Barnard General Store

Barnard General Store

Company type	Private
Industry	Retail
Founded	1832 in Barnard, Vermont, United States
Headquarters	Barnard , United States
Area served	Barnard, Vermont and visitors to Silver Lake State Park
Products	Grocery items, deli, café, ice cream, fresh produce, bulk dry goods, locally sourced foods, butcher service
Owner	Barnard Community Trust

Barnard General Store

Founded in 1832 in Barnard, Vermont, the Barnard General Store has long stood as the town’s primary commercial and communal gathering place. Except for a brief hiatus between 2012 and 2013, it has operated almost continuously since its inception. The property is currently owned by the Barnard Community Trust, a group of local residents who lease the premises to the store’s operator. Recognized as one of Barnard’s four historic landmarks, the store holds considerable importance both economically and socially within the community.

Attributes

Catering to a population of fewer than 1,000 residents along with visitors and seasonal homeowners near Silver Lake State Park, the store acts as Barnard’s central point for commerce and social interaction. The front area stocks fresh produce alongside dry and canned goods, while the rear section houses a deli, café, and ice cream counter offering breakfast and lunch options. It remains the only grocery store serving the town.

The site also provides facilities that support local recreational activities, including a boat rack catering to Silver Lake users, a fueling station for snowmobile riders, and "The Beach at Silver Lake," a small park equipped with picnic tables, a historical marker, a war memorial, a flagpole, and a designated swimming area.

Within Barnard’s boundaries, the general store is officially recognized as one of four historic buildings alongside the Danforth Library, East Barnard Community Hall, and Barnard Town Hall.

History

The Barnard General Store was originally established in 1832 as a cooperative venture located at the crossroads of Creek, Gulf (now Rt. 12), Stage, and North Roads, playing a vital role in the town’s economy alongside other historic enterprises such as sawmills and tanneries. Despite facing obstacles including population decline, natural calamities like the 1927 flood and 1938 hurricane, and transportation routes that eventually bypassed Barnard, the opening of Silver Lake State Park in 1954 helped increase its customer base.

Marking its 175th anniversary in 2007, the store had been managed by roughly eighteen different owners until it closed in May 2012 during an 18-year period under Kim Furlong and Carolyn DiCicco. The shutdown was driven by economic recession effects, growing competition from online retailers, damage from Hurricane Irene, and reduced tourist traffic due to poor snowfall. At that time, it was one of only about 70 to 80 historic general stores still operating in Vermont.

Following this closure, community members raised $500,000 to acquire the building and land with the goal of reopening it through the nonprofit Barnard Community Trust, receiving support from the Preservation Trust of Vermont. Initial operations were volunteer-run relying on donations.

Joe Minerva and Jillian Bradley became the first tenants leasing from the trust, reopening the store on May 1, 2013. They enhanced the product range by introducing bulk bins for dry goods, snack selections, an expanded freezer for frozen products, fresher locally sourced foods, and an in-house butcher service.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the store remained operational as an essential business. It adopted home delivery and curbside pickup services while enforcing health measures such as mask-wearing, glove use, and hand sanitization to safeguard both employees and customers.