This story was originally produced by the Valley News. NHPR is republishing it in partnership with the Granite State News Collaborative.
Mascoma Valley Preservation has selected two Grafton residents to operate a general store on the first floor of the Grafton Center Meetinghouse on Route 4.
Elaina Bergamini and Jodi Bates Ibey plan on opening Dot’s Market this fall.
“Both Elaina and Jodi, they really did have the winning combination of community knowledge and desire to make this more than just a business,” Andrew Cushing, executive director of Mascoma Valley Preservation, said in a Wednesday phone interview, added that both are dedicated to making the store a community gathering space.
The Grafton-based nonprofit organization started soliciting proposals this spring and had three separate parties express interest, Cushing said. Of the three, “Elaina’s was the only one that actually came through.”
Her proposal was reviewed by a committee of community members and others with retail experience. Bergamini will serve as the store’s owner, while Ibey will serve as general manager.
Bergamini helped found Mascoma Valley Preservation in 2019, the year the organization purchased the meetinghouse.
Over the years, she’s helped the nonprofit apply for grants and form plans for how the meetinghouse could be used, including a retail space.
“Somewhere along the way, I started imagining myself as running the store,” Bergamini, who moved to Grafton in 2005, said in a phone interview.
She connected with Ibey — who grew up in Grafton and returned to town in 2016 — and the two started brainstorming ideas.
Bergamini stepped away from her role in the organization to put together a proposal, working with the mentors through SCORE, a nonprofit organization that assists small business owners.
“Jodi and I are very similar in terms of our ideas and creativity,” Bergamini said.
The name Dot’s Market pays homage to matriarchs from both of the women’s families.
The duo plan on offering breakfast sandwiches and deli sandwiches, among other prepared meals. There will also be provisions for sale such as milk, eggs, paper towels and allergy medicine — items Grafton residents have to currently travel for.
They also hope to offer a line of items made by area artisans.
“We’re hoping to feature a bunch of local products,” Bergamini said.
And there will also be plenty of sweet treats — including a special ice cream sandwich the duo have been developing.
“We’ve very excited about that,” Bergamini said.
Initially, the store will be open five days a week.
The historic building has been used to hold town gatherings and religious services since it was built in 1797. Prior to the nonprofit’s purchase, it was known as the Peaceful Assembly Church.
In 2016, the church’s minister died in a fire at the meetinghouse.
The $1.7 million renovation — funded by grants and private donations — project is scheduled to be completed this fall, Cushing said.
Workers are in the process of installing insulation and other carpentry work to make it ready for Dot’s Market, Cushing said. The second floor — which has an elevator — will serve as a community gathering space.
“We’re just really anxious to see how people appreciate the space, the reimagined space,” Cushing said. “This is really the litmus test for MVP’s mission: How do you reimagine a historic building? We think this will be a really good flagship project.”
The organization is still working out the terms of the lease: Bergamini will own the market but will rent the store space from Mascoma Valley Preservation, Cushing said.
The town has been without a store since 2018, when the Grafton Country Store closed. Residents must travel to Canaan or Danbury, N.H., to pick up groceries and other necessities.
“It will just be nice to have a third space in town,” Cushing said. “A place to gather with neighbors and to get your beer and milk.”
