Bolton Orchards
Opened: 1945
Owner: Sarah & Joel O'Toole
Previous Tenants: none
Cooperative: Associated Grocers of New England (AGNE)
Location: 125 Still River Rd, Bolton, MA
Photographed: October 9, 2021
Nothing like a New England farm market in the fall! I visited
Bolton Orchards back in the fall of 2021 when I was biking from Worcester to Nashua, New Hampshire one beautiful October day. For the apple-centric market, it's primetime.
The store is a combination farm market and small grocery store, and is a member of Associated Grocers of New England -- no relation to the
New York-based Associated Supermarket Group, or any of the other cooperatives named Associated across the country. AGNE uses Food Club, the storebrand from Topco.
There's a basic selection of home goods and hardware, which makes this feel very much like a true country store (which it is). There's also a lot of specialty food items...
...and basically a full line of groceries...
...and frozen and dairy at the back of the store. The grocery department is on the left side of the store, and the back and right side has the perishable departments.
There's a large deli and area for prepared foods in the back corner of the store.
And the large produce department is, of course, a centerpiece of the store.
In season, there is a large selection of local produce, but the store is open year-round so the rest of the year, it's stocked with normal supermarket produce.
And of course, the apples! There are rows of apples grown by orchards literally within walking distance of the store displayed in large bins -- in season, of course, and early October was a great time to find them. Behind this area is a bakery, featuring all manner of apple-filled delicious baked items.
And a look at the front-end back at the front of the store before we move along...
Apples are big in this area! Tomorrow, we'll be seeing our roundup of independent grocers in the Wachusett area... including two of which that have apple-related names. Come back to check it out!
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