The couple that operates The Elmore Store plans to step down from the gig this spring, just over a year after taking the reins at the historic food market and post office that is owned by local community members.
Michael Stanley and Kate Gluckman, who started running the store at the end of 2021, said in a Facebook post that they decided to step down because, among other factors, they haven’t been able to grow the business the way they want to in the store’s aging building, which predates the Civil War and is in need of extensive renovations.
The announcement was first reported by the News & Citizen newspaper.
Stanley and Gluckman declined to be interviewed about their decision, deferring to the Facebook post and members of the Elmore Community Trust, a local nonprofit that bought the store in 2021 and has begun the process of rebuilding and retrofitting it.
Trevor Braun, a member of the trust’s board of directors, said the couple’s business plan centered around growing the store’s prepared food offerings, which would require restructuring or expanding its commercial kitchen space. That’s something the trust wants to do, he said, but other projects have taken precedence.
“I think their plans for that prepared food required more space and more infrastructure than the building could support,” Braun said Thursday, adding that the trust didn’t have the capacity “to make dramatic changes in the infrastructure in this first year.”
The building also needs a new septic system, which is currently being designed, Braun said. Work is underway on retrofitting its plumbing and electrical systems, including putting in a backup generator. And before the trust can make more visible upgrades to the building, Braun said, its foundation must be replaced — a major project.
The trust raised about $400,000, almost entirely from community members, to acquire the store from its previous owner, who had run it with her late husband for close to four decades. Since then, the nonprofit has raised another roughly $70,000 for maintenance and renovations. It also has received about $150,000 in grant funding and tax credits.
Still, estimates have pegged the total cost of the planned renovations at between $2 million and $3 million, Braun said this week.
In response to a question, Braun said he does not think any single strategy would guarantee the store’s success, saying it’s more important for the operators to be flexible and try new ideas that meet residents’ needs and interests.
“Mike and Kate have done an amazing job of engaging the community in the store,” he said. The building “has always been the hub of the community,” he added, “but they did a lot of work to bring members of the community in,” such as hosting a concert series.
Stanley and Gluckman said they plan to continue operating the store through April, but would stay longer until new operators are hired. The trust hasn’t hired anyone yet, Braun said, though “we’ve already started conversations” with potential candidates.
The couple leases the store from the trust through a model known as a “community supported enterprise.” The model leverages community funding to reduce the upfront costs that often come with starting a business, aiming to lower the barrier to entry for new operators and allowing them to focus on growing their operations. At the same time, the trust can focus on big-picture issues — such as renovating the building.
Braun said he thinks a successful change in operators will show that this model works. With the store backed by community investment, he said, it’s less likely to close just because the people running it decide they want to step down.
Locals have maintained that the store is vital to their town of about 900 people, where it’s the only place to buy food. The store sells local goods alongside name-brand grocery staples, stocks newspapers and helps provide internet service.
Many locals also get their mail delivered there. Last year, the U.S. Postal Service said it planned to remove the store’s post office boxes, spurring a successful campaign from residents and Vermont’s congressional delegation to keep the boxes in place.
“We’re very confident that there’s not going to be any interruption in the operation of the store,” Braun said. “We’re anticipating a smooth transition to the next operator.”