Robin Peevey and Buckalew's General Store
Written and Photographed by Nancy Clover
Some people open a store.
Others create a place where a whole community gathers.
If you’ve ever stepped inside Buckalew’s General Store, you know it’s more than shelves and products. It’s warmth. It’s laughter. It’s the smell of something delicious coming from the kitchen. And at the heart of it all is Robin Peevey — a woman whose life has been guided by food, family, and the belief that the little things can bring people together in powerful ways.
Robin’s story begins far from New England, with family roots deep in the farm country of Texas and Louisiana. As a child, she followed her mother through the garden, dropping seeds into rich red soil. Her grandmothers taught her how to gather what the land provided and transform it into Southern treasures — blackberry preserves, gumbo, and homemade buttermilk biscuits.
Long before the era of celebrity chefs and cooking shows, Robin had a culinary hero: Julia Child. By the age of six, Robin was already attempting soufflés after watching Julia on television — an early sign that food would always be part of her story.
That passion grew into a career. Robin built a successful catering, café, and bakery business called Salt and Pepper in Somerville. But for Robin, food has never been just about what’s on the plate — it’s about where it comes from and the people behind it.
Those values eventually inspired Buckalew’s General Store, named after her mother’s family. Robin envisioned a place where people could slow down, reminisce, and share the simple pleasures of life — through food, drink, and community. The shop celebrates small-batch food makers, independent artisans, and emerging creators who craft things with care.
And Melrose has embraced it.
Walk into Buckalew’s today, and you’ll find shelves filled with thoughtfully chosen foods, cheeses, wines, candies, gifts, and home goods — all surrounded by the unmistakable feeling of Southern hospitality. It feels less like a store and more like the kind of old-fashioned general store where neighbors stop in to chat, catch up, and linger a little longer than they planned.
Robin’s path hasn’t been a straight line. After years in the food business, she returned to school and earned a master’s degree, eventually teaching adult learners and traveling the world. But entrepreneurs rarely stay retired for long.
In 2014, she opened the first Buckalew’s across the street from its current Main Street location. When the old hardware store became available, Robin saw an opportunity to expand. After a tremendous amount of sweat equity, Buckalew’s reopened — and soon after, the world shut down during the pandemic.
Robin adapted quickly. The shop pivoted to online ordering, with boxes packed and picked up at the back door. She created Easter baskets, get-well baskets, and sympathy baskets. When supply chains faltered, she invented “surprise boxes” filled with food, games, toys, and small joys — reminders that comfort matters, especially during difficult times.
Her generosity extends well beyond the store.
Robin received the inaugural Harvest Hero Award for her extraordinary commitment to the mission of The Food Drive. Since its founding in 2020, she has supported the effort in countless ways — hosting donation bins and seasonal drives, preparing meals for the community freezer, and donating surplus food every week to the Pantry of Hope at First Baptist Church of Melrose just one block away.
Inside Buckalew’s, Robin has also built a remarkable team. Staff members bring different talents — from the beautiful art-like displays that greet customers at the door, to managing the carefully curated inventory, to selecting the excellent and affordable wines featured in the store’s wine club and tastings.
After more than a decade, Robin has watched Melrose families grow up before her eyes. Children who once came in for candy now come back as young adults. Customers become friends. Conversations start between strangers and end with laughter.
It’s community in its purest form.
When she’s not at the store, Robin recharges in her garden — returning to the roots that first inspired her love of food. And someday, she dreams of retiring to a small farm with goats and chickens.
But for now, she continues doing what she does best: creating a place where people feel welcome, cared for, and connected.
Because sometimes the most extraordinary thing a person can do is create a space where everyone belongs.
And that’s exactly what Robin Peevey has given Melrose.
