In response to closing our brick-and-mortar store due to the coronavirus, we’ve created the General News, a monthly newsletter. Even though we are open again, we will still be bringing a bit of Harvard and the General Store community to you— virtually. We’ll be posting town events, profiles on local folks, interviews with our purveyors and some specials that are happening in store, out on our Patio, or via curbside. We want to let you know what we’re up to but more importantly—we want to know what you’re up to!

We’re looking for recipes, virtual events, collaborations, pictures of Harvard and beyond. This is HGS’ virtual community space. We’d love to hear from you. Write to us at hgsevents@harvardgeneralstore.com.

welcome Letter from Scott

August 2020

Dear HGS Family,

Well, my life has certainly changed in the last few months, and I'm sure yours has too.  In January the General Store was on track to have its best year ever, my kids were both settled in NYC, my wife and I were all set to begin a large remodeling of our home, and we were looking forward to a healthy and active summer.  Today the General is struggling to stay afloat, my kids are living at home, the remodeling is all but on hold, my dog has cancer, and I broke my arm.  Sound familiar?

There have been silver linings however.  The incredible General Store staff immediately pivoted the business model to accommodate contactless service in March; Congress, the governor, and the Selectboard stepped in with business-saving relief in June; both my sons stepped up to run the business; living with them the second time around has really been fun; and joyfully our hummingbirds are back.  I hope you have found silver linings too.

Business for the General remains challenging, and we must make further changes in order to survive.  The contactless pick-up service of alcohol, bakery products, and prepared foods has fallen off dramatically even with such great customers, and it will no longer sustain the store.  With that in mind, we at the store have pivoted once again and on July 4th we opened for breakfast and lunch service on our new patio. On August 9th we started a Sunday brunch service, and soon we will be asking you to make your reservations for dinner on the patio.  Stay tuned for these totally new menus and further details. 

I have always believed that the most important thing the General Store sold was not goods or services, not food and drink, but community.  That is still our primary goal, and we want the new dining room on the patio to feel safe, accessible, and comfortable for everyone in Harvard...and that is also why we started this newsletter.  For everyone who misses coming into the store and seeing their favorite staff member or meeting a friend, we wanted to bring a little bit of the store and the Harvard community you may be missing home to you on a regular basis.  Publication will be sent out through our email list, and posted on our Facebook and Instagram pages.  We hope you will read, enjoy, and send us back your thoughts and ideas.

Best to you and your families,

Scott