The Market Report

Woodford General Store Opened: 2019 Owner: Ryan and Heather Hassett Previous Tenants:  Woodford Mountain General Store Cooperative: none Location: 5053 VT-9, Woodford, VT Photographed: August 9, 2021 Woodford is roughly halfway between Wilmington and Bennington on route 9. Those two towns are the ones with bigger supermarkets, but Woodford has had a general store for a long time. It's clear from the inside that this store is freshly remodeled, and that's because it's only been open under its current ownership since 2019. But prior to that, this store (under the name Woodford Mountain General Store) seems to have been in business for a long time. In fact, if you look at the outside, you can see where the "mtn" was removed (for mountain) between Woodford and General. This store is now pretty specialized, with more specialty and local items along with a deli as opposed to the grocery basics. We're about a 20 minute drive from the Wilmington Shaw's but o...

River Valley Market Opened: ca. 1980s Owner: unknown Previous Tenants: unknown Cooperative: none Location: 661 VT-100, Wilmington, VT Photographed: August 9, 2021 Just down VT-100 from the under-construction Snow Mountain Market is this similar small grocer, the River Valley Market. This one has been around a bit longer than Snow Mountain, having opened around the 1980s. It's a little smaller than Snow Mountain, too, measuring slightly under 9,000 square feet, and looks somewhat more upscale. I drove by after it had closed for the night, so sadly no interior pictures here. The interior looks more like a small general store, and it even has an attached garden center. There's also a wine store , and produce and a bakery . This isn't exactly a full service supermarket, but there is one (albeit a small one) in Wilmington about three miles south. That's tomorrow's post!

Wardsboro Country Store Opened: 1882 Owner: Matt & Mindy St. Peter Previous Tenants: none Cooperative: none Location: 23 Main St, Wardsboro, VT Photographed: August 10, 2021 Today's stop is a quick look at the Wardsboro Country Store in the center of the small town of Wardsboro, Vermont. It's another long-running general store, dating back to 1882. I haven't been inside and haven't seen many pictures online, but it does seem like it's still a small grocer (about 4,000 square feet), with a deli and some basic foods, but definitely not a supermarket. Wardsboro is just east of the Green Mountain National Forest and near several ski resorts, so tomorrow we're going to head to the south very close to a ski resort to check out the local grocer there!

Mike & Tammy's Food Market Opened: 2006 Owner: Tammy Clough Previous Tenants:  unknown Cooperative:  none Location: 2170 N Main St, Londonderry, VT Photographed: August 12, 2021 Welcome to another Vermont general store, or at least another general store-style grocer! I don't know if this one is actually a longtime general store or just kind of feels like one, but this small grocer in Londonderry has been open since 2006. It's part small-town grocer, part ice cream shop, and part deli. This isn't the only grocer in Londonderry, though, and there's a larger supermarket just down the street. That's where The Market Report will be headed tomorrow, so come back to tour it!

Smitty's Chester Market Opened:  2020 Owner: Garrison Smith Previous Tenants:  general store (1847-1993) > Lisai's Market (1993-2020) Cooperative: Associated Grocers of New England Location: 526 Depot St, Chester, VT Photographed:  August 10, 2021 There's something quintessentially New England about an old-school general store, operating continuously since 1847, right next to the train tracks. That's what we're seeing here at Smitty's Chester Market in the small town of Chester, Vermont, though over the years the store has been expanded to a small supermarket of around 7500 square feet. It was various general stores for the first century and a half or so of its life, becoming Lisai's Market in 1993 joining an older location in Bellows Falls . Lisai's sold the store to its current owners in 2020. And although the inside is a fully-functioning small supermarket, it still retains a lot of its history. You can get a clear sense of that (plus the layout...

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!

Jeannotte's Market Opened:  2000 under current ownership; 1899 previously Owner: Glynn Bingham Previous Tenants:  none Cooperative: Associated Grocers of New England Location: 2 Courtland St, Nashua, NH Photographed: October 10, 2021 One look at Jeanotte's Market makes it pretty clear that, although the store has a fresh new sign out front, it's not a new store. That's because it actually dates back to 1899, though it was taken over by the current owner in 2000. You can read a lot more about the history of the store on its own website here . At only around 2700 square feet, this is definitely closer to a general store than a full supermarket, but there's a surprising range of groceries available inside -- and locals' favorite Italian subs. The store's interior is old-school but kept up meticulously, with the famous deli at the back. They're a member of Associated Grocers of New England, and use Food Club items as a storebrand. Before heading into dow...