In 1893 (George) Adolph Engel built a general store (Photo 1) and adjacent weatherboard home on Marine Drive, Tea Gardens on the site of the existing three shops and caravan park located east of the present hotel. Not long afterwards the shop was expanded to twice its original frontage (Photo 2) to include a general store and butcher shop with a bakehouse at the rear of the building. As most deliveries depended upon water transport, a shed was constructed on the wharf to store bulk items and to house incoming and outgoing goods. A trolley line was laid from the wharf to the back of the property to move items from the wharf to the various parts of the complex.

By the late 1910s the premises had again become too small so the family home was moved west one block and a new Universal Store, constructed with locally made bricks, was placed between the two older buildings (Photo 4). This new shop was opened in 1922 and it is this building which is still standing in 2001, the older shop and home on either side having been demolished to make way for the caravan park and the hotel swimming pool respectively.

The 1922 Universal Store was divided into two parts, one-third for the butcher shop and the remainder for the Universal Store. A new bakery was built behind the "old shop" and a storeroom behind the main building. The "old shop" was then converted into a storeroom for paint, hardware, boat supplies, motor oil, etc. At the back of the property there were stables for horse drawn transport and a massive hollowed out log which served as a drinking trough for the animals. Also present were storage facilities for inflammable liquids (kerosene, methylated spirits, turpentine, petrol in 44 gallons containers), and a workshop containing a lathe, milling machine, welding equipment and a blacksmiths shop.

Following World War II, trading on the Myall waterways had ceased due to the lack of suitable vessels, combined with the rapid improvement of the road network. A water-based service was no longer necessary and shortly afterwards the firm went into voluntary liquidation. The Universal Store is still standing in 2001, being occupied by three separate businesses. However it may not survive much longer in the current development frenzy which has overtaken this formerly quiet village.