GRAFTON — When the Grafton Village Store closed late this spring, it left residents high and dry, with no choice but to drive 20 minutes to one of the surrounding towns for basic needs.
But at a small gathering of concerned residents at the Grafton Tavern last week, Windham Foundation's CEO Bob Allen said he was in the process of approving a business plan for a new enterprise for the building owned by the charitable nonprofit - one that fits with the needs of the village.
Business partners Alexandra Hartman and June Lupiani are in the final stages of negotiating the contract to open MKT: The Market at Grafton Village.
A soft opening is planned in the fall, during which the team will operate the Grafton Village Cheese Company store behind the tavern while the village store gets a facelift in preparation for the new venture.
The store should be fully operational by spring 2016, Hartman said.
Allen and Hartman told The Commons that once the contract is signed, that in the meantime, once the contract is signed, they plan it to operate the current Grafton Village Cheese Company store located behind the Tavern, while the village store gets a face lift.
Hartman, who said that her role will be mostly behind the scenes, said that she has a strong business background and that she has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. She said this project furthers her and her husband's goal to move to their Grafton home full-time from New York City and raise their children there.
Hartman said the plan could not work if she is absent, and that Lupiani's abilities and skills as the feet on the ground to get the business started are crucial.
Allen said he was impressed with Lupiani as a business partner: Lupiani as general manager and Hartman as majority owner, plus a sound business and financial plan, made theirs the most sustainable proposal for the community, he said.
All this, he added, was consistent with the foundation's mission.
Hartman said that Lupiani will be overseeing the café component. They plan to specialize in meats and seasonally available seafood, and she said they have someone they are talking with who will bring that background to the enterprise.
Hartman sees their plan as a sustainable business model that will continue to serve Grafton residents for years.
Lupiani, a registered dietician, works as nutrition leader and intuitive eating specialist for Green Mountain at Fox Run, a residential weight-loss retreat for women based in Ludlow. She has worked in the restaurant business and, according to Allen, she has written several cookbooks.
Hartman described an event early on when they first met to discuss the idea: “It was kind of spontaneous, and we just showed up at her house one afternoon.”
She said Lupiani didn't miss a beat and promptly asked everyone if they'd like to sit down to a meal - one that was not only delicious and surprising, but also done with a minimum of fuss and no stress.
That experience really impressed her and made her excited to have Lupiani as a partner, Hartman said.
A new model that will work
Speaking from New York City, Hartman described the MKT team as “millennials” who are interested in supporting and growing their community, and she said that their business plan reflects the changing face of village markets in New England.
The old model clearly doesn't work anymore, she said. So they have taken a fresh approach for MKT, one that she describes as a “part New Age- millennial, part traditional Vermont general store.”
That means a café that will also offer prepared foods which people can take home with them, a good selection of wine and beer, and Grafton Village Cheese products (as called for in their contract with the Windham Foundation, which also owns the cheesemaking operation).
They also plan to sell typical sundries found in a general store, like toothpaste, milk, and eggs.
Allen and Hartman noted that once the contract is signed sometime in the next two weeks, the transition will begin.