Tunbridge Village Store Closes 

When the Tunbridge Village Store re-opened in June of this year, it hoped to match the longevity of the original store, which opened in the 1830s and was in business for about 170 straight years before closing in the 1990s.

Alas, the latest version of the Village Store lasted only five months. Owner Ann Swanson of Thetford confirmed the store will close its doors Sunday. Signs proclaim that the merchandise will be on sale until then.

"It's very sad news," Swanson confirmed this week. "The townspeople were so grateful to have the store."

She said she is selling both the inventory and the equipment and will be offering the real estate for sale through Bysel Realty.

"It could work very well for somebody," she said.

Swanson, a real estate agent in Thetford, had purchased the store out of foreclosure with a partner, Carolyn Thurston of Vershire, whose husband Robert was in charge of the major renovations, both to the outside and inside, that were needed.

From all accounts, the history of the store was not only short but unhappy.

Swanson said her partner decided to get out of the deal after the first week in operation. The first store manager, Tammy Mullen of Tunbridge, who had had experience in other stores, resigned after just a couple of months.

Both Swanson and customers said that there had been a "revolving door" of store clerks since that time.

Swanson also said that the capital debt from the renovations and other long-term factors turned out to be much more than she was aware of, and she was not able to finance it at an advantageous rate.

The store made money from day-to-day operations but not enough to repay the capital debt, she said.

There was not enough money to renovate the upper floor, which is sufficient for a nice apartment or offices, and which could have helped with the revenue stream, she said.

The store also changed its focus a bit, adding café tables and somewhat upscale offerings in an attempt to attract tourists as well as local shoppers. According to some customers, that meant that the store did not have some of the everyday items they expected in a general store. Swanson, however, defended the decision and said that "we learned as we went along" what was most needed on the shelves.

It was apparent that personnel relations remained a difficult issue. The owner claimed that on Monday, employees who quit damaged a cash register and other items, and she said she was considering filing a complaint with police.