A look of disbelief, visible even under a mask, flashed across Mark Fasching’s face when he heard that the family who has owned the Jericho Center Country Store for almost 20 years had put the business up for sale.
“Wow, that’s like the biggest news of the century here,” he said, turning away from the store’s coffee station and his only half-filled paper cup to look at Jon St. Amour, the store’s general manager and son of owners Linda and Doug St. Amour.
“I was going to ask you the other day,” Fasching said. “I had heard rumors, but I didn’t think it was true.”
Linda St. Amour, who is a real estate agent in addition to being an owner of the general store, posted the property and business for sale in November. She and her son — who have been fixing up the store, making sandwiches and putting on annual Halloween and Christmas events since 2002 — said they’ve had a great run, but are ready to move on.
Since then, news that the store will soon change hands has seeped through town. Residents cherish the classic, family-owned shop as a place to see familiar faces and check in with neighbors. They’re concerned about what’s to become of the Jericho Country Store when the St. Amours pass it on.
But the St. Amours, who have yet to find a buyer, said they are dedicated to making sure the store falls into the hands of the right person — someone who will largely keep it as is.
“It won’t become a Maplefields or a 7-Eleven or anything like that,” said Jon, who added that selling the store could take years.
The Jericho Center Country Store is one of the oldest general stores in Vermont. It was founded in 1807, according to the store’s website. The original owner, Pliny Blackman, would travel to Montreal via raft on Lake Champlain to collect the goods he sold in his store — farm supplies, molasses, rum and the like.
The store has changed hands many times since then, most recently from Steven and Karen Perry to the St. Amours in April 2002. Linda said there were similar concerns back then about how the store would change.
Although the St. Amours have made significant changes at the shop — there’s now a deli and grill, an ATM and a kombucha fountain — the store very much retains a classic, old-timey general store feel.
An old wooden icebox has been repurposed as a cupboard, slightly rusted vintage tins line upper shelves on one side of the store, and a gum dispenser Linda believes dates back to the 1800s hangs on a post in the middle of the shop.
The seemingly ancient artifacts, the dark and creaky wooden floors, and the tiny post office in the back corner are all part of the store’s charm, but it’s the friendly environment that the St. Amours have created that makes the store special, a line of regulars at the store told VTDigger Friday morning.
“It’s … like coming to see family,” said Cindy Raymond, a Jericho resident of 30 years.
Julie Myers, who has lived in Jericho for 25 years, shared Raymond’s sentiment. “The store is an integral piece to the culture of Jericho,” she said. “When you come in here, everybody knows your name; they ask how you are. The store is just part of the fabric of our community.”
Lily Devereux, who has worked at the store for nine years — through high school, college and now grad school — said she doesn’t want to ever fully give up working at the general store, even if it’s just a few hours a week.
“I just love the customers,” she said. “They keep me coming back. I love chatting with the regulars and hearing what they’re doing every day. … I’ve seen kids grow up. I’ve seen kids literally go from small children to being my co-workers. It’s just really fun to be part of pretty much everyone in Jericho’s life.”
The state has experienced a mass shuttering of mom-and-pop general stores. The Hinesburg General Store closed in 2017, the Monkton one in 2019 and the Jacksonville General Store earlier this year. And Vermont is not alone.
“Across the country, mom-and-pop markets are among the most endangered of small-town businesses, with competition from corporations and the hurdles of timeworn infrastructure pricing owners out,” The New York Times wrote in a 2017 piece.
But the St. Amours said they are committed to protecting the Jericho store from that fate.
“We’re really looking for someone to keep it just how we have it,” said Linda. “The old store, the vintage look, the nostalgia of the candy counter. We just want the tradition of the store to remain.”
