ROYALSTON – Two months ago, the Royalston Country Store—the only location in town offering breakfast and lunch as well as everyday necessities—closed its doors after serving local customers for more than 250 years.

Peter Gagliardi, who chairs the subcommittee of the Royalston South Village Revitalization Committee, told a community meeting on April 12 that the original store first opened in 1765. Gagliardi told the Athol Daily News that the meeting sparked a discussion about how best to revive South Royalston’s store.

“I think, first of all, the most important thing is we had over 50 people show up for a town-wide meeting,” he said. “I’d say, pretty much universally, people felt it was important that we preserve the store for the future. There was a sense the business model had to shift because the world has changed. But the store provides a place not otherwise available in town to get together with friends, have coffee, something to eat.”

Gagliardi said the different ways to support the store include patronizing once it reopens or making a donation—be that money, time, or services. He said there are people in the community who have skills that could remake the building, potentially restoring it to its former appearance.

“It’s all a tall order, but I feel there’s enough energy that there’s a real chance of doing something meaningful and successful,” he said.

The subcommittee headed by Gagliardi hopes to move quickly once the store property is listed for sale. He said a smaller group that is working on the financial side has met to discuss how to make it successful. In addition to financial considerations, volunteers will look to acquire and restorethis historic buildings, as well as develop a business plan.

Saving Petersham’s County Store

Chuck Berube, who owned the Country Store in Petersham from 1985 to 2002, spoke at the April 12 meeting about the steps residents took to save the store after the people he sold it to closed the doors.

“They had every intention of doing it successfully,” Berube said, “But they had great difficulty and, 10 years later, they were closing it. That kind of broke my heart. So, I spoke to my neighbors and said, ‘We can’t let this happen.’ So, what did we do?”

Berube said a group of people banded together to raise enough money to purchase the building that housed the store, adding that the business no longer had any value.

“We then found somebody who was willing and capable of running the business really well – better than I could,” he said. “As a result, it’s now a viable business that serves our community. People from all over the world come to visit.”

Berube said that the store remains open because residents worked together and modeled their efforts after an initiative undertaken by people in a Vermont town. He explained that the Petersham residents formed a partnership with the East Quabbin Land Trust of Hardwick, an organization that, according to its website, works “to permanently protect open space, including farms, fields, woodlands and riverways.”

“We asked them to accept our donation to the East Quabbin Land Trust and buy the store and own it,” Berube said. “We would have no financial involvement or renumeration for our contribution other than the tax deduction in the East Quabbin Land Trust.”

Instead of an annual property tax bill, the town receives a payment in lieu of taxes from the East Quabbin Land Trust. The store occupies the first floor of the building and, according to Berube, pays “less than $2,000 a month in rent,” while the second floor is rented out for $1,100 per month.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.

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