[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 12, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S2363]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    RECOGNIZING TRACY GENERAL STORE

 Mr. RISCH. Mr. President, as a member and former chairman of 
the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, each month 
I recognize and celebrate the American entrepreneurial spirit by 
highlighting the success of a small business in my home State of Idaho. 
Today, I am pleased to honor the Tracy General Store as the Idaho Small 
Business of the Month for March 2024.
  For over a century, the Tracy General Store, the longest continuously 
operating store in Idaho, has called Almo home. Established in 1894 by 
William and Henry Eames, the general store offered food staples, dry 
goods, shoes, household and farm equipment, and a Post Office. The 
upstairs served as an amusement hall for the thriving Southern Idaho 
community where plays, dances, and weddings were performed. The 
building's unique brickwork, often of interest to tourists visiting the 
nearby City of Rocks National Reserve, demonstrates the building styles 
of two different cultures. The lower level was built in the English 
method of bricklaying. The upper floor with its decorative design was 
the handywork of two Swiss bricklayers who helped the brothers in the 
construction of the store's upper addition. In 1940, William Eames sold 
the store to his daughter Otella and her husband Josep Tracy, changing 
the name of the store from Eames to Tracy. The lively general store 
remained in the Tracy family until about 2007.
  Currently owned by Kent and Janis Durfee, the Tracy General Store 
boasts a wide selection of grocery items, as well as fresh and homemade 
food and ice cream. Scattered across the shelves, shoppers can find 
relics from the past; most notable is the original cash register which 
was in use until 2003. Today, the beloved Tracy General Store still 
houses the Post Office, plenty of goods for locals and travelers, and a 
community space where everyone can come together to appreciate the 
building's long history.
  Congratulations to the Durfees and the employees of the Tracy General 
Store on their selection as the Idaho Small Business of the Month for 
March 2024. Thank you for serving Idaho as small business owners and 
entrepreneurs. You make our great State proud, and I look forward to 
your continued growth and success.

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