Ask Mike Cosco how the Putney General Store is doing and you’ll get a cautiously positive answer.
“We’re honestly just getting by, but we’re open,” the co-owner of Vermont’s oldest general store said. “We’re doing what we can to support the community.”
Cosco’s outlook represents the sentiment of other general and country stores throughout the state as they adapt to challenges presented by the outbreak of Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. An executive order signed by Gov. Phil Scott in March, while successful in mitigating the disease, has reduced the flow of customers walking through Cosco’s door.
An addendum to that executive order instructs any person entering the state for a non-essential purpose to self-quarantine for 14 days, essentially barring all tourism-based business from country stores.
For the Putney General Store, located miles from Vermont’s southeastern borders with New Hampshire and Massachusetts, the effect has been noticeable.
“There’s definitely a section of the business that’s not coming,” Cosco said.
Store employees have adjusted their normal routines in response to Scott’s order for businesses to “develop strategies, procedures and practices” that adhere to health officials’ guidelines. Workers wear gloves and masks as they stock shelves, Cosco said, and ropes near the cash registers enforce proper social distancing when customers check out.
While customers can still browse inside, Cosco said a growing number have opted to use the store’s new curbside pickup service.
“We’re shopping for them and delivering it to their cars outside,” he said.
Stores across the state are implementing similar practices, according to a chart released by the Vermont Retail and Grocers Association.
“Retailers and grocers are making extraordinary changes to the way they do business in order to ensure the safety of their staff and customers,” the association said in a statement. “These services range from limited delivery, to curbside pickup and designated shopping hours for vulnerable populations.”
In Mount Holly, Belmont General Store is relying on curbside pickup for almost all its business. To maintain proper social distancing inside the small store, owner April White is allowing only one customer to enter at a time. The new rule has shifted the store’s main source of business from its deli to its groceries.
The store has also changed what types of goods it sells – adding more gluten free and organic products – for locals who typically venture to the nearest supermarket in Rutland or Ludlow.
“They’re spending their money here to try to support the small business in town,” White said, a gesture that she appreciates.
In fact, the effort could save her business through the economic downturn.
“If we didn’t have the extra people coming in to buy groceries, we would have been closed down a while ago,” she said.
White said it is hard to tell how long Belmont can sustain the current level of business, but she aims to keep it up as long as possible.
“That really depends on the customers, and if they continue to keep buying from us as long as I can source the product out to them,” she said.
Other stores, however, have temporarily closed their doors. The Warren Store in Warren announced in March it would close indefinitely.
“The Warren Store will close on Tuesday afternoon until it’s determined when the epidemic is at a manageable level that we can open and operate safely,” owner Jack Garvin wrote in a statement on the store’s website. “Our thanks and a big shout out to those businesses that continue to stay open and serve and for the many individuals who give of their time, energy and expertise to help others.”
The store began offering some meals for curbside pickup last week, and is taking orders one day in advance by email or phone.
Garvin, who is also chairman of the Vermont Alliance of Independent Country Stores, said he is monitoring the situation to determine when the store can reopen safely.
“When we do open, in all likelihood our hours will be abbreviated temporarily and there will be limits to the number of people in the store,” he wrote on the store’s website.
In Putney, Cosco doesn’t dwell on the possibility of closing his store.
“I intend to make sure we keep it up,” he said, noting the store received a welcome boost from the CARES Act, which was passed by Congress in March.
“We’re watching the news every day and what the governments do,” he added. “We’ll see how long the virus keeps everybody in.”
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