North Country Now NORWOOD -- Perry’s Market, 58 Spring St., is moving away from a traditional grocery store toward a destination shop that offers homemade, local and unique products not offered …
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North Country Now
NORWOOD -- Perry’s Market, 58 Spring St., is moving away from a traditional grocery store toward a destination shop that offers homemade, local and unique products not offered anywhere else in St. Lawrence County.
Nearly everything in the store is now homemade. From meats, spices, olive oil and preserves; homemade is the key.
Instead of fighting or competing with big-biz stores, Perry’s Market went another direction.
Richard K. Gilchrist said instead of selling a package of Oreos that people can buy anywhere, they have turned their focus to selling items not traditionally carried at other stores.
“We saw a lot of people giving up and not investing — we want to be agents of change and are trying to do our part,” Gilchrist said.
They sell olive oil from Italy. Honey comes from Hermon and maple syrup is sourced from the Colton area.
The work was done by Gilchrist, his brother in-law and co-owner Ben Hull, along with some family and friends.
The deli was moved to the front of the store and has been very busy. The deli manager, a former chef, makes dinners twice a week and the sell out every time, Gilchrist said.
“Last night he made Thanksgiving sandwiches … all from scratch,” he said.
Perry’s will add two more days of homemade dinners due to the popularity.
New flooring was added and Amish pine board wood covers much of the store. New stonework was added and ceilings were raised.
Instead of produce sitting on a generic wooden table, fruits and veggies are displayed on large cable spools from SLIC.
It has an Adirondack feel to it. “Starbucks meets a really nice grocery store,” he said.
Gilchrist travelled the east coast following the closure of several small-scale local grocery stores. He was looking for ideas on how to make his store thrive in the wake of big box stores moving into the region.
“I couldn’t image a Trader Joe’s coming up here,” but he took some ideas from the franchise as well as other similar business he visited on his tour around the northeast.
“We added out own flavor and made it special,” he said. “There is nothing like it Northern New York.”
Gilchrist is hopeful his store becomes a place where people from Potsdam, Massena and outlying towns do their secondary shopping for the unique items they offer, including 50-pound bags of rice or oatmeal.
None of his 15 “team members” lost out on income during the remodeling process. “People are important to us and making sure they are paid is part of our value system,” he said.
The project is expected to be completed Feb. 27. A “grand reveal” is planned March 2 from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.