This story is exclusive to subscribers.

Remember When, Chattanooga? Golden Gallon was the place to buy milk

Contributed photo via ChattanoogaHistory.com / Golden Gallon convenience stores were located across Chattanooga for decades. This location is believed to at the corner of Shallowford and Hickory Valley roads. It had more recently been repurposed for other retail stores. Contributed photo via ChattanoogaHistory.com / Golden Gallon convenience stores were located across Chattanooga for decades. This location is believed to at the corner of Shallowford and Hickory Valley roads. It had more recently been repurposed for other retail stores.

By Mark Kennedy April 18, 2025 3 min read

Time was, there was a Golden Gallon convenience store near almost every Chattanooga neighborhood.

The ubiquitous, red-roofed stores were part of a regional chain with roots in the late 1950s. Originally, the stores were called Milk Jugs and were designed as tiny, limited-inventory drive-throughs for dairy customers.

The accompanying photo, via the local history website ChattanoogaHistory.com, appears to have been taken in the 1970s or 1980s, judging from the cars in the parking lot.

The photo was part of a collection of images donated to the website by Chattanooga attorney Hugh J. Moore Jr. Moore said in a text that the location in the photo is apparently at the northeast corner of Shallowford and Hickory Valley roads.