By JEFF EPSTEIN
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BROWNSVILLE, Vt. — Coming around the bend on Route 44, no signs announce the Brownsville Butcher & Pantry. But everybody in town knows where it is. It’s the old general store. And so during the new business’s open house on Friday afternoon, no sign was needed. A long line of parked cars stretched down the road in both directions — the sure sign of a great party underway.
Inside the renovated building that was once the Brownsville General Store, the party was on. Scores of people ate and drank the treats prepared in the rear kitchen, marveled at the surroundings, and sought out young owners Lauren Stevens and Peter Varkonyi to give congratulations, hugs, and well wishes. When some people left, they were quickly replaced by others coming in the door, greeted by a chalkboard sign proclaiming “Welcome, Friends and Neighbors!”
This party was the payoff for months of sweat equity and years of planning this business. Two opportunities found each other: Brownsville’s desire to somehow keep the long-standing store in operation, and Stevens’ and Varkonyi’s dream of establishing a retail business in Vermont.
The two were friends and business partners from Royalton seeking to start a deli or cafe. Varkonyi had worked as an executive chef, and Stevens was a former farm manager. Their mentor from the business support agency SCORE (Service Corps Of Retired Executives) put them in touch with people in Brownsville who had acquired the general store and were hoping to repurpose it. Rather than Varkonyi and Stevens purchasing the building themselves immediately, a leasing deal was worked out with the new owners.
The first contractors came on the site July 16, Stevens said. The two also did a lot of interior work themselves. Most of the original building was gutted, and outfitted with new materials, she said. Some of that “new material” was siding from an old barn that they sanded down to remove old paint.
Stevens and Varkonyi were both a little nervous about the makeover, given the history of the old general store. They made a point of listening to the locals and incorporating their views. After all, they would be the patrons of the new business. For example, Varkonyi was interested in serving seafood, and Stevens wary of it. But the idea of having seafood proved to be very enticing to people they ran the idea past, she said.
Similarly, long-time residents remember having coffee at the counter, and so they will be able to do so at the new store as well. They will just also be able to see a new menu as well. Breakfast and lunch will be available, and dinner service could possibly come later.
The business is both a store and a restaurant, but appears more modern, specialized and upscale than a classic general store. The old general store sign survives, now mounted over a sparkling new beverage cooler. Nearby, wooden racks hold bottles of domestic and international wine. Display cases hold meats, sausage, fish and other products. Lamps hang down over the smooth polished gray granite counter, where a vase of flowers offers the diners some more color.
A few final touches and jobs still need to get done before the business actually opens on Nov. 20, Stevens said, but enough was done that the room looked ready to go.
Both Varkonyi and Stevens were clearly happy with the swarm of congratulatory friends and neighbors who came to celebrate with them Friday
The guests provided “very positive feedback,” Stevens said when she got a few minutes to catch her breath and speak with a reporter during the event. She described the response as “emotional, in a good way.”
“They’ve thought this through really well,” said Tom Kenyon, a well-known personage of the area for decades. Both Lauren and Peter work very hard, he said, and he was surprised to see Stevens taping sheetrock one day. Looking around the room, Kenyon commented that people were greeting each other who had apparently not seen each other in some time.
What was the meaning of the big turnout, Kenyon was asked.
“This town is not dying,” he said.
Ryan Lather worked at the old general store for eight years, after moving here in 1995. He hadn’t yet met Varkonyi or Stevens. But he was impressed.
“It’s awesome. It’s definitely giving it some new life,” he said.
Such early reviews may anticipate good prospects for the couple, who will now kick off the retail business as friends and business partners, and more. More? What more could you want after a grand opening like this?
“We’re engaged,” Stevens said.
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