Berkshire Country Store opens

NORFOLK — The Berkshire Country Store, located at 6 Station Place, opened its doors in Norfolk during the first week of January.

Store owner Ryan Craig said that patrons have been coming in for everything from breakfast burritos to gallons of milk and paper towels.

This is the first time in almost two years that a general store has operated in Norfolk.

For many years a general store had operated at 2 Station Place, including the Norfolk Corner Store, which was open from February 2012 to September 2014.

Craig said that he plans to sell a diverse variety of items at the store.

 “You have to have a little bit of everything in a small community,” he said. “A store like this can become a kind of cornerstone in that way. One of my favorite things is watching the relationships that form on the other side of the counter. People come in for the first time as strangers and before long they are regularly meeting for coffee.”

Craig said the store will also be a good place to congregate during Norfolk’s long winters. 

“We tend to become hermits in the winter because of the snow, so you see people bumping into each other after being holed up for a few days,” he said.

Previously, Craig owned and operated the Berkshire Country Store in West Cornwall.

The store closed in 2015 after two years in business.

“Three employees, Shelby Desrosiers, Allen Davis and Seth Craig all followed me from the other store,” Craig said. “They were just as passionate about starting this new place as I was, so it’s been great to have them.” 

Craig said that he is still looking to hire more employees.

The Berkshire Country store is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m, to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, go to www.facebook.com/berkshirecountrystore/.