It all begins with a place to gather. When I was growing up in this area, that place was Edward’s store. You could stand by the pot bellied stove in the winter and warm up for a while. Edward and his wife Vanelle were our neighbors, not cogs in a corporate machine, so shopping there felt like an extension of living. If you were kids, you’d be likely to see one of your grandpas out front on the bench, and you’d stop and tell them what you were up to before running in for an ice cold Hi-C from the cooler.

Market Street Mercantile exists for all the same reasons — a place to find those items that we depend on and use every day, items that have actually been made to last. A place to see your neighbors and get what you need, whether it’s mending a torn quilt in our “Repair Cafe,” or picking up a pack of seeds in spring or some pickling salt during cucumber season. If this all sounds old fashioned, that’s okay. Some things weren’t meant to be replaced.