James Elwood Gayle built a store in 1928 between the current home of Raymond Butler, Jr. and the former home of John Gayle. Mr. Gayle ran the store at this location for 4-5 years. In 1932/1933 he moved the store to its present location after receiving a parcel of land from his father’s estate. Two horses pulled the store to the new location on wood rollers. While he operated the store at that location he also conducted a potato shipping business with Mills Godwin, Sr. Potatoes were shipped in sacks from the local wharf. In the meantime he set up his son, James, with a store in Eclipse. In the early 1940s Mr. Gayle began commuting to Eclipse to run that store. Mrs. Gayle and their son Frank then ran the store at Reid’s Ferry until Raymond Butler came home from WW II and operated it. When Raymond was called back into the reserves James Gayle ran the store. Raymond once more took over after he left the reserves and ran it until he built the current Butler’s Store across the highway. The Gayle family consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Gayle and daughter, Brenda, moved to Eclipse in 1957 to run that store. Mr. Gayle died in 1959 and in 1962 Mrs. Gayle sold the store and moved back to Reid’s Ferry. The store was converted into two apartments with Mrs. Gayle living upstairs. Brenda married Mack Wright and they moved downstairs where they now live.
In the early years of the Gayle’s store there was an automotive garage next door for repairs. This full service garage known as “Gayle Brothers” sold Sinclair gas and Kerosene. The garage was operated by Elwood Gayle and his brother, Leslie.