This story by Liberty Darr was first published by The Citizen on July 6.
From the busy streets of New York City, Jolene Kao and her family came to Vermont for a quieter life surrounded by open spaces, and turns out, that also meant becoming the new owners of The Old Brick Store in Charlotte.
Although owning a place like The Old Brick Store wasn’t originally in the plans, Kao has strong roots in the restaurant industry. Originally born in Dallas to Taiwanese immigrants, she spent most of her upbringing in her family’s generationally owned restaurant, Rural China.
“We would run around the restaurant and I would make cherry pancakes in the kitchen,” she said. “When I was older, I started bussing and hosting and working the register, placing orders, running payroll and helping my mom do that prepping in the kitchen. But the best was when I was in college, and I would come back to visit and work the line.”
In 2006 she moved to New York to pursue a career in photography but eventually burned out when she realized the pace of the life she was building was unsustainable.
“In my mind, I was kind of always feeling like maybe I wanted to open my own little food store, not a traditional restaurant, but a place where I can be face to face with people because I think that’s so much of what I loved about growing up in my parents’ restaurant,” she said. “Somebody would come in and they’d bring their baby and say, ‘This is the fourth generation of our family who has come to dine at this restaurant.’ You really develop these relationships with people.”
In 2016 she returned to the restaurant world, this time working as part of the inaugural kitchen crew for a newly opened restaurant in the city.
“It was a great experience. I learned so much and worked even harder, longer days than I had in production,” she explained. “It was hugely influential for me as a culinary experience.”
Finally, after 15 years in the Big Apple, Kao and her partner Pete Macia, along with their daughter, decided it was time for a change and by August 2022 the family officially settled in Charlotte.
“We visited Vermont a few times and our last trip was in Burlington. Each place, no matter how busy or rural it was, it just felt so good. You just really felt a sense of community around. So when we moved here, we had like this feeling that there is so much support and so much community,” she said.
Apart from the kitchen side of the business, she has additional experience as a co-founder of a woman-in-business nonprofit group based in Brooklyn. And when she found The Old Brick Store, all the puzzle pieces fell perfectly into place.
“I felt like maybe this is the place that I could do it because there is actually a need for more spaces like the one that I’ve been building in my head,” she said. “My dream space was really about bringing community together and having some food that really showcases what is available locally. When I found out that The Old Brick Store was for sale, then that was really the lightning strike of everything where I thought, OK, I think this is the one.’”
Although Kao plans to put a new spin to things, The Old Brick Store possesses its own magic and has been a staple in town for centuries. Variations of the building have come and gone, but the building that now stands was erected in1853.
“In 1840 to 1850 there were a lot of brick buildings built in town because there was a brickyard and brick oven near the Congregational Church,” said Dan Cole, a member of the historical society.
Whitney Williamson Finley, the proprietress of the store since 2015, could not be reached for comment but did post on social media last month, “Thanks for all the support over the last 8 years. Your visits, stories, and laughter have made this job so very rewarding.”
Kao said the sale isn’t finalized until July 14 and the store will remain closed until then to put some finishing touches on both the space and the menu. When asked what new additions customers can expect, Kao didn’t hesitate to say, “a proper coffee program” with specialized espresso drinks.
“Pete and I really love the idea of being a part of history and being the next stewards of this historic place.”
