Local chef to reopen Colebrook store

COLEBROOK — When Addison Todd was a little boy, he would frequently go with his grandfather, Warren Humes, to the Colebrook Store.

According to Todd, Humes — Colebrook’s longest-lived World War I veteran — would stop by the general store each morning to grab the local newspaper and take a peek at that day’s offering of fresh bread and pastries.

“I have very fond memories of coming here with my grandfather,� Todd said, standing in the middle of the store last Friday afternoon, “and I thought it was something to save.�

Todd, a professional and experienced chef with a culinary degree from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, is in the final stages of renovating and reopening the historical landmark, which sits directly across from the Colebrook Town Hall on Route 44.

Currently, the Colebrook Store, a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is on track to be open sometime early next month.

“We’ll be turning the key and opening the door soon,� Todd said. “I’m excited.�

The store has been empty for almost two years, since its previous owner, Lora Murphy, closed her doors for good in early July 2007.

Until that time, the Colebrook Store had been the oldest continuously operated general store in Connecticut, a span that lasted almost 200 years, from 1812 to 2007, according to Colebrook town historian Robert Grigg.

Todd, who grew up in Bedford, N.Y., moved to Colebrook five years ago after his grandfather died at the age of 103. Since then, he has served as a chef at a country club in Avon and at the Interlaken Inn in Lakeville.

Earlier in his career, Todd worked as a chef at world-class resorts in Vail, Colo., Savannah, Ga., and along Lake Champlain in Vermont.

“I was trying to go to different regions to expand my knowledge,� he said. “I learned a lot … it was a wonderful experience.�

But after resettling in Colebrook and watching the town’s general store close its doors, Todd said he would drive by the building and think of its possibilities.

“I kept driving by the store, until finally one day I saw this little sign in the window that read: For Rent,� Todd said, adding that he stopped his car and peered into the darkened windows and saw a dusty, almost-forgotten landscape inside.

It did not take him long to decide to reopen the store himself.

“I had seen this store in its prime,� he said. “And so, since then, I have been trying to get it back to what the Colebrook Store had back in the day.�

Todd has been hard at work. He has not only been working to revamp the inside and outside of the building itself, but also planning what items the store will sell.

Todd said the store will, of course, feature a deli for freshly made sandwiches and salads, as well as a coffee bar and cold drinks. Todd also expects to obtain a beer license this
summer.

In addition, the chef has teamed up with North Canaan-based baker Tracy Marsh to feature fresh pastries and baked goods — such as breads, cakes and pies — at the store.

“We’re going to keep it simple at the start,� Todd said.

Eventually, however, Todd plans to expand the store’s menu — particularly during the weekend — to offer customers fresh-roasted chickens, grilled steak and fish, as well as other dishes.

“It will evolve along the way,� he said. “I am trying to keep some of the old nostalgia, but with a twist of the new.�

The original Colebrook Store, which sits directly behind the current store and is now known as the Woodbine Cottage, was built by Martin and Solomon Rockwell in 1803.

Grigg said the need for a larger store to serve the area’s growing population led the two brothers to construct another building directly in front of the first store in 1812.

According to Grigg, the Rockwell family owned the store until 1900. Although the store has changed hands numerous times over the years, it continued to remain open to the public — until two years ago.

“It was always open, on holidays and weekends, if only for a half-day,� he said.

Since he has been on site almost daily cleaning and tending to the details of reopening the store, Todd said numerous local residents have stopped by to say hello and find out when the store will reopen.

Todd said he has enjoyed the conversations and looks forward to the daily banter that will be part of the store’s day-to-day operations.

“It’s kinda cool to be a part of this little town’s history,� Todd said.