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Co-op Food Stores - White River Junction, VT

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Co-op Food Stores Opened:  2010 Owner: cooperatively owned Previous Tenants: Grand Union (ca. 1960s-2001) > P&C Foods (2001-2009) Cooperative:  National Co-op Grocers Location: 209 Maple St, White River Junction, VT Photographed:  July 6, 2023 It's time to tour another co-op supermarket, but this one has a twist. While many New England co-ops are recently-built facilities , this one has a long history as a grocer. In fact, Grand Union built this 17,000 square foot store back in the 1960s or so, and it appears to have lasted right up until the chain went under. In 2001, it became a P&C Foods, part of the Penn Traffic company, which closed this store in 2009. (Most locations went to Tops; for some reason, this one didn't, possibly because Tops has a limited presence in Vermont.) The building owner then looked for a new tenant, and approached the team running a co-op across the border in Hanover, NH. That co-op reopened this supermarket, fixing it up while rema...
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The cheapest grocery store in the northeast is...

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Time for another price comparison! It's The Market Report's fourth comparison -- 50 items across departments at 35 stores in the northeast. Who comes out on top?  Click here to see the latest comparison! This time, the longtime champ ALDI returns to the top spot. Plus, LIDL and three Wakefern brands jump up in price as ALDI and Walmart decrease their prices. In New England, the price gap between Shaw's and Hannaford widens again -- but this time, Shaw's comes in solidly lower as Hannaford's prices rise once more. To the south, SuperFresh becomes the lowest-priced independent/small-chain surveyed, and Gristedes once again claims its dubious honor of being by far the highest-priced on the list. Plus... Supermarket News features this price comparison in a news article here !
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Lisai's Market - Bellows Falls, VT

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Lisai's Market Opened: 2010 in current location; 1924 previously Owner: Mike Lisai Previous Tenants: A&P (open by 1958, closed by 1976) > Grand Union (open by 1976) > Green Mountain Power > Cornerstone Pediatrics (2000-2010) Cooperative: Associated Grocers of New England Location: 128 Atkinson St, Bellows Falls, VT Photographed: August 10, 2021 Lots of interesting things to note at this small independent grocer in Bellows Falls, Vermont! Let's start with the obvious: this is a centennial-era A&P, though of course an extensively renovated one. But A&P actually opened here before their 1859 centennial, opening between 1956 and 1958. It's possible this was simply a very early centennial, or a pre-centennial store that was remodeled during the centennial era. A&P closed no later than 1976, and Grand Union moved into the space subsequently. (Amazingly, it seems they must've kept most of the A&P facade, given how intact it is today.) I don...
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112 Rockingham St, Bellows Falls, VT

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Original Grocery Tenant: Buffum's Supermarket Address: 112 Rockingham St, Bellows Falls, VT Opened: between 1956 and 1962 Closed: after 1995 Later Tenants:  Rite Aid > Walgreens Photographed: August 10, 2021 Bellows Falls, Vermont is a quaint small town along the Connecticut River, where the water cuts through a gorge on the border between Vermont and New Hampshire. For decades, the town was served by an A&P supermarket (later Grand Union) as well as this independent, Buffum's Supermarket. This space is around 15,000 square feet, apparently constructed by Buffum's between 1956 and 1962, though it looks like it might've replaced an older building on the same property. From the closure of Buffum's until 2010, Bellows Falls didn't have a full-size supermarket, it seems, though there was a small corner grocer called Lisai's Red & White. In 2010, Lisai's moved into the former A&P building, and that'll be tomorrow's post! But befor...
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Putney General Store - Putney, VT

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Putney General Store Opened: 2019 under current ownership, 1796 previously Owner: Kim and Mike Cosco Previous Tenants: none Cooperative: none Location: 4 Kimball Hill, Putney, VT Photographed: August 10, 2021 Across town from the Putney Food Co-op is the Putney General Store, continuously operating as a general store since 1796. This small corner grocer isn't a full supermarket, but like the co-op, has a lot to offer in its historic interior even if it measures just about 3500 square feet. Putney has a general store and a food co-op, and that's actually a great representation of how a lot of small-town Vermont gets their food. The co-op culture is strong here, but so is the enduring tradition of general stores. One thing we haven't really seen yet, though, is a full-scale independent supermarket in Vermont. We'll see one in our next stop while heading north, about 12 miles north along the river from here!
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Putney Food Co-op - Putney, VT

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Putney Food Co-op Opened:  1992 in current location; 1941 previously Owner: cooperatively owned Previous Tenants: none Cooperative: National Co-op Grocers Location: 8 Carol Brown Way, Putney, VT Photographed: August 10, 2021 Putney is home to a food co-op like Brattleboro , but the store here in Putney is smaller at only around 7000 square feet. The food co-op opened up here in 1992, moving from its previous location on Kimball Hill where it had been in business since 1941 (it was formed to help small-town residents get food and supplies during World War II). An interesting note on the history from the co-op's website : Carol Brown was the founder of the co-op, and now, the street it's on is named after her. Despite the store's small size , it still has a kitchen, coffee shop, and small cafe. Putney doesn't have a large supermarket, so this store and the other small grocer in town fill the gap. Come back tomorrow to see that one!
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