Private Equity in a General Store

Recently, while reading an article on the LA Times website, I came across an advertisement for the Vermont General Store. Immediately I was flooded with memories of the cold snow crunching under foot, apple pie and a fun family trip we had taken years before to Woodstock, Vermont. I thought, what is a General Store in Vermont doing advertising in Los Angeles?

On Wikipedia, the definition of a "General Store" is as follows:

In Australia, Canada and the United States, a store named or subtitled "general store" is traditionally a retailer located in a small town or in a rural area. It carries a broad selection of merchandise crammed into a relatively small space where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general goods. The store carries routine stock and obtains special orders from warehouses.

This general store has added national online sales to it's repertoire.

Our family spent Christmas in Woodstock Vermont several years before, and decided to do a Secret Santa gift exchange where all buyers were given 3 rules to our shopping excursion. We had to spend no more than $40.00 in Woodstock, Vermont within the next 2 hours. Everyone wandered off into town, peeking over their shoulders to make sure they weren't being spied on by their secret recipient. The next day when packages were opened, the spread of gifts were extremely varied, artisan Jellies and Jams, a funny Vermont inspired stuffed animal, beautiful antique gardening tools and light bulbs were among the packages opened. It turned out that, after visiting a multitude of quintessentially cute Vermont shops, all gift givers had bought lunch and spent their cash at the Vermont General Store. Not surprising when you see that it is a deep cavernous building, packed with everything and anything you could think of, while still referencing the part of the country we were visiting.

As our country claws its way out of the recession, we are buying more things we need - rather than want; we are looking for ways to tighten our bootstraps, but we still want to buy nice birthday and Christmas gifts for loved ones.

A Pennsylvania inspired General Store that carried essentials, sandwiches, and lovely gifts could be a big success in West Chester. Patrons could limit gas expenses and time with one stop shopping. They could support local artisans, pick up lunch and contribute towards putting West Chester on a much larger national map though online sales.

You can visit:

http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/Shop where the Vermont Merchant has develop a niche online market as "Purveyors of the Practical and Hard to Find."