This story by Tommy Gardner was first published in the News & Citizen on Nov. 27
The Elmore Store will have new operators running the place next year, after the current store-runner closes shop next month following a year and a half at the post.
The store, which has been operating on the shore of Lake Elmore continuously since the early 1800s, will be shuttered all winter and into the spring as the new shopkeepers give it a facelift to bring new energy to the old place.
According to Mark Isselhardt, vice-president of the Elmore Community Trust, which owns the store, the place will wind down operations after current manager Jason Clark steps aside Dec. 21, and after the trust marks down practically everything on the shelves in preparation for the store’s winter hibernation.
The group has chosen Tim and Becca Lindenmeyr to run things. They are Shelburne farmers and entrepreneurs who launched a successful farm-based beauty product company, Farm Craft VT, on their 15-acre spread in Shelburne. Tim grew up in Elmore and met Becca when they both lived in Taos, New Mexico.
The Lindenmeyrs, in a presentation to the community Saturday, noted they are “empty nesters” and will be spending more of their time in Elmore, ceding operation of their Shelburne farm to a new team and perhaps adding a second farm and maker space at Tim Lindenmeyr’s family home, Penny Pipe Farm.
Much like the Millers — Warren and Kathy, who owned and ran the store together for about four decades until Warren died in 2020 — the Lindenmeyr name carries a certain resonance in Elmore. Jill Lindenmeyr, Tim’s mother, was a founding member of the Elmore Community Trust, as well as the town and regional planning commissions. She died last year.
Isselhardt said the Lindenmeyrs are really leaning into the idea of a “third place,” a spot that’s not home and not work, a place to socialize with a chosen community, whether that be cafes and bars or churches and libraries. Or New England general stores.
The Lindenmeyrs laid out that vision in a detailed slide show they presented to the community Saturday in the town hall, which was nearly as well-attended as the annual Town Meeting Day gatherings every March.
“I’m not an unbiased commenter, with all acknowledgement, but it was a very positive feeling in the audience,” Isselhardt said.
The Lindenmeyrs noted that the store is the hub of the town, where people are drawn “because it represents the dream of healthy small communities.” But it’s more than just a place to get groceries or a sandwich or pick up the mail.
“In an age where we are prone to be more isolated than ever — where we can digitally work from home, ship everything, and stream all of our entertainment — we believe it is critical to create physical hubs for connection and support, not just to socialize, but to be our healthiest selves,” the Lindenmeyrs noted in their presentation Saturday.
They listed “five pillars” to achieve that vision: food, body, mind, community and stewardship.
Some of the changes will be small but practical — the place will have a public restroom instead of a port-o-potty. Some will be extensive, such as a co-working space upstairs and a community room downstairs.
Isselhardt said the Lindenmeyrs plan to reconfigure the store so that people can see clear through the place to the lake as soon as they enter — there are no windows to speak of right now.
Critically, there are plans to not only keep the post office but expand it to keep up with the increasing number of large packages that get delivered daily. Isselhardt said Clark estimates he spends 15-18 hours a week just doing post office duties, which perhaps offers an opportunity for a part-timer to handle that job when the store re-opens next year.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest the community saved the post office a few years ago. In early 2022, when the trust bought the store, the U.S. Postal Service announced it would shutter the 160 mailboxes and start sending boxholders’ mail to Morrisville.
A week later, a throng of kids surrounded Sen. Peter Welch in front of the store as he announced the store would continue receiving letters.
Clearly, the way things are now just isn’t really sustainable, but it’s an important part of the community, and we don’t want that to go away,” Isselhardt said, adding the trust will have to come up with a way to transition postal services during the renovations this winter.
He said the Lindenmeyrs have pegged the cost of renovations at about $500,000-$700,000. Tim Lindenmeyr is handling the general contracting duties on his own, saving a significant chunk of change over hiring someone to oversee the renovations.
Clark was the second operator in about as many years after the trust purchased the store from the Millers in late 2021. Isselhardt said, far from his short stint being a failure, Clark kept the store going in the face of difficult economic realities; same with the previous operators, Michael Stanley and Kate Gluckman. He shouted them all out.
He said running a store, especially one that is extremely busy with tourists during the summer and frequented primarily by locals in a small town the rest of the year, is a tough business. Clark was able to put his own stamp on things, such as showcasing live music regularly during the nice-weather months.
“That was a big commitment on his part,” Isselhardt said. “He continued to bring things that the community asked for.”
Read the story on VTDigger here: New Elmore Store operators to breathe new life into old place.