Great Memories of Cotham's Mercantile in Scott.

Do you ever miss Cotham's Mercantile in Scott? Known for Hubcap Burgers, home cooking, and its unique location along a slough not far off the Arkansas River, this landmark is now lost to time.

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Cotham’s Mercantile burned to its stilts early the morning of May 29th, 2017. The building and the business both trace history back to 1917, when it served as a general mercantile store for the town of Scott. Over the years, it spent time as a military commissary and even once served as Scott’s local jail.

In 1984, owners Bill and Suzy Cotham created an Arkansas icon, adding a single table to the store for area farmers who wanted to sit down and enjoy their lunch, rather than eating their wax paper-wrapped bologna sandwiches on the front porch. It was soon discovered by local politicians such as David Pryor and Bill Clinton, who found the 20-minute drive from downtown Little Rock the perfect distance to escape the state’s capitol for a respite and a bite. It wasn’t long before more tables were brought in, and the moniker “where the elite come to eat” was tacked on.

Though the mercantile’s goods gave way to a full set of table and chairs over time, the store’s walls remained covered with sundry items and photographs from its past. A long counter with glass cabinet sat to the left from the entryway, packed with everything from elixirs and spices to undergarments and baseball hats. Mismatched ceiling fans circulated the air in the massive, wood paneled room.

For three decades, folks from all walks of life rubbed elbows at those wooden tables while downing the daily meat-and-three or two-handing the restaurant’s famed 17-ounce Hubcap Burger with a side of double dipped oversized onion rings.

Cotham’s was visited by President George Bush, by Food Network’s Rachel Ray and by The Travel Channel’s Adam Richman, who attempted to eat a four-patty Quad Hubcap on his show, Man Vs. Food. It was a regular watering hole for business folks from the city and neighbors from rural Arkansas, and the meals taken within its walls were the sort that stick to the ribs, and to our memories.

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