The Weirdest Store In The USA: It's 4 Feet Wide And 60 Feet Long! - Original Georgia Traveler WSB-TV

This is the weirdest store in the USA. It's 4 feet wide and 60 feet long! Hugh Bradwell’s shop is a tiny hole in the wall. In Dalton, Georgia in the early 1900s the owners of the buildings on either side got into an argument. They didn’t want their buildings to touch each other so they left a long, narrow space. Hugh’s father started a business there. Then in 1940, Bradwell Safe, Lock & Key Service was born. It’s been officially declared the longest and narrowest business in Georgia. Hugh Bradwell is good at what he does. He’ll admit that there isn’t a lock or a safe that he can’t open. Being a master locksmith is like being a doctor. He’s on call 24-hours a day and never knows when he’ll get a call. Locks, keys, car doors, safes and even a bank vault … Hugh has opened them all.
Hugh was a master locksmith back in the days when he could make a key with a small file and patience. He could pick any lock. Today smart locks and keyless entry are taking over the traditional business.
THE REST OF THE STORY
A few years after we did this story I got a call from Mark Pace, the editor of The Dalton Daily Citizen newspaper. He told me that Bradwell Safe, Lock & Key Service had been officially declared the longest and narrowest business in USA. They asked Hugh Bradwell if he wanted them to do a story. Hugh said he didn’t. He really didn’t want people to think of his business as the weirdest store in the USA. This story aired on WSB-TV Channel 2 Action News in 1975.
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Long before CNN and Fox News the Traveler series with Andy Johnston was an Emmy award winning program that showcased amazing people, unusual things, local legends, food finds, outdoor activities, folk art, and family fun. In 2022 the Walter J. Brown Media Archives at the University of Georgia founded The Original Georgia Traveler -- Andy Johnston Collection to preserve and maintain the stories.
The Traveler Series celebrates life and living in America in the 1970s. Nostalgia, small towns, traditional life and the good old days. The stories give us ways to compare then and now. Folklore, music, handcrafts, vanishing America and unusual people. Funny stories, personal stories and amazing people are in this collection.
This story is presented for educational and preservation purposes and is covered under Fair Use. At the time it was broadcast the television station had a blanket music license with ASCAP, BMI and SESAC. The station maintains that license today. All music used is covered under that agreement.
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[@georgiatraveler]

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[@Oliver66FarmBoy]

That ol boy must have been a master at efficient use of space! Wonder if the building is still there.

[@georgiatraveler]

Hi, thanks. The building is still there but I don't think anyone has used that shop since Hugh Bradwell retired. Now I think it's being used by the Dalton Brewing Company.