Commentary
Notes from the Front Porch

A Vermont country store cannot be adequately described in words. This is something I did not know when I embarked on this project on a beautiful, sunny Halloween last year. I knew the store needed love, and time and life. I knew the Cunha girls needed to move on. I knew I needed something to dive into. What I didn’t know, and am still only now starting to grasp, is the importance of a small town store to its community, to its visitors, to its friends and admirers.
The Old Brick Store is more than a store to many people. It is even more than an icon. The Brick represents childhood, adulthood, transitions and passages. It gives basis to vacation memories and the days of summer. People love the Brick not because of the goods it provides, but because of the memories it holds.
I’m not making any of this up. I have encountered all of this in my short time at the store, and these are amazing moments to behold. Almost everyone has something to say about the store – few walk in and grab their soda or their muffin without stopping to look around for a minute. A few quotes we’ve heard (some more than once):
“Wow, this place has changed.”
“My uncle used to own this store.”
“My dad was the butcher here for 30 years.”
“My wife used to ride her pony into the store, and Bill Williams would give itcandy.”
“I’ve always wanted to work here, ever since I was a little girl.”
“This is a great store.”
“Not really a store anymore, huh?”
I’m sure the negative comments abound, but people don’t share those with the proprietress. The unhappy folks will go and complain about the prices, or the service, or the food or the lack of this or that to their friends. And that is unequivocally their right. I am slowly and painfully learning that we cannot please everyone, as much and as hard as we try. But each day, with the addition of some new item, like organic chicken feed or fresh mozzarella or wiffleball sets, we manage to please someone looking for that thing that their corner store happens to have that they never would have expected.
A few things we did have this week for folks in need:
Organic chicken feed – one summer patron noted recently, “Oh, I see you have your token chicken feed.” I assured him there is nothing token about our feed. This is Vermont.
A wallet pen
Grass fed ground beef and Misty Knoll chicken breasts
Fresh ginger root
Chocolate cake
Cream of mushroom soup

A few things we didn’t have:
Skewer sticks
Celery salt
Chicken marinade

Celery salt? I’ve never heard of it.
Each day presents new challenges, but fortunately I have friends who jump in and save me when it gets ugly. For example, in the middle of our busiest day thus far we suddenly lost water pressure. No coffee, no lattes, no dishwashing, no bathroom. The day was done. However, within 15 minutes of a frantic phone call my buddy Tim was in the basement with his buddy Brian. A few minutes later the water was back on, and we were back in business. Stories like this are endless. People like Peter, Justin, Alexandra, Marilyn, Matt, Nick and Jonathon, among others, are as much a part of the beauty and magic of the Brick as the incredible staff both behind the counter and behind the line.
It’s a special place, The Old Brick Store. I’m lucky to be its caretaker for a time.

Carrie MacKillop