Forget Aldi’s, I Want a Farm Store

Ask the Stafford Facebook forums what people want in town and you’ll get inundated with requests for Aldi’s. When I lived in Brattleboro, Vermont there was an Aldi’s, a Hannford’s, the Brattleboro Co-Op, and a Price Chopper (or some similar grocery store…honestly, I’ve forgotten at this point and it’s not important enough to look up). 

I usually drove past the Aldi’s to get to the Hannaford’s because the reality is, I could never get all of what I needed, or wanted, at Aldi’s. And, though Nana would be disappointed, I hate making multiple shopping stops just to save a couple of dollars. But, my favorite place to shop was the Co-Op. I paid the one-time fee to join to get a discount, and occasionally worked a volunteer shift on “cheese island” to get the added discount. In fact, once a member, always a member, so I still get emails about voting for the board.

It was more than a grocery store. It was a place we’d take our friends when they came to visit. They had yoga classes in their community room. We could walk downtown, fill up our backpacks, and walk home in a few short minutes. And every time I walk past an empty storefront in downtown Stafford, I think, “I wish this was a co-op.” 

Listen, I don’t think we’re going to be home to an enormous River Valley Co-Op anytime soon. It takes years of dedication from an invested community to build up a place like that, but couldn’t we have a little farm store? I’d love it if it was easier to support our local farmers. I don’t want to drive all over town to figure out who has eggs, buy a loaf of sourdough, and grab a veggie or two. What we need is a centrally located place where farmers can drop off their goods, and shoppers can make one stop to get what they need. One might call it a year round farmer’s market.

This is exactly the kind of thing that Stafford needs to bring more people into town, especially those with money. We all know who is shopping at Whole Foods and the Coventry Farmers' Market; people with plenty of money to spend. Lure them into town with farm fresh products all year round, and you will see the shops around it prosper.

The farmers may hate this idea, and I might be the only one who lacks the planning skills to hunt down fresh farm goods all over town, but I’m willing to bet I’m not totally alone in wishing we had a farm store. So, if you’re a downtown property owner with an empty storefront and a soft heart, may I suggest you get in touch with the Agriculture Commission and start bringing this idea to life?