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The Vermont Alliance of Independent Country Stores is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote and enhance country stores, while preserving their unique heritage and contributions to their communities.
This site can help you plan your trip through Vermont, as you stop at our Independent Country Stores for food and fuel and souvenirs and conversation and new friendships. Our individual store pages tell you what products and services you can find, offer pictures of the stores along with local history background, and give links to local sites and other information.
Jay Hathaway, Co-Founder of the Alliance
Jay Hathaway, Co-Founder of the Vermont Alliance of Independent Country Stores, died Sept. 12, 2009. Jay was the former proprietor of Peltier's Market in Dorset, a time during which he worked with a small group of store owners to develop the idea of the Alliance. He and his wife Terri owned several area stores and businesses including the Quarry Shop, East Dorset General Store, Gilbert's Hardware and the Battenkill Butcher Block. In 2005, after leaving the Alliance and following time working in New York in the social services, he was appointed Executive Director of Manchester and the Mountains Regional Chamber of Commerce. Jay was the motivation and a founding member of the Alliance and a champion for our industry. For most organizations, it is the vision of only a few people -- sometimes just one person -- that brings focus, purpose and ultimately reality. The work of bringing that vision to reality is not simple, easy or comfortable, but it is essential. Jay recognized the essential nature of that work, set aside time and energy for it, and brought the Alliance to its position of innovation and strength today. It is our deep sadness that Jay's guidance -- which continued long after he left the Alliance and his Peltier's Market in Dorset -- will no longer be available to Vermont. Yet our sadness is mixed with the pleasure of having experienced with Jay the beginnings of a great adventure that has been changing Vermont for the better. |
The Annual Meeting of the Vermont Alliance of Independent Country Stores took place on Wednesday, May 13, at the Franklin Conference Center in Rutland.
Members and guests as well as the press attended the Alliance's Eighth Anniversary at the annual meeting at the historic Howe Center, also home of Westminster Cracker. Westminster Cracker is a manufacturer of nationally distributed oyster crackers, and charts its history from 1828 in Westminster, Massachusetts.
Following coffee and danish, storeowners introduced themselves and gave a summary of their year's experiences in the current economy and their relationship with towns and villages. The meeting was chaired by Charlie Wilson (Taftsville), and also attended by John Rehlen (Castleton), Janet MacLeod (Adamant), Gary Hatch (Newbury), Joe Kamuda and Matt Cartier (Kamuda's in Pittsford), Dave & Pat Finlayson (Harborville), Bill MacDonald (Waits River), Carolyn DiCicco and Kim Furlong (Barnard), Tom Hurst (Willey's in Greensboro), Nancy & Doug Tschorn (Wayside in West Arlington), Marilyn Bellemare (Mach's in Pawlet), as well as Jim Harrison (VGA) and Dennis Bathory-Kitsz (Alliance Director). Also attending were Paul Bruhn (Preservation Trust), Phil Jordan (Vermont Magazine), Steve Andrews (American Flatbread, the luncheon sponsor), Ken Hughes (Hughes & Co.), and host Keith Dunn, Vice President of Westminster Crackers.
The first round-table discussion was Wine, Wine & More Wine, led by John Rehlen. He addressed what works and what doesn't in expanding wine sales, and sought the experiences of other store owners. The next talk was The Important Role of Country Stores in Vermont with special guest Paul Bruhn of the Preservation Trust of Vermont, sharing insights on the country stores' unique roles in communities as well as ongoing efforts to re-invent markets to remain financially sustainable. Following the two round-tables was a tour of the Westminster Cracker manufacturing facility led by John O'Neill, Vice President of Manufacturing. The intriguing tour included a look at all the stages of cracker-making from mixing the dough through rising, rolling, baking, re-baking, quality control, and packaging. (Some photos of the tour as well as of the meeting as a whole are on 2009 Annual Meeting Photo Album.)
Following the tour, everyone sat down to a meal created by American Flatbread, including salad, pizzas of all kinds, and desserts.
September is Vermont's eighth Independent Country Store Month, dedicated to picnics, gatherings, parades, and celebrations of the diversity of Vermont products, all surrounding Vermont's historic country stores. The Alliance's 50 member stores are holding a month of product tasting, including cheese, honey, syrup, ice cream, and milk, and celebrating with balloons, banners, artwork contests, picnics and barbecues. Already a leader in offering home-grown goods, the Alliance has also launched a product label that includes quality items such as sodas, soaps, bread mixes and condiments, which are only available through members stores.
For more information on participating in Independent Country Store Month, for the latest newsletter, or for an application to be an Alliance member, contact Charlie Wilson at 802-457-1135 or taftsville@vaics.org, or download the application form on our website.
The new guide to Vermont's independent country stores has rolled off The History Press. Country Stores of Vermont: A History and Guide was written by the Alliance's executive director Dennis Bathory-Kitsz. The 256-page guide covers the history of country stores and includes ten tours with driving directions and maps, with sixty modern and historical photos. If you're visiting Vermont, this book is a must-have! The book is available at Amazon.com or any of our country stores or local bookshops. There is a Vermont Public Radio audio postcard about it and also it was the cover story on Seven Days
Planning your Vermont trek? Stop for directions, lunch, souvenirs, and the best of Vermont hospitality along the way! Use the Tour Map of Country Stores to help make the most of your visit to the Green Mountains! Our maps are now updated.
Look for the banner or the Alliance decal and know that you're in one of Vermont's genuine independent country stores!
Discover more about Vermont's independent country stores with our links to articles and television shows. Watch the CNN and NBC News stories, read about us in the Boston Globe and New York Times. There are other videos and news articles in the Newsroom or you can watch our own homemade video of available in streaming Real Media or Windows Media formats. Watch "Vermont's Independent Country Stores"
The Alliance is introduce its new line of products made especially for us -- Vermont Village Foods. Look for the store-brown label with the store-sun-mountains logo! Only members of the Vermont Alliance of Independent Country Stores carry Vermont Village Foods!
You can become a member of the Vermont Alliance of Independent Country Stores. Qualifying stores must meet historical and service criteria, but Associate Members and Friends are always welcome!
Our 2009 Annual Meeting sponsors include Westminster Crackers and American Flatbread.
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Along with our stores members and wonderful Associate Members and Friends, we are proud to present two corporate sponsors: Long Trail Brewing Company and Cabot Creamery Cooperative.
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Our special media associate for the past year has been Vermont Magazine, which profiles a member store in each issue.
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Alliance Offices Vermont Grocers Assn. 135 North Main Street, Suite 5 Rutland, VT 05701 Tel: 802-775-5460 Fax: 802-773-2242 countrystores@vaics.org |
Chairman Charlie Wilson PO Box 2 Taftsville VT 05073 Tel: 802-457-1135 taftsville@vaics.org |
Executive Director Dennis Bathory-Kitsz 176 Cox Brook Road Northfield VT 05663 Tel: 802-659-4223 bathory@vaics.org |
