Snapshot: Inside Brown & Hopkins in Chepachet

Photo by Wolf Matthewson

Growing up in Glocester, Cynthia Barlow often visited downtown Chepachet with her parents, where the penny candy at Brown & Hopkins Country Store was a favorite treat. “[My father] was the town sergeant for many years, so we were always in town and we’d stop in here,” she says, recounting the wax lips and candy cigarettes she favored as a kid. For years, she dreamed of owning a general store while working in the corporate sector. When the previous owner decided to retire last year, she and her husband Scott were ready. “Both of us love history and love general stores, so it was a no-brainer to buy something like this,” she says. Today, she enjoys serving customers from behind the counter — like Jayde Paolantonio, who stopped in for candy on a recent afternoon — while Scott, a retired police officer who works in construction, refers to himself as the building’s “facilities and maintenance.” It’s a type of customer service, Barlow says, you can’t often find anymore. “You can buy whatever you want on Amazon. But I think people are now supporting local businesses more because they do realize what an integral part of the community they are.” The building opened as a hattery in 1799 before converting to a general store in 1809. It’s the oldest continuously operating general store in the country, according to her research. “This place existed way before me, and it hopefully will exist way after me. It’s just my job to keep it running and keep it an integral, positive part of the community,” she says. “But it’s not my store. It’s the town’s store.” shopbrownandhopkins.com