MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — There's hustle and bustle once again inside the deli at the Shawnee General Store in Monroe County.
After sitting vacant for six months, the shop in Smithfield Township is back open under new ownership.
Kelly Sebring and her best friend Tara Molina closed on the property at the end of December and have been open for less than a month.
"We knew that it's so cute and quaint and wouldn't stay on the market long. And so we got home and came to see it, fell in love, and our offer got accepted at the end of the year," said Sebring.
It's a place both women frequently visited for several summers for a bite to eat. But buying a coffee or breakfast sandwich at the shop they now own means a lot more than it did in previous years.
The general store has a way for you to help the next person in line—a simple message that the owners say pays it forward.
"Kelly Rae's mom saw it somewhere, and she brought it into the store, and she was like, 'What do you guys think?' And I was like, 'Yes!' I had never heard of it either, and it blew my mind. I just loved the idea of it," said Molina.
The concept of paying it forward is simple. You can choose any item from their menu and address it to a person. You can be as general or as specific as you'd like.
"Good things still happen, and paying it forward is one of those; karma, you know. You do a nice thing, and a nice thing will come back to you," said Molina.
Each card on the wall represents an item that's already been paid for. If it fits your description, you can use it.
Seeing the kindness from others, Steve Sheptak and his wife decided to pay it forward and purchase a breakfast sandwich.
"I think people ought to do that, and it's a great idea. It helps people out who need help and that's what people should be doing all the time," said Sheptak.
"There have been people who have given several and donated several and it's just nice to see that people in the community are still kind and caring and want to give back to other people," said Sebring.
"You never know who you're going to get, like, someone purchased one for June. I don't know who June is, but I hope to find out, "Molina said.
A sure sign there have been more givers than takers when it comes to paying it forward.
The Shawnee General Store's temporary hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week.