The General Store Shops & Cafe at 1875 Springfield Avenue will say a final, fond farewell to that location on Sunday, June 21 with a day-long “everything must go” sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“Thank you so much for some really great memories here at the General Store Shops & Cafe! We’ve had so much fun bringing this co-retail space to life and meeting all of you,” wrote owners Erin Hargrave-Kerns and Deanna Taylor-Heacock on social media.
But the news isn’t all sad. The shops will live on both online (see Mrs. Meshugga’s, Good Bottle Refill, and Norma’s Ice Cream) and at The Station — Hargrave-Kerns’ new coffee and convenience store at the Maplewood Train Station.
Meanwhile, the owners are planning a grand finale on June 21 the Springfield Avenue General Store: “We invite all of you to come say goodbye on our last day. We’ll have some drinks to toast a wonderful time on Springfield Ave.”
This Weekend at General Store Shops & Cafe:
Good Bottle Refill Shop
40% off all refills at Good Bottle Refill shop. Come stock up and empty the bins!! Other sales are happening in the shop too. (they have a LOT of unscented laundry detergent…. fyi).
Mrs. Meshugga Needlepoint
25% off Select canvases at Mrs. Meshugga’s Needlepoint Shop.
20% off Code Thread Trunk Show
Come Stitch with us:
Thursday open stitch 4pm-7pm
Friday open stitch 10am-1pm
Etc. Gifts
25% off all holiday merchandise (Christmas in July!!)
Evermore Spirits
25% off non alcoholic spirits (whiskey, gin, tequila, rum & wilfreds)
GS Cafe’
Donuts on Saturday Morning!!!
As always, Paper Plane Coffee is being served!!
To our Customers:
After 6 years and 8 months on Springfield Avenue, we have made the very difficult decision to close the General Store in late June.
In 2022, we were proud to purchase the business from Amy [Howlett] and Deb [Engel], the visionaries who first brought the General Store Cooperative to life. We stepped in with deep respect for what they built, adding our own touch while preserving the spirit of collaborative retail that has always been at the heart of the space. With that, we introduced General Store Shops & Café.
Bringing together six independent businesses under one roof is no small feat. We have been incredibly fortunate to work alongside some of the kindest, most talented business owners in town, and that has made this experience all the more special. Everyone has been incredibly collaborative and fun to work with.
Each shop will share its own next chapter, but we want to be transparent about our “why” and how we arrived at this decision.
Ultimately, our choice came down to shifts in the market and a clear understanding of what we want to pursue both personally and professionally over the next 2–5 years. Earlier this year, we made the decision to move on and shared that news with our shop partners. This was, without question, the hardest part. Every business is at a different stage, and ensuring that each one has the opportunity to thrive moving forward has been our top priority.
Owning and managing General Store Shops & Café has truly been a dream come true. This community means everything to us, and the connections we’ve built with our customers are something we will always carry with us.
Erin & Deanna
