store, selling groceries, sewing thread and material, work clothes, especially mens, and any miscellaneous items usually found in a general store. The store also served as a place for Stuart to test cream, buy and candle eggs and do shoe repair for the local ranchers.
In those early years most of the groceries were sold in bulk form for items such as beans, raisins, prunes, dates, brown sugar and many other items too numerous to mention. Customers usually just brought in their grocery list and gave it to the clerk who would write the order down and then pick out and sack or box the order for them.
Most people bought flour in 50 lb bags, sugar in 100 lb bags, and potatoes came in 100 lb bags and were either sold by 100 lb bag or by the bushel, or by the peck.
Vinegar came in barrels. The barrel would have to be tapped with an auger and a vinegar pump inserted so they could pump out the vinegar, measure it in stone measuring pitchers, strain it through clean cheesecloth, then pour through a funnel into the stone vinegar jugs that most of the customers brought in. Most people had gallon vinegar jugs, but some brought in those large 5-gallon stone jugs to be filled.
The original store had been about 25x25 square feet with a 25x40 square feet storage area in the back. In 1956 Stuart sold his store to his son Neal and Marjory Dutton. They enlarged the store by building on the back. In 1958 they built to the east of the original store and in 1962 added additional storage space and walk-in cooler and freezer units for a building approximately 45x90 square feet.
From 1956 on, Dutton’s Store was considered a modern grocery store, with grocery carts, packaged items, modern refrigeration display cases and a full line of fresh meats and produce.
Stuart Dutton worked in his store until his death in 1958. Neal Dutton worked in the store, but was also a postal clerk at the Mullen Post Office, working both places on a part-time basis. In 1962 Neal and Marjory formed a partnership with Leonard Ridenour of Mullen. After a brief illness, Neal Dutton passed away in 1964. Marjory and Leonard continued Dutton’s store as a partnership operation until 1970 when they formed a corporation.
Neal and Marjory’s son Jay soon entered the corporation and Ridenour left the corporation in 1973. Jay became the third generation of Duttons to own and operate a grocery store in Mullen. He and his mother continued to manage the store until it closed in November 1977, preparing for a change from a grocery store to a restaurant and lounge.
In April 1978 the Rustic Restaurant and Lounge opened to the public with Jay Dutton as the manager.”
According to Jay’s obituary, he owned and operated the Rustic for 32 years. Throughout his ownership he created new menus and opened the first pizza franchise in Mullen.
From 2006-2009, Cindy Weller owned and operated the Rustic.
In May of 2011, Gary and Rhonda Reiser reopened the Rustic, calling it the Rustic Tavern.
In January of 2015 an ad ran in the Tribune with the Rustic for sale.
A murder that took place in one of Mullen’s saloons is said to be one of the first FBI cases. However, according to a History Moment that Mullen historian Frank Harding published in the Aug. 18, 2022, Hooker County Tribune, that saloon was located where the post office is now - so east of the Rustic.
