Tuesday, May 8, 7pm. The general store is literally as old as America itself. It hearkens back to a simpler time and a more innocent and rural nation. It conjures a country-like place where kids come in to by penny candy, and adults to buy everything from swaths of fabric, to fresh vegetables, to four-penny nails. It was a place to pick up mail, the newspaper, and perhaps tarry a bit on a cold, winter’s morning to chat over a cup of coffee and a warm wood stove. And in tough times, it was a place that often treated customers like family, extending credit when no one else would. Deeply woven into America’s cultural identity from its earliest days, the general store was an integral part of the nation’s self-portrait.
In New England’s General Stores: Exploring an American Classic, broadcast journalist Ted Reinstein explores the rich and colorful history of this iconic institution, how it figured in the rise of early American commerce, why it began to fade, and why it has begun to come back and even be re-invented and re-imagined for a new era. Ted’s presentation is accompanied by the award-winning photography of Art Donahue. Afterwards, Ted will take questions and sign copies of the book.