Long Trail - Jonesville Country store closing

[SavageLlama]

FYI - no more sub sandwiches in Jonesville.


Military calls; Jonesville store to close

By Matt Sutkoski
November 2, 2004
The Burlington Free Press

JONESVILLE -- The Jonesville Country Store, a waystation for Long Trail hikers, hungry meat lovers, and tired, harried commuters, will close Nov. 24 because the owner is about to serve a military tour of duty in the Middle East.

Stanley Budziak, who owns the store with his mother, Irene, learned Friday that he will be deployed in about a month. "It was pretty unexpected, but I feel pretty honored they chose me," Budziak, 45, said of the deployment order.

The store is too much for his mother to handle on her own, so he'll close it. He said he might reopen the business when he returns, in 18 months to two years.

The Jonesville Country Store on U.S. 2 is close to the Long Trail, making the business a favored stop for hikers seeking refreshments. The store is also a butcher shop -- Budziak was busy cutting up a moose Monday -- and is a convenient stop for commuters heading to and from Jonesville.

Budziak, a divorced father of two boys, said he has been a member of the Army National Guard since 1983. He's never been called up for active, overseas duty until now. The news came as a shock, but Budziak said he's ready to fulfill his duty.

"I've never done anything like this. It will be quite an experience. I'm kind of looking forward to it, but then I don't think about it, because leaving my boys is traumatizing, especially for such a long time," he said.

Sons Jordan, 11, and Mitchael, 10, sometimes help in the meat-cutting room, and Budziak said he will miss the time he spends with them. He plans to communicate with them via e-mail as much as possible. They will continue to stay with their mother, who lives in Coventry.

Budziak says he supports the military and the president's policy in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Jonesville Country Store has posters touting the Army, and a display of brochures inviting people to join the military.

Budziak and his mother, who live upstairs from the store, have a lot of work to do before the business closes. They are notifying vendors they will stop buying and gradually shutting down coolers and freezers as they empty out. Budziak said he'll button up the store as best he can. He's also giving up his part-time job delivering newspapers in the mornings.

The store closing will come as a shock to Long Trail hikers, said David Hardy, director of field programs for the Green Mountain Club. The Jonesville Country Store is the closest store to any point along the Long Trail.

"I hope we see the store reopen as soon as possible. They've been good friends with the hikers," Hardy said.

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[Kerosene]

I left a cache at the Jonesville Country Store during my SOBO Long Trail thru-hike, picking it up along with some junk food on August 14, 1979.

I lived in South Burlington in grade school in the late 60's and remember passing by the store while driving down US-2 to go skiing at Bolton Valley.

[oruoja]

Used the store on my LT thru in '03. Now the nearest store will be four miles to the west in Richmond. Plans have been underway to reroute the LT several miles to the east of Jonesville which will remove easy access to the post office.

[Peaks]

Used the store on my LT thru in '03. Now the nearest store will be four miles to the west in Richmond. Plans have been underway to reroute the LT several miles to the east of Jonesville which will remove easy access to the post office.

The reroute will eliminate the long road walk into Jonesville. It involves building a bridge across the Winoski River. However, GMC does not have the land for the abutment on one side of the river, and the property owner isn't selling. So, they are going to wait him out.

I wouldn't expect the relocation to be done anytime soon, unless there is something that I don't know about.

[SavageLlama]

If they ever re-route the trail, it sounds like it would avoid Duck Brook shelter. Too bad - it was my favorite shelter on the LT.

[bartender]

I agree, Duck Brook was one of my favorites also.

[Tramper Al]

Yes, it's sad to see even the temporary loss of this nearly trailside store.

More importantly, perhaps, does anyone else wonder what it says about our world today that a 45 year old store owner needs to be called up and sent abroad?

[Youngblood]

...More importantly, perhaps, does anyone else wonder what it says about our world today that a 45 year old store owner needs to be called up and sent abroad?

Yeah, that caught my attention also and has me wondering. I guess if you're in the Army National Guard, you're in the Army National Guard and they don't believe in age discrimination?

Youngblood

[Deadeye]

Yes, the store is closed, but the Post Office is still there, and so is Duck Brook Shelter for the meantime. Once the relocation is complete, it may be one of the best parts of the trail, so whatever replaces DBS will hopefully be jsut as spectacular.