Abstract: Cornwall, New York, has only one grocery store, called the Harvest Market. It’s run by the Cornwall Community Co-Op, and open to the public Thursday-Sunday. It sells everything.
Cornwall’s not a hugely populous community (although we’re big in talent, and looks, and charitable giving, and patriotism, and open-mindedness, etc., etc.), and we don’t take up too much in resources. When my family moved here, the power would go out periodically. That was explained to us by a resigned resident thus: “Well, you know, it’s Cornwall. Buy a generator.” We don’t want any trouble, apparently. (My wife later raised the issue to the state’s Public Service Commission, and they fixed everything.)
But anyway. We have to eat.
Which is why the sudden closure this spring of the only corporate grocery store in town caused such a stir. There was apparent mismanagement, on top of heavy competition from larger stores with newer fixtures and better merchandising, located four miles or so up the road, out of town.
Aesthetics aside, people depended on that store, with its comparatively poor selection and drab interior, for basics. I bought yeast there, and flour. Senior citizens from a nearby housing development found it convenient. You could get a roasted chicken if you were in a hurry for dinner (unless they had turned up the temperature in the case too high, and melted the container). The meat section was a little dodgy-looking, but the ice cream was frozen and the milk fresh.
So, it closed. And Cornwall is a little outside the Fresh Direct distribution area. The town’s two or three convenience stores and delicatessens don’t stock much in the way of produce or chicken parts. As far as most people in town were aware, once Key Food closed, If you needed an onion, you were SOL, or you were trekking up to Vail’s Gate for your onion.
You see where this is going, right? Drumroll…..THERE IS ANOTHER OPTION!
The Cornwall Community Co-Op’s Harvest Market is now the only grocery store in town. It’s open to the public Thursday-Sunday.
If you need that onion, we’ve got it. Also that pork roast. Corn. Peaches. Dish detergent. Rice. Ice cream. Milk. Butter. Eggs. Bread. Cheese. Bacon. Mayonnaise. Ketchup. Crackers. Mac and cheese. Hot dogs. You know — everything.
As one resident—someone who isn’t a member of the Co-o\Op, but recognizes convenience when he sees it—said when he came in a month or so ago, on assignment for his wife, “I’m not going to Vail’s Gate for an onion.”
And neither should you. Nor for anything else. We’ve got it all, right here in town, at the only grocery shop in Cornwall.
UPDATE: Recent reports suggest a new store in the old Key Food location around October 1.