In the news — a community nonprofit buys the Village Store, with plans to revive it and add a café ● Read the coverage
Newsletter · July 2026

Greetings, friends of the Village Store! Here's the latest on our project to bring our beloved store back as the Village Store & Café.

Visit Us at the Thetford Hill Fair!

A hand-painted sign on a white picket fence announcing the Thetford Hill Fair on July 25, 11:30 to 3:30, with rummage, tea garden, antiques, baked goods, and plants

The Thetford Hill Fair is on Saturday, July 25th — and we'll be there! Stop by our table to learn more about the Village Store revival plan and timeline. Register for our free raffle for a gift certificate to Pizza Night at Crossmolina Farm! And join the mosaic we're creating of community members' pictures in front of the iconic Thetford Village Store sign. We'll have the camera set up. Smile!

Updates on the Site Plan

A surveyor's site plan showing the Thetford Center Village Store, the carriage barn, and property boundary lines along VT Route 113
Nailing down the site plan — and property boundaries that had never been surveyed.

We are working with Thetford's Development Review Board (DRB) to establish a site plan and receive a permit for construction. At the DRB's June meeting we confirmed many of the site plan's details, while others await the completion of the property survey before they can be finalized. We are in the process of documenting formal property line boundaries (neither the Village Store nor any of the adjoining properties have ever been surveyed!) and adjustments with our neighbors. With this task completed, we will return to the DRB to finalize details regarding things like parking space configuration, wastewater plans, and property line setbacks. We are incredibly appreciative of the support and counsel we have received from Thetford's town government — the Town Manager, the Selectboard, the Town Clerk's office, the Zoning Administrator, and the DRB!

A 250th Celebration at the Village Store

A woman and man relax in white rocking chairs with coffee mugs beneath the Village Store, Thetford Center Vt. sign Three community members in colonial-era costume, with a dog, seated beneath the Village Store sign An older couple share a kiss beneath the Village Store, Thetford Center Vt. sign
Neighbors mugging for Dan Grossman's camera in front of the iconic Village Store sign — the first pictures in our community mosaic.

What a wonderful day in Thetford Center on June 20th! Crossmolina Farm's heavenly breakfast sandwiches got us through the morning. Red Kite Candy's dreamy ice cream treats sustained us into the afternoon. Dan & Dana Grossman helped kick off our Village Store mosaic project. Dan's pictures captured dozens of Village Store fans in front of the iconic Village Store sign. It takes a village to make a mosaic, and we'll be combining Dan's photos with many more to create a community-inspired piece of art for the new Village Store & Café.

Please Support the Revival of the Village Store & Café!

If you love the idea of reviving a gathering place and food hub in the center of Thetford, and you're able to contribute, don't wait another day.

Donate now

We've garnered over $600,000 of support for the Village Store revival, including over $100,000 in the last month! This early momentum is critical as we begin to approach foundations and institutional donors who want to see a community's financial support for a project.

The Thetford Center Community Trust accepts contributions through our website, gifts from Donor-Advised Funds, and direct donations to our Mascoma Bank account and to our Fidelity brokerage account (for gifts of appreciated securities). Let us know if we can assist you as you consider a gift.

Thank you!!

More soon. Thank you for supporting the revival of the Village Store & Café.
— The Thetford Center Community Trust Board (Tim, Deecie, Sarah, Dom)