10/26/2026
⛽ Buddy’s Food Mart — A Forgotten Piece of Ball Ground’s History
📍 Canton Highway (Old Highway 5) • Ball Ground, Cherokee County, Georgia
🕊️ IN LOVING MEMORY OF TOMMY J. “BUDDY” HOOPER
November 11, 1938 – September 11, 2006
U.S. Army Veteran • Vietnam Veteran • Local Business Owner
════✦ HISTORICAL TIMELINE ✦ ════════
📅 Around 1968 — The Seay family reportedly established a clothing outlet selling Sears and JCPenney merchandise, including factory seconds.
📅 1970s–1980s — The building later operated as a convenience store associated with Donald Klein. Exact operating years remain unconfirmed.
📅 Later Years — Tommy “Buddy” Hooper operated Buddy’s Food Mart, which became a familiar stop for Ball Ground residents and travelers.
📅 Following Buddy’s Ownership — The store reportedly continued under different operators while retaining the Buddy’s name.
📅 September 11, 2006 — Tommy J. “Buddy” Hooper passed away at age 67.
📅 September 3, 2023 — I shared my photographs of the vacant building, bringing back memories from longtime residents and people who remembered its earlier businesses.
════════ ✦ DESCRIPTION ✦ ════════
Standing along Canton Highway in Ball Ground is a building that many people have driven past without realizing just how much local history it holds.
Its faded appearance and long periods of vacancy tell only part of the story. At one time, this was a busy little place where generations of local families stopped to shop, purchase gasoline, and visit with familiar faces.
Some residents remember the building as a clothing outlet operated by the Seay family. Others remember the convenience store that followed, including the years Donald Klein was associated with the property.
But for me, and probably many others who grew up around Ball Ground, this place will always be remembered as Buddy’s.
I personally knew Buddy Hooper, and I can still remember going into his store and sometimes spending an hour just standing there talking with him.
One thing I’ll never forget was how Buddy would stay open late into the night, even when most of the other stores around the area had already closed.
I remember him telling me that he stayed open because there were people who worked late or traveled through Ball Ground who might need gasoline, something to eat, or just a few things from the store.
He didn’t have to keep those doors open as late as he did, but he wanted to help people who needed somewhere to stop.
That’s the kind of person I remember Buddy being.
When I originally shared photographs of this building back in September 2023, I never expected so many people to come forward with their memories.
One resident remembered the Seay family’s clothing outlet and estimated that it opened around 1968. Another remembered making signs for the business during the 1980s while working for North Georgia Sign.
Others recalled the different people who operated stores there over the years. Some even remembered that the convenience store once had a drive-through window.
One of the most meaningful comments came from Jo Ann Hooper Martin, who identified herself as Buddy’s sister.
She shared that Buddy’s given name was Tommy and informed me that he had passed away in 2006. She also shared a photograph of his military headstone, which honors his service in the United States Army during the Vietnam era.
Learning about his passing was heartbreaking, especially remembering the conversations we used to have inside that little store.
Buddy also had connections to other stores around North Georgia. Residents recalled him operating a grocery store in the Toonigh area near Holly Springs and another business toward McCaysville.
Although the exact years he operated the Ball Ground location remain uncertain, the memories people shared show how much he meant to those who knew him.
After Buddy’s ownership ended, the business reportedly passed through several operators before eventually becoming vacant.
During the years that followed, I noticed the windows had been boarded up at one point. Later, the boards were removed, and it appeared that someone might have been doing some work inside. Unfortunately, the building never seemed to return to the busy little neighborhood store I remembered.
When I photographed the property in 2023, it was another reminder of how quickly familiar places can become part of the past.
The gas pumps, the old canopy, and the building itself were still standing, but the conversations and everyday activity that once filled this location were gone.
It’s easy to look at an old vacant gas station and see nothing more than an empty building.
But for those of us who remember Buddy standing behind the counter, it represents something much more.
It represents childhood memories, familiar faces, late-night stops, and a man who cared enough about his community to keep his doors open when others had already closed.
Tommy “Buddy” Hooper may be gone, but his kindness and the memories of his little store remain part of Ball Ground’s history.
And as long as people continue sharing those memories, places like Buddy’s will never truly be forgotten.
🕊️ In loving memory of Tommy J. “Buddy” Hooper (1938–2006). Thank you for the memories, the conversations, and the kindness you showed the people of Ball Ground.
💬 DO YOU REMEMBER BUDDY’S?
Did you ever stop by Buddy’s Food Mart and meet Buddy himself? Do you remember the old clothing outlet, the convenience stores that operated there before Buddy’s, or the drive-through window?
I’d love to hear your memories, especially from anyone who remembers the building’s earliest years or knows when the different businesses opened and closed.
Every memory helps preserve another piece of Ball Ground’s history.
══════✦ DOCUMENTED BY ✦ ════════
⚜️ HICKS EXPLORING THE UNKNOWN ⚜️
Preserving Yesterday • Exploring Today • Never Forgotten
