Sunday, August 25, 2019

A Visit to The Vermont Country Store

The Vermont Country Store in Bellows Falls, Vermont

This is the Fifth post in my series of touring Vermont.  (Please click on any picture to make them larger.)  I have lived in this state for 16 years and rarely stopped to look at the sights.  Starting in 2017, I made the effort to stop and visit some of the places that I see on my travels. This does not mean that I would need to spend money, but that I would take a few moments of rest and visit some of these places, instead of just rushing through life and never taking a scenic break.


The tour:  A Visit to The Vermont Country Store.


We had an appointment in Southern Vermont recently. I was delighted to find out that we would be driving right past the famous country store.   I had no money to spend.  We did not buy anything on this visit.   But I wanted to just take a break and look around.  Would you like to see inside?


Inside the Vermont Country Store

The store is enormous. There are many rooms all opening up to one another. There are also seating areas where you can sit and play checkers!   You could spend hours just looking at all the merchandise, displays, and decorations.



Historic pictures on the wall.


I had such a restful time just walking around and looking at everything.  The only thing that made it difficult was the crowd. I had no idea there would be so many people here.  But I realized this is a great tourist stop.  It is right off the interstate and has so many features, on the property, for travelers to rest and shop.


"Peanuts" products and Tea Time items.


The packaging of products, and presentation of merchandise, is wonderful! It is like walking into a museum where every, charming, thing is for sale.


Beatrix Potter items on a cozy shelf in the bargain area upstairs.

They had toys and games and so many sweet things.  They even had warm and cozy, flannel nightgowns to keep one extra warm, and pretty, during a Vermont winter. I saw the sweetest purple robe that would be lovely.  I saw many things I wanted, but of course I refrained from any impulse shopping.  One cannot buy things when one does not have any money!  But I did enjoy looking at everything so much!


Old - Fashioned Treats.

They had old - fashioned treats in vintage - looking boxes.  It was reminiscent of the old, family, country stores in the rural towns of history.


Candy counter.

The shelves of candy were a popular stop for many customers.  It was difficult to get a picture until many moved on to other sights in the store.  These treats were so tempting.


Charles Chips.


I am told that "Charles Chips" are some of the best tasting that can be found.  They are sold by the tin and then you can purchase a refill bag.  Wouldn't it be charming to have delicous chips out of a large tin?


Soda.

I loved seeing an old refrigerator with cold, glass bottles of soda for sale. This was an incredible item from history!

Mildred's Dairy Bar which is part of The Vermont Country Store.


Back outside, we saw outdoor games, picnic tables, and a beautiful landscape where many were playing or resting.  Attached to the store is a place to eat.  There is a walkway up a ramp to a window where you can order anything on the menu, and then go out and have a picnic lunch on the front grounds.  We had already brought our own traveling food, so we just enjoyed looking at the menu before heading back on our way.



Outside the store-  between the main entrance and the dairy bar.



I took one more last look and then we happily went on our way, traveling on the country road of Vermont to our appointment.  It had been a restful and interesting stop. I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you for visiting with me!

** My next stop will be a Scenic View of the Countryside, and a Beautiful Lake, in Summer.**


The First Tour was -  A Vermont Christmas Tree Farm.

The Second Tour was - The Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe Vermont.

The Third Tour was - King Arthur Flour in Norwich Vermont.

 The Fourth Tour was - Afternoon Tea at The Governor's Mansion.



Blessings,
Mrs. White


From the Archives -

Before Modern Technology Distracted the Family - Industrious at Home.

Inspiration - How The Old Time Mothers Survived Poverty.

What Many of Us Crave - An Ordinary Life at Home.  



- To find out more about this blog, or Mrs. White, please visit our About page. -




Find Home-keeping Inspiration, in Mrs.White's book - For The Love of Christian Homemaking.  Paperback, 274 pages.











17 comments:

Joyful said...

I do think it's important to stop and 'smell the roses' so to speak. There are lots of wonderful things to enjoy for free. This tourist stop looks like it has so many wonderful things to look at.

Elizabethd said...

What an interesting place to visit. I love to wander round places that have a traditional and historic feel to them. One can learn so much.

Debbie-Dabble Blog and A Debbie-Dabble Christmas said...

Now that is a store that I would love to visit!! So many beautiful things...Thanks so much for stopping by and for commenting on my post about my retirement!
Hugs,
Debbie

Lana said...

I don't know if it is still available but back 26 years ago when we lived in Florida the Charles Chips man would come to your house to deliver chips. You got a fresh can of chips and they took your empty can to refill. They had all kinds of yummy treats like tins of cookies and other treats and snacks. We still have our can and now we store bird seed in it for our feeders. It is a nostalgic keepsake that makes me smile when I see it in our garage.

lonibelle said...

Just enjoying this series! It is so important to enjoy close to home.

Kathy said...

How funny that you posted about the Vermont Country Store, Mrs. White. We just recently purchased some curtains, but they didn't work out, so we sent them back and there was a little confusion on their end. My husband called them about it and they settled it very quickly and easily and my husband said, you know they have really good customer service. He said he noticed on their picture it looks like it's family run and he thought he had talked to one of the brothers. Who knows... Anyway, it was very nice to actually see what it looks like inside. I am going to share this with my husband when he comes in from working in the yard. Thank you for your delightful posts!

Mrs. Laura Lane said...

I like to "shop" with no money. It's then that I see the neatest things. If I happen to have a few dollars from a birthday or something, I often cannot decide on anything and keep my money in my purse. Once spent, it's gone!
Blessings from Harvest Lane Cottage,
Mrs. Laura Lane

Winkel's Crazy Ideas said...

What an interesting store, thanks for sharing. Pam

Amelia said...

Awww... I love receiving their catalogues! It looks as if their store is wonderful!

Thank you for sharing! ~Amelia

TheLoriA said...

Although I have not been to the brick and mortar store I have purchased several things through the catalog. One being the Tangee Lipstick. It warms and changes color to your perfect match when you put it on. I am not a fan of my "perfect" match but it is fun. LOL I purchased THE BEST set of sheets from them though. They are called Clothesline Crisp Cotton Sheets. They are pricey at first but over the years I have had them they are the least expensive I have ever bought. Other sheets have only lasted a year or 2 but I have had these 5 years now and they are just as new looking as when I bought them. I liked them so much that I bought 3 sets. Someday I hope to visit the store. It looks fun. Best Blessings, Lori

Joanne said...

In all my trips to VT, I'm not sure I ever stopped there but it definitely has that rustic look that I love so much. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Encouraging Hearts and Home. Pinned.

Maggie said...

Oh wow....The Vermont Country Store is on my "bucket list" of places to visit if I ever get up to that area. I'm in Texas and we have a chain of restaurants down here, Crackle Barrel, that has a small store attached that offers many of the same things....old fashioned candy, linens, clothes, books, etc. with the old fashioned general store vibe. And the food is all the comfort food you'd get at grandma's house. Until I can visit the Vermont Country Store, I'll just have to settle for their catalogs. Thanks for the pics. I loved looking at them and reading about your visit.

Barbara said...

Thank you for your well wishes regarding Hurricane Dorian. It may be that the storm will miss us since it's now shifted more east, out in the Atlantic. Welcome news!

Your visit to the Vermont Country Store is delightful!

Christine said...

Living on the West Coast, I have never visited the East Coast. It's great to see how the "other side" lives. Thanks for sharing! I would really like to visit Vermont. So much History!!

Mary said...

From one Vermonter to another, I love being a local tourist also! To the blogger who commented the vet country store is family run, yes it is! By the or ton family. One year I applied for and received a community mapping grant funded by the Orion family, which resulted in materials and projects for my students to map their community.

Sue said...

I do enjoy visiting country stores like this, this one reminds me of the Cracker Barrel stores and restaurants in our area. I once was given some Vermont maple syrup from my sister who was visiting your beautiful state, it was delicious.
Thank you for visiting and for your lovely comment.
I have been reading some of your previous posts, and am enjoying my visit.
Blessings,
Sue

Janine said...

Lovely! I do enjoy your posts. I just read the series of all you have visited. Very homey and inspiring. Thanks!