The Village Store: 130 years of history.
It began as a farm building.
The Village Store began as a corn crib — a farm structure owned by C.F. Porter, standing near the Sayre Bridge on Tucker Hill Road.
Around 1895, the building was moved to its present location, expanded, and opened as a store. For the century that followed, it became something a town can't easily replace.
It was where neighbors stopped for a cup of coffee, dropped off the mail, chatted on the porch, and picked up groceries — a hub of town activity, in the pattern of village stores all across Vermont.
How it got here — and where it's headed.
A corn crib becomes a store
Originally a corn crib owned by C.F. Porter near the Sayre Bridge, the building is moved, expanded, and opened as a store around 1895.
The store closes
After generations of service, the Village Store ceases operations and the building falls quiet.
The post office closes
Postal service is suspended, and the vacant building continues to deteriorate.
The Trust buys the property
The Thetford Center Community Trust purchases the Village Store, keeping its future in local hands.
The doors reopen
The plan: welcome the community back into a fully restored Village Store & Café.
The next chapter is ours to write.
Every gift — large or small — helps rebuild the heart of Thetford Center. With your support, the doors open again in 2028.
The Thetford Center Community Trust is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Gifts are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Thetford Center Community Trust’s EIN is 99-3567766.