Sudden move for Cordial Shop could have a silver lining

NORTH CANAAN — The Cordial Shop is about to make a move. It’s going back around the corner to Railroad Street.

Owner Claudia Dionne has operated the package store for 18 years, starting it in a storefront at the Colonial Theatre. Sixteen years ago, she moved to the current Main Street site, across from Canaan Union Station. 

“There was a package store there for as along as I can remember,” Dionne said April 3, just after the shop’s prominent blue-and-purple awning was removed. 

She and her daughter, Mollikate, run the shop. They hope to avoid any downtime with the move. Claudia Dionne is concerned about the impact of what could be an empty storefront in the heart of town.

Just two weeks before, she said she received notice to vacate the premises, without warning, and with only 24 hours to do so, she said. Her lease was not being renewed, and she was not given a reason why. Two days later, she received a court order to vacate. 

Dionne said she faithfully paid her rent, currently at $2,000 per month, while putting up with structural deficiencies there, such as water leaks. Last year, a pipe connecting the building with the main sewer line had to be replaced. The building is apparently being offered for sale. The barber shop is expected to remain. The owners of the building could not be reached for confirmation. 

The Cordial Shop will move as quickly as possible to newly renovated space on Railroad Street (Route 7), most recently the home of The Source Collection. Most people remember it as a video store. They anticipate opening there April 13, with no down time.

Hanging in the balance is their liquor license, which is issued per location. Dionne does not expect there to be a problem, but it means starting from scratch with paperwork. That, and the move, which included commercial coolers, is expensive and time-consuming.

Under Dionne’s ownership, the package store continued to be an anchor business in the town center. It is and will continue to be an outlet for wines produced at North Canaan’s Land of Nod Winery. Dionne also hopes to keep the valued regulars who patronized her shop while waiting for their food to be prepared at Roma’s Pizza; and those who live in town and walk over.

“We may decide to make deliveries or people can come up the street and get their wine or beer after they put in their food order. We will do whatever we can to continue to accommodate them. I’ve told our regulars we will keep what they usually buy, but for now our motto will be, ‘If we can find it, you can buy it’.”

The new site offers better parking and a lot more space, with a separate room Dionne plans to use for wine-tasting events. She also has first dibs on the front part of the building, currently under renovation.