Welcome to Avery’s General Store

AVERY’S GENERAL STORE IS NOW EMPLOYEE OWNED

Avery’s has been a Charlemont institution since 1861

On March 27, 2020, the final details were wrapped up and papers signed to officially make Avery’s General Store an employee owned business. Several of Avery’s employees formed an LLC in order to lease the store space from the current building owner, and take over the daily operations and management of the business. Funding for the transition was raised in part through a GoFundMe campaign supported by a large number of local donors.

The building housing Avery’s was put on the market last year by the previous owners, who had managed the store for the prior three years. The structure was then purchased by a real estate investor. Since then Avery’s had been renting the store space as the business transitioned to new ownership. Previously, A.L. Avery & Son General Store was run for 42 years by Dennis Avery and his wife, Karen Hogness. Dennis Avery was the fifth generation to own the family-run store.

First opened in 1861, Avery’s General Store is considered the oldest continuously operating general store in New England. Avery’s offers a full range of groceries, fresh produce, housewares, seasonal gear and other everyday essentials, as well as a secondary building housing a wide range of hardware and building materials. A popular feature of the store is the butcher shop offering freshly cut beef and pork, along with chicken, deli meats and cheeses, Avery’s breakfast sausage, and special recipe sausages created by Matt, the store’s butcher.

The new owners and staff hope that Avery’s General Store will continue to be an integral part of the community for many years to come.

All of us at Avery’s want to thank our loyal customers for hanging in there with us through these changes – THANK YOU!

We look forward to seeing you in the store again soon.