A Continuously Operating Store

April 30, 2023

...and the new name!

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The store at 377 Main Street is a historic fixture for this town: since the early 1800s, there has been a general store serving “the multiple wants of a complex community” at the intersection of Main Street and South Road (from “Life And Times in Hopkinton, NH”). While it is more common these days to hear about corner stores closing, we believe that our historic store in Hopkinton Village not only has a place here, but has a revitalized and vibrant future.

Dulcie grew up happily going to The Cracker Barrel for newspapers, milk, hamburger supplies, and gas (!) and she was delighted every time she got to charge popsicles on a friend’s account. The Cracker Barrel holds special memories for Anna’s family too: the Wells family fondly recalls purchasing the Sunday paper and lemon-pepper chicken, Dionne Warwick on the radio, and charging the account for bubblegum after school.

We’ve seen the store change hands over the years, and as massive fans of local retail, we’ve been thrilled to support whichever owner is giving it a go. That said, over the years, the building has seen quite a bit of neglect, and the store itself has gone through iterations without an in-house proprietor in the building every day.

We want to address both of those areas, so with that…some announcements! 🙂

SO…WHO IS RUNNING THE STORE?!?!

First up, we cannot wait any longer to tell you about our new proprietor, Beth Richards. She brings with her a wealth of knowledge and deep expertise about food, retail operations, quality, and, above all, customer service. Beth absolutely loves what she does, and nothing excites her more than building a great team of staff who can help deliver her consistently delicious vision.

Beth has been running a wonderful local meal kit company in Concord for several years; she opened Local Baskit after more than a decade working on national public health campaigns. Beth will keep the Local Baskit portion of her company, and the meal kit offerings are not changing - the same weekly kits of excellent quality will be delivered throughout NH. She will produce them in a portion of the new store, allowing her to expand the reach to more areas and homes. She will also be expanding her take-out “Cook Tonight” options, which have all the ingredients, pre-portioned, for you to bring home to cook a wholesome, delicious, nutritious meal. The provisions, groceries, coffee, sandwiches, and sundries that make a great corner store will also continue to be available - just improved with Beth’s ownership and vision.

To Beth, cooking is love made visible, which we both wholeheartedly second. We are over the moon to have Beth as part of the team, and her experience, passion, and joyous presence are something we are so excited to believe in and support.

AND THE NAME? WHAT ABOUT THE NAME?!

As you might know, Dulcie and Anna’s husband, Ted, grew up in town, and they are both wildly sentimental people (try asking us to do barn cleanouts…). They both grew up with the Cracker Barrel name, and that store was a key part of their childhoods, fondly calling it “The Barrel.” However, that name is also confusing to out-of-towners, who show up expecting a southern-style restaurant. (Also, given the similarity to that trademarked corporate name, it is unlikely any new business could register that name.)

It didn’t take much brainstorming for the three of us to land on the perfect name that nods to the past while also tipping our hat to the future: Barrel & Baskit. To us, it brings together the best of what has been and what will be. Barrel & Baskit will be open 7 days a week and will have essential groceries, sandwiches, beverages (yes, coffee!), Beth’s award-winning beer selections, and a diversified wine offering. The new store will strive to highlight local farms and artisans, host a range of events appealing to all ages, and build upon the generations of continuous store operations in this location with the addition of the meal-kit concept.

RENOVATION UPDATES!

We’ve been cranking away on renovations, adding a new point of egress, leveling floors, and framing new interior walls. This week we’ll start on the exterior siding, and we’ll keep chipping away at the interior. We cannot thank our construction, plumbing, electrical, demo, and roofing/siding crews enough - we are on a tight deadline with a significant amount of work, and we are incredibly grateful to have so many marvelous professionals chipping in.

Here’s Anna and Beth with a glimpse of the interior this week:

AND FINALLY... STILL HIRING!

Last but not least, there are still a couple positions open for Production Team Leads. These spots are perfect for an adult who loves and knows food and has availability early in the week to lead the production of Local Baskit meal kits. Full info about the roles and how to apply are HERE. We hope you are as excited as we are, and we cannot wait to see you in a few short weeks. We’ll be in touch next week with more updates! 🙂 Warmly, Anna and Dulcie... and Beth!

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