For most, the typical retail business model involves starting with a successful local store, which eventually leads to expansion or venturing into the online market.

For Tom Largen and Red Hill General Store, the plan is going in reverse. Already a successful Internet business, Red Hill will be opening a store at 1035 Sylvatus Highway in Hillsville on Saturday.

“After 10 years, we feel like we want to try the retail market,” Largen said. “That’s what we’re doing. It’s a challenge for us because we want to be able to offer something to everyone but we want to concentrate on stuff people need or will use every day.”

When Red Hill General Store got its start as a mail-order outfit, Largen said the company sold old-fashioned hardware such as galvanized buckets, oil lanterns, canning equipment and things of that nature. The business began out of a home and grew quickly.

“We were the typical two guys in a garage scenario,” Largen said. “We were on the corner of Snake Creek and Oak Knoll. We worked out of a brick house. The brick house became too small so we built a garage on the brick house. Then the garage became too small so we rented lots and lots of storage units. Then we bought this in 2006.”

Today, Red Hill General Store has the retail outlet and a neighboring warehouse, because Largen said the store’s online presence will remain in tact.

“That’s what we do. The online presence is Red Hill General Store, just from the standpoint that we employ 15 people and it’s all of our livelihoods,” Largen said. “We hope this will do as well as the online presence. We went at it a different way. Most companies go brick and mortar and then go online. Most people are going in the other direction but we feel like there’s a lot of local business and that’s what we’re hoping for.”

The local business will offer many of the goods folks expect from Red Hill General Store, plus more. Largen said name-brand clothing items will be included in the store’s inventory.

“We’ve grown. We carry lots of products, anything from home to farm to clothing,” Largen said. “The clothing’s new to us. We’ve never tried the clothing online. We hope to do well with the clothing, it’s names you’ve heard of and if you haven’t, the kids 17 and under have.”

Red Hill General Store will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 21, with its grand opening taking place that day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.