A Vermont Country Classic
The Greatest General Store in the USA- Living in Roam
One of the things I wanted to do when we drove to Vermont during the New England portion on our nomadic life was to visit the Vermont Country Store. In New York, I always enjoyed sipping my morning mug of coffee and thumbing through the pages of the Vermont Country Store catalog every year when it arrived in advance of the winter holiday season. My mouth watered looking at the pages of holiday cakes, cookies and candies. I was curious about all those natural tonics and curative creams and wondered if they actually worked. I felt nostalgic looking at personal care products from my childhood like Lemon Up shampoo, Jean Naté Body Splash, Yardley Eau de Toilette and Halston Z14, which my father used to wear.
When I moved to the Hudson Valley, my mother would send me new sets of Lanz Puppy Love flannel pajamas for Christmas from the Vermont Country Store. They were navy blue with little white dogs that looked like my Maltese pups, Chance and Sazerac. I loved the sexy earthy scent of Grey Flannel cologne which David wore when we were first dating. He wore Grey Flannel for our wedding and occasionally still does when he is not attending a wine event. I purchased both of my expensive Maison Pearson hairbrushes from the Vermont Country Store.
Vermont Country Store is one of state’s most popular and beloved destinations. It’s the ultimate general store filled with classic items that will bring you back to your childhood and wrangle sentiment out of even the most callous cynic.
Founded in 1946 by Vrest and Mildred Orton, The Vermont Country Store was inspired by Vrest’s childhood memories of his father’s general store in North Calais, Vermont. The original location in Weston, Vermont, was the first restored rural general store in the nation, according to the Vermont Country Store website. There is now a second store in Rockingham. Both are still run by members of the Orton family.
So, off we drove to the Vermont Country Store in Weston where we spent hours walking around. We tasted Vermont cheeses and lingered over the assorted candies and various practical clothing (more fleece and plaid!). I purchased a bag of assorted licorices, some aged Vermont cheeses and Tangee lipstick and blush. Tangee's unique selling point was that their blushes and lipsticks adapted to your personal skin tone, and I wanted to know how that worked for me. After application, both my lips and cheeks had a blood orange hue.
Vermont Country Store is pet-friendly, so we carried Sazerac around in his pouch, his head hanging out and long tongue dangling from his mouth. We had lunch at the store’s on-site Mildred’s Market & Dairy Bar and sat outside on a picnic bench. We could have spent all day at the Vermont Country Store.
Actually, we did. We drove to Rockingham later that day to visit that Vermont Country Store location. We were curious if there would be new items to discover. There were maybe a few. Mainly, David was searching for a certain black fleece vest. They were out of his size at the original location, but we found it at the second store. We also stopped for a quick smooch at the Vermont Country Store Kissing Bridge.
When my mother passed away, I canceled dozens of her catalogs, but not the Vermont Country Store. I now have them sent to our current home in New Orleans. I still sit down with a mug of coffee and thumb through the pages. I still have that same Tangee lipstick and blush, the Maison Pearson hairbrushes and one worn set of navy-blue Maltese imprint Puppy Love flannel pajamas. I take them with me when we travel to colder regions. Now that we are living in New Orleans, maybe I will purchase some seersucker pajamas and capris…and some peppermint candies.
Like every other retailer, the Vermont Country Store has an online presence where you can click and purchase everything you want without leaving your house. Despite the cost of printing, they still keep their seasonal catalogs coming year after year. But nothing beats visiting the flagship location in the state of Vermont.
