Nowadays we do our grocery shopping in super-sized grocery stores. There is nothing really wrong with these stores. They offer everything that the average consumer could possibly want, and the prices are competitive. But they are very impersonal. Whatever happened to the days of the local general store, where you could purchase a bag of flour and get an earful of gossip all at the same time? Almost every time you visited the general store, you knew someone there. In fact, perhaps you even babysat for the young cashier. Or maybe this was the very same store that you visited as a child, eagerly parting with your shiny pennies in exchange for a sweet treat.
If the memory of the general store makes you nostalgic, perhaps you should pay a visit to Vermont. Many of the small towns and villages in Vermont are still home to the traditional general stores.
Greensboro, Vermont, is the home of Willey’s Store – one of Vermont’s largest and most traditional general stores. It is housed in a huge building that boasts wood floors, and five generations of customers have walked those hardwood floors.
In Northfield Falls you can find The Falls General Store, which features a G-scale train that is suspended from the ceiling. And the food at The Falls General Store can not be beat! The shelves are fully stocked with Vermont goods. There is coffee to grind, and coffee to drink. Meats, wines, souvenirs … it can all be found at the Falls General Store.
Looking for hand cut meats and freshly made goods? Try the Jacksonville General Store, which is located near the junction of Route 100 and Route 112 in southern Vermont. They have been serving the public since 1854.
Or try the Vermont Country Store located in Weston, Vermont. At The Vermont Country store you can buy a wedge of aged cheddar cut from a huge wheel of cheese, a real cast iron skillet, or a bag of your favorite candy.
Norwich, Vermont is the home to Dan & Whit’s. The outside of this store looks small, but once inside you will find that it is much larger than it appears.
These old-fashioned general stores can be found all over Vermont, and a visit to any one of them will make you nostalgic for days gone by. They are wonderful to visit anytime, but especially in the fall, because any general store worth its salt will offer hot apple cider. And what could be better than that?
