the brits go to the shops on the high street..american buy stuff in stores

That’s close but not identical to my experience, Nu Yoik ;) I recognise the word store as quintessentially American when describing a mom ‘n’ pop small retail outfit, but in the UK it tends to only get used to refer to a larger outfit, as in ‘department store’.

I gather the etymology comes (via French) from a Latin word instaurare meaning ‘renew’.

In neither case is it natural to me, either, Father Steve, to go to a car store (sounds more like one of those dumps where imports are kept on an airfield pending distribution!)