Country Junction - World's Largest General Store — Attraction in Towamensing Township

An unfortunately disappointing experience I was throuroughly looking forward to.

The Animals & 'petting zoo'. Puppies were under incredibly bright lights - both the labrador and cavapoos and on display in a very effortless way. No shelter, beds or otherwise for either of the groups of puppies they had for sale. Several species of fish housed without shelter, bright lights lit upon them and beta fish housed within pot noodle sized cups. (The cups, in which, do NOT come with the sale of a beta fish.)

Externally there is the 'old' petting zoo as you walk into the gates outside of the main building itself. In this area pig(s?), a turkey, ducks, pheasants and chickens are housed. One chicken had her back plucked clean, ideally this should be looked at by the staff as it appeared from behaviour that this hen in question was being bullied by the rest of the coop. The ducks looked miserable. A tiny bit of water, a questionable pen design overall for these birds. No shelter externally (if they're even taken in at night) from the hot sun - worse so that they're on what appears to be a concreted floor.

Beyond this initial area it is quite a hefty walk to their new 'petting zoo'. This consists of (what we saw). 4 goats, chickens, some peacocks and a cow. I checked the website beforehand to ensure we would arrive to visit the petting area in question, to which it clearly states this area is open during all regular business hours. - clearly not. Upon walking some distance to this new area we were greeted with a sign that said the farm closed at 4pm. We were a bit shocked. Regardless of this, staff had not taken the time to lock up this building in question (if it does get locked up.) And we were able to enter through any of the several gates scattered around this section. The goats looked uncomfortable and awfully bloated.

The area was a ghost town, understandably we arrived around 5-5:30pm - but surely it's unnecessary to have the entire exterior facility open to guests when (seemingly) everything closes outside before the actual store itself.

The Store itself. A lot of made in China items, unfortunately. A maze, considerably overwhelming. Shelves were majority empty for a handful of sections asides from tools etc.

The Staff. I believe I saw a total of 3 staff: in the pet area, the fudge counter and at the cashier. The member of staff at the pet area didn't even bat an eye to us when we mentioned things around and nearby to her. Possibly just a long tough shift? The younger staff, including two members who checked us out at the regular till and fudge counter.. were very pleasant. They smiled, greeted us and otherwise were absolutely a bit of sunshine on an unfortunately dull experience.

I hope the welfare of the animals is much better on the internal side than what is displayed externally. I do not recommend going here if animals appearing miserable will in turn upset you. The shelves were majority empty, staff spotty (considering the size of this store.) And odd area permitting in seemly closed or out of order areas. I hope to visit sometime in the future and see better conditions for the ducks and puppies especially.

This review is for anyone curious about visiting this spot. It's novelty, I do not recommend it in its current condition unless you're desperate for something to do in the area. And even at that, I am certain there are more positive experiences to be had in other spots in...

I was very curious and had to stop in on my way back home to NJ. They claim they are the biggest Country Store in the World. They have a very large parking lot, and have handicapped parking up front and in several areas. Be prepared to do a lot of walking. This General Store is really many stores in one all connected. You start at one end of the store and follow the yellow brick pathway through tons of aisles and along the way you can see many animated displays that are interactive and give information to visitors by touching a button. The path will eventually take you through to the many different sections of this Huge General Store,and you will wind up on the other side and come full circle. If you continue there is a fun Kids Section. They have an automated 6 lane bowling alley, and an arcade with all kinds of games. Country Junction General Store has private areas so they can host birthday parties and events. Outside kids love it. They have carnival rides, farm animals and hay rides. Country Junction hosts a number of special events yearly from Spring thru Fall. Back in 2006 there was a huge 10 million dollar fire, 80,000 sq ft was destroyed in their main building. The owner Everett knew the locals needed a place to shop and most of their Christmas items were stored off the premises. He erected a very large tent on the property and was back in business in a week. This place remained like this for two years until it was rebuilt. You will also find Street-Homespun Fudge, Candy, Pies, and more. Bulk candy is sold by the handfuls. There is a Pet Section. You will find pet supplies of all kinds.Pet Foods and Treats, Live Animals, Dogs, Cats Fish, Small Animals and Reptiles. They have Pet Grooming, and Nail Trimming, Do it Yourself Large Wash Stations for rent. You can even purchase puppies of all breeds.You can check online for the different breeds. There is an Ashley Furniture section they have sofas, bedroom sets, dining room etc. Ace Hardware Section for home improvement. Lumber and tools, BBQ Grills etc. There's a Rental Section we're you can rent Excavators, Small Lifts, Dumpsters, Party Equipment Rentals such as Cotton Candy Maker, Popcorn Maker, Hot Dog Roller and more... They have a Service Team that can do Expert Installations of Vinyl Siding, Sturdy Garage Doors, and kitchens. Their indoor space holds a little bit of everything with potato peelers, canned jellies and jams to candles and clothing. If your squimish beware, they have tons of animal heads, and full size animals of all kinds that are stuffed. They have a retail Wine Shop, and Bakery where you can purchase Pennsylvania Dutch desserts. There is something for everyone here. Prices vary, but overall you can definitely find some good buys. It can be a bit corny but that's part of its...

This review is about their poor care and irresponsible breeding of rats, which I feel deserves one star.

The rats are displayed in aquarium tanks filled with paper bedding. These tanks provide no ventilation. In addition to that, paper bedding is notorious for being harmful due to dust and ammonia buildup. Perfect for cultivating upper respiratory infections. The feed they are given is a "trail mix" type, which the rats will not fulfill their dietary needs by eating because they will pick out certain ingredients of the feed and eat those only. I suggest using wire enclosures (with a flat, solid base), pine/aspen/or hemp shavings, and oxbow essentials food for adult rats. That is, if the store cares enough about the health of the animals they sell. One of the rats I adopted from them came home with an upper respiratory infection.

On that note, their rats are clearly not bred for health or temperament. The other rat I adopted from them has severely injured the other. No worries, he is recovering and being taken care of. Both are 3 months old. Due to their ages, the only culprit is genetic aggression. Genetically aggressive rats can not be housed with other rats because they are dangerous. They can not control their aggression. Isolating a rat is a worse fate than death. They become severely depressed, as they are very social animals that require the company of others.

Due to genetic aggression having no cure and isolation being cruel, euthanasia is the only ethical option for an aggressive rat. This is why I take so much issue with their breeding practices, which clearly are not up to par if the babies produced are genetically aggressive.

It is just cruel to breed for babies that have a very low chance of living a happy, healthy life. Very unethical, as are the enclosures. If the standards for rat breeding are non-existent, can a puppy from this store be trusted not to bite?

I hope to see improvement in Country Junction's practices. Truly horrible to see such intelligent, individual creatures be subjected to poor housing and their own genetics.

Please, improve. For the sake of the animals you sell and the people who will take them home only to have their...