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I like old things – things that have stood the test of time, surviving because of their charm, or because they are still needed.
The authenticity of a place is important to me. And say what you want, but we are surrounded by authenticity in Chautauqua County. Whether you're driving by acres of grapes, or up and down old country roads, or stopping by farm stands that have been there forever, or watching the summer sunset at a park by the lake…this is about as real as it gets in the world. And as someone who has been fortunate to see a lot of pockets of the world, I feel like I'm in a good position to cast my vote.
After ordering a pizza at Ashville General Store the other day, and climbing up the old steps to its door, and feeling right at home inside with its great old bones, I got to thinking about the old stores that I love here and how they're still here. That's something you don't find in the world very often.
Take Calais, Vermont. Their general store recently closed and the town is trying to save it. It had served the community for more than a hundred years--once their beating heart--a gathering place for the community and travelers passing through. Its closing left a gaping hole in the town and in lots of people's hearts.
The Bemus Point Market is one of my favorite places because it's still just the way I remember it as a kid. It's timeless. I've sat in front of that place a few hundred times in my life licking an ice cream cone from the bench. Everything you could ever need is on the old shelves there at 12 Main Street. Thank you for keeping the window where you serve ice cream open. Thanks for still hiring high school kids to ring up your customers and for having pastries and pies and newspapers. Don’t ever change a thing. You don't need to.
Every good lake has a good lake store. Hogan's Hut is that place by the lake where you can find good worms and good coffee. It's a cross between LL Bean and a great deli. They've got all the fishing news, and an angler can't go wrong stopping in for some bait, some conversation, a sub sandwich for the boat and a cold one. The store has actual adoring fans, not to mention great pictures of big, recently hooked fish on their Facebook page. They're a great community resource.
My earliest memories of Peterson Farms were all about picking out ears of corn, but as I've gotten older, I'm happy about the Swedish fish, the korv, and just about everything they offer. It's still the same place I remember it to be fifty years ago, when we walked up to the same counter with those little wooden containers of peaches and tomatoes. It's just a special place in my memories and in the community. And trust me when I say people all over the world wish they had a real farm stand like that in their neighborhood. Farm stands keep us local, they remind us our communities can still feed their own people, and they celebrate abundance. I stop by farm stands as often as I can, just as a way to say thanks for being a farm stand.
I'll let you in on a little secret but don't tell anyone else: we drive a long way on summer Saturdays to buy steaks at the Lighthouse Point Grocery in Mayville. And that store is about as authentic as corner stores go. We put our groceries on the same belt we did decades ago, walk up and down the same aisles looking for dish detergent and paper plates. I love that place, and not just because I like a good steak.
I know I'm leaving out many great local stores but I'm running out of room. I just want to say thank you to all those places that have kept their doors open all these years, still with the same ambiance, great service and charm.
It's so nice we don't have to say, "Remember that old corner store down the road where we bought bubble gum?"
Our favorite corner stores are still here. And we love them.