Tucker has a rich business history. From the Cofer Bros. to Matthew’s Cafeteria, many local businesses have been founded and remained in Tucker for decades. These familiar locations invoke nostalgia often aided by the black-and-white photographs that line their walls. When such establishments are essential to daily life, it’s no surprise that many a Tuckerite has multiple stories detailing moments that have stuck with them. In such stories, these companies may serve as important backdrops or even as main characters themselves.
At the corner of Fellowship Road and Lawrenceville Highway is a shopping center housing a variety of stores. Their inventories differ so widely that one can find almost anything. If the shopping center is found lacking, however, then it is very likely that the Milk Jug Drive-Through Convenience Store in the middle of the parking lot will have the answer to your woes.
Open until 10:30 or 11 p.m. depending on the night, the Milk Jug is a constant for those times when you have finished grocery shopping, realized you forgot to buy something important, and cannot muster the strength to exit your vehicle and wait in another long line of everyone who has decided that they need to shop at the same time. From shampoo to the store’s namesake jug of milk, you would be hard-pressed to find an item that the store does not carry. This makes it the perfect stop for whatever household necessity you require.
It is a convenience store to beat all convenience stores: a store so convenient you can stay in your car through your whole visit. First-time visitors are often confused by the existence of a drive-through window right next to a doorway, but regulars know to stop at the door during the day and at the window once the sun has set. An additional walk-up window is available at the shop’s front before a few parking spaces if a visitor prefers to stretch their legs as they purchase a candy bar or lottery ticket.
Perhaps it is the ease of the Milk Jug’s sale system that has led to its unwavering presence at that busy street corner and its survival of the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The store has operated for decades, and it has run under its current ownership for over 30 years. It employs a small cast of familiar faces who recognize many of their customers on sight, and it is not uncommon for staff to ask after regular patrons who have gone an unusual amount of time without visiting.
From the simplicity of staying in one’s car throughout your stop to the delight of seeing a familiar face who recognizes you in turn, the Milk Jug is the epitome of comfort and Tucker nostalgia.
