Here in New England and especially Vermont, we all have our favorite general store. Usually these stores have served their community for decades. The general store is where people can buy most everything they need, from bread and milk to garden rakes and compost. The general store is also a place where you can run into the same people day after day when getting your breakfast sandwich and coffee, your daily salad for lunch, and maybe after work for some beer or wine.

Jake’s Quechee Market is such a place. A family-owned business for the last nine years, Jake’s prides itself on being a modern general store. Located on the busy Route 4 corridor, the market has had to accommodate a faster paced world, so it offers a wide array of takeout foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as a wide selection of retail items.

Jake’s Quechee Market is owned and operated by Ed and Mary Lynn Kerrigan, along with their son, James Kerrigan. “I’m so fortunate to learn from my parents,” James says. “My dad is sharp and knowledgeable, and my mother has the magic touch. She makes the store beautiful. Both of my parents bring a long-term outlook and help with all things operational.”

The Kerrigan family has a commitment to providing a wide range of local products for their customers. This includes everything from artisanal cheeses (Plymouth Brie, Champlain Valley Creamery Organic Champlain Triple, Maplebrook Farm mozzarella, and Jasper Hill Farm Willoughby) to craft beers from popular breweries in Vermont, including the Alchemist in Stowe, River Roost Brewery in White River Junction, Upper Pass Beer Company in Tunbridge, and Foam Brewers in Burlington.

James says that it is important for his business to be on the lookout for trends, like the extremely popular nonalcoholic beer from Athletic Brewing Company. The market also has local, organic, and grass-fed meats: Pineland Farms natural beef, organic Smart Chicken, fresh fish, and Vermont Salumi. In season, the market provides organic produce. They also sell popular wines: Sonoma-Cutrer Russian River Ranches chardonnay, Miraval rosé, Whispering Angel rosé, and the excellent and affordable Mary Taylor wines, which were featured in The New York Times last fall.

Home-Cooked Meals

Jennifer Cayer is the excellent deli manager, heading up a staff that cooks most of the day. They fire up the grill before six in the morning and it goes throughout lunchtime, serving up delicious home-cooked meals seven days a week.

Popular deli items for a takeout breakfast are sandwiches on Portuguese muffins. For a hot lunch, Jake’s has a daily special available every afternoon as well as salads, including the favorite nutty goat cheese green salad; grab-and-go sandwiches like the popular turkey, apple, and cheddar; and breads, croissants, and cookies baked locally from Red Hen Baking Company, Colatina Bakery, and La Panciata. The market has a wide selection of refrigerated desserts, cakes, dessert bars, and the delectable Blue Moon Sorbets.

If you’re still in the mood for a sit-down meal, Skinny Pancake has taken over Jake’s café space since 2019. James says, “Having a better restaurant experience makes us more focused on the retail side of business.” Skinny Pancake offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, and you can order online for fast service. They also have a terrific service called ShiftMeals that provides meals and gardens for the food insecure. Check their website for ways to donate, shiftmeals.org.

Over the past few years, the Jake’s team has expanded the product categories in the red barn area of the market. This home and garden section is where you can purchase pet supplies, garden supplies, hardware, soil, plants, herbs, and flowers plus Christmas trees, Halloween pumpkins, and all things seasonal. In addition to watching over his 25-plus employees, James has two young children.

As James says, “What makes us a modern general store is that our vision includes listening to the customer and creating the atmosphere of an enjoyable place to shop. The majority of our customers are repeats. It’s a pleasure to see the same people over and over.”