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Store’s the Place For Talk of Town
Owner Jennifer Holt |
Located on Route
180 just past the school and the town office, the Otis General Store
doubles as the unofficial center of town.
The yellow building
is a place for necessities, morning coffee, lunch and ice cream
breaks. It’s also where you take in all the talk of the town.
“It’s the
congregating area for morning coffee,” customer Joyce Wasson said.
“Sometimes I’ll walk in and a town meeting will be going on in the
morning.”
The gathering place
is the sit-down eating area next to the kitchen. During a busy lunch
hour, it is frequently difficult to get a seat at one of the few
booths or small tables.
Co-owner Jennifer
Holt describes the store as the “hub of town.”
“It saves a 13-mile
drive into town (Ellsworth),” she said. “I have regulars waiting at
the door at
6 a.m. for their newspaper.”
Summer visitors
increase the store’s traffic.
“The craziness
increases so that you can’t get a parking spot on weekends,” she
said.
Holt owns the store
along with her husband, Don. They live in Mariaville.
The Holts are the
latest in a long string of owners for Otis General Store.
“Every five years
it seems to change hands,” said Jennifer Holt. But she plans on
changing that pattern and sticking around a bit longer.
The couple
purchased the store two years ago when they were looking for
something they could do together.
According to local
historian Mark Honey, there were numerous attempts at establishing a
general store, but most folks did their business in Mariaville or
Ellsworth Falls.
Originally the
store was located across the street. According to Honey, Roland
Salisbury began his operation in the 1930s. It changed hands and
buildings on a number of occasions—and now exists as the current
Otis General Store. |
