The Market Report

Lisai's Market Opened: 2010 in current location; 1924 previously Owner: Mike Lisai Previous Tenants: A&P (open by 1958, closed by 1976) > Grand Union (open by 1976) > Green Mountain Power > Cornerstone Pediatrics (2000-2010) Cooperative: Associated Grocers of New England Location: 128 Atkinson St, Bellows Falls, VT Photographed: August 10, 2021 Lots of interesting things to note at this small independent grocer in Bellows Falls, Vermont! Let's start with the obvious: this is a centennial-era A&P, though of course an extensively renovated one. But A&P actually opened here before their 1859 centennial, opening between 1956 and 1958. It's possible this was simply a very early centennial, or a pre-centennial store that was remodeled during the centennial era. A&P closed no later than 1976, and Grand Union moved into the space subsequently. (Amazingly, it seems they must've kept most of the A&P facade, given how intact it is today.) I don...

Original Grocery Tenant: Buffum's Supermarket Address: 112 Rockingham St, Bellows Falls, VT Opened: between 1956 and 1962 Closed: after 1995 Later Tenants:  Rite Aid > Walgreens Photographed: August 10, 2021 Bellows Falls, Vermont is a quaint small town along the Connecticut River, where the water cuts through a gorge on the border between Vermont and New Hampshire. For decades, the town was served by an A&P supermarket (later Grand Union) as well as this independent, Buffum's Supermarket. This space is around 15,000 square feet, apparently constructed by Buffum's between 1956 and 1962, though it looks like it might've replaced an older building on the same property. From the closure of Buffum's until 2010, Bellows Falls didn't have a full-size supermarket, it seems, though there was a small corner grocer called Lisai's Red & White. In 2010, Lisai's moved into the former A&P building, and that'll be tomorrow's post! But befor...

Putney General Store Opened: 2019 under current ownership, 1796 previously Owner: Kim and Mike Cosco Previous Tenants: none Cooperative: none Location: 4 Kimball Hill, Putney, VT Photographed: August 10, 2021 Across town from the Putney Food Co-op is the Putney General Store, continuously operating as a general store since 1796. This small corner grocer isn't a full supermarket, but like the co-op, has a lot to offer in its historic interior even if it measures just about 3500 square feet. Putney has a general store and a food co-op, and that's actually a great representation of how a lot of small-town Vermont gets their food. The co-op culture is strong here, but so is the enduring tradition of general stores. One thing we haven't really seen yet, though, is a full-scale independent supermarket in Vermont. We'll see one in our next stop while heading north, about 12 miles north along the river from here!

Putney Food Co-op Opened:  1992 in current location; 1941 previously Owner: cooperatively owned Previous Tenants: none Cooperative: National Co-op Grocers Location: 8 Carol Brown Way, Putney, VT Photographed: August 10, 2021 Putney is home to a food co-op like Brattleboro , but the store here in Putney is smaller at only around 7000 square feet. The food co-op opened up here in 1992, moving from its previous location on Kimball Hill where it had been in business since 1941 (it was formed to help small-town residents get food and supplies during World War II). An interesting note on the history from the co-op's website : Carol Brown was the founder of the co-op, and now, the street it's on is named after her. Despite the store's small size , it still has a kitchen, coffee shop, and small cafe. Putney doesn't have a large supermarket, so this store and the other small grocer in town fill the gap. Come back tomorrow to see that one!

Hannaford Opened: 1996 Owner:  Ahold Delhaize Previous Tenants: unknown Cooperative: none Location: 896 Putney Rd, Brattleboro, VT Photographed: August 10, 2021 Though this part of Brattleboro lost a supermarket when the Grand Union (and briefly the Hot Dot discount supermarket) closed in 1999, but it's possible that the Hot Dot was put out of business by this Hannaford's 1996 opening. At the very least, the opening of this 45,000 square foot supermarket didn't help business over at Hot Dot, and upon its closure, Hannaford took out full-page newspaper ads in the local paper advertising their low prices every day and welcoming former Hot Dot customers. Like the vast majority of Hannaford stores, this one has the latest decor package and seems to look quite nice inside. Up next, The Market Report heads north along the Connecticut River to Putney, about six miles away!

Original Grocery Tenant: Grand Union Address: 766 Putney Rd, Brattleboro, VT Opened: 1970s Closed: 1998 Later Tenants:  Hot Dot Discount (1998-1999) Photographed: August 10, 2021 In the same mall as yesterday's ALDI is this former Grand Union. Grand Union built this store of around 33,000 square feet in the 1970s, though I haven't been able to pinpoint an exact year, and it closed in 1998 as the chain struggled. One strategy Grand Union attempted, to save their failing locations, was converting them to a discount format called Hot Dot Discount. Unfortunately, here Hot Dot only lasted a year, closing in 1999, two years before the rest of the chain declared bankruptcy. A new Hannaford had just been constructed up the street, opening in 1996, and it's possible that store put this one out of business. The space has subsequently been split up. Grand Union was headquartered just outside of Paterson, New Jersey, but had a large base of stores in upstate New York and then acr...

ALDI Opened: 2014 Owner: ALDI Sud Previous Tenants: none Cooperative: none Location: 762 Putney Rd, Brattleboro, VT Photographed: August 10, 2021 One of Brattleboro's big chain supermarkets is this ALDI, opened as a new-build store right around the time the Brattleboro Food Co-op also opened its present location. It seems to be a very straightforward ALDI of around 16,000 square feet, but the Green Mountain State only has three ALDIs (the others are in Rutland and Bennington). Tomorrow, we'll check out a former supermarket right next to this one!

Original Grocery Tenant: Brattleboro IGA Address: 23 Marlboro Rd, Brattleboro, VT Opened: 1994 Closed:  by 2009 Later Tenants: non-grocery tenants Photographed: August 13, 2021 This Dollar General just to the northwest of downtown Brattleboro was the Brattleboro IGA, opening in 1994 and closing no later than 2009. It's just under 20,000 square feet. An illustrious character named Jason Bushnell also owned an IGA in West Brattleboro for decades in the first part of the 20th century, but it doesn't look like that store was connected to this one in any way. This store is just west of Brattleboro on VT-9, the highway that runs along the southern part of Vermont from Brattleboro to Bennington, then becomes route 7 in New York and goes to the Capital Region. We'll see lots more stores on and near VT-9, but for now, we're headed north to see a couple more spots in Brattleboro!

Brattleboro Food Co-op Opened: 2012 in current location; 1975 previously Owner: cooperatively owned Previous Tenants: none Cooperative: National Co-op Grocers Location: 2 Main St, Brattleboro, VT Photographed:  August 10, 2021 The Market Report has arrived in Vermont for the first time, and what better place to do it than the Brattleboro Food Co-op! After all, it's close to familiar territory: just across the river from New Hampshire and eight miles north of the MA border. Plus, Vermont is the land of food co-ops, so this is a fitting introduction. This food co-op dates back to 1975, but like many of these New England co-ops, recently moved into a modern supermarket building. This one was actually a new-build facility right in downtown Brattleboro, and the supermarket now spans around 21,000 square feet. It's one of four supermarkets in Brattleboro, with the others (a Market 32, an ALDI, and a Hannaford) located outside of the downtown area. This one has a very helpful col...