Photo from Mike Cain's Blog taken this past week
Steeple Market behind schedule
By Lisa M. Boucher - St. Albans Messenger Correspondent
Pierre Menard, owner of Steeple Market expects to reopen his store that was destroyed by a Christmas Eve fire, by the middle of September, a couple of weeks later than his originally anticipated date of Labor Day Weekend. The seemingly constant barrage of rain this summer and glitches like a day with no power, has caused the construction process to halt on more than one occasion.
“We couldn’t pour concrete when it was raining so much, so that set us back,” he said. “It will be easier once it is enclosed, the weather won’t be so much of a factor and more than one contractor can be in here at a time.”
Menard feels that once crews move inside that some time will be made up in the process. At the time of the interview, the structure was completely shelled up and covered in plywood, except the south side and the roof was on and protected with tar paper. S&S Construction of Hardwick is currently working on the new store.
“It felt like a death in the family,” said the often stoic Menard, of his feelings when he heard his store was going up in flames. “I had my heart and soul in the place, a lot of work, a lot of sweat equity went into the place. It was a bad day.”
Rebuilding after the fire was something he had to seriously consider whether or not he wanted to do it. Fortunately for the residents of Fairfax, he ultimately decided to start over.
“We were always avid customers of Steeple Market. I admit that there were times when we would go there and complain in our inner monologue that the store never had specifically what we were looking for,” said Brett Michaud. “I must say now, after not having Steeple Market here for 6 months, that it was a thriving center for our community—shopping center, meeting place, and most of all, a sacred landmark.”
While many in the community liked the little church-turned-store, probably none are more appreciative than those within walking distance, who rely on it daily for many things.
“I used to stop in at least 5 times a week, for the Boston Sunday Globe, to get some last minute thing, a can of gas for the lawn mower, or fill the tank for the gas grill,” said Mike Cain. “Also, if you’re not sure what you want for lunch or supper, you could always stop in and see what they were making for the daily meals. The place was so convenient. You do miss it. It will be nice to have it back.”
Before Menard ever reached the conclusion to rebuild and before the insurance company even considered his claim, he started the permitting process so he would be ready to go, should he decide he wanted to and the insurance company settled on the policy.
“One of the things that I worked diligently on was that I would have some key people here,” he said. “I’ve hired three people that are going to make a huge difference. That was a big part of my decision—help in the past has been tough. With the economy the way it is now, it seems to have loosened up a little bit. I’ve got some good help lined up and some great help coming back.”
Everything about the new Steeple Market is essentially ‘new and improved.’ The store itself is larger, meaning that each section is expanded, providing space for more variety in the deli, freezer, cooler, beer cave, and produce department.
According to Menard, the deli is state-of-the-art, with all the necessary equipment to do the job right. There will be some outdoor seating and aside from the main express checkout for gas, cigarettes, and lottery tickets, there will be two other grocery-store style check-out lanes. This is to help keep things from bottle-necking during busy times.
“It was a full time job just dealing with the insurance company,” he said. “Shelley my bookkeeper worked on it everyday with me, making phone calls, getting them the information they needed. It was very stressful. Neither one of us has taken a vacation, let’s put it that way.”
Menard added that the insurance company will settle quickly if it can get a claimant to settle for less. “If you to stick to your guns to get what you’re supposed to get, it takes a lot more time,” he said. To date the claim isn’t completely settled, but is close. The fire was ruled accidental due to the aging electrical wiring in the basement as far as Menard is aware.
“We know we weren’t perfect, but we’ve also taken this time to think about mistakes we’ve made in the past and when we re-open we hope to have addressed everything,” Menard said in a general statement about the old store. “We want to try to make things better for everyone. That’s what we’ve been working on also.”
While most are generally satisfied, it’s never possible to please everyone. Many who frequented the establishment miss the convenience of its proximity as well as the selection of meats.
The ‘home cooked’ meals from the deli unanimously received kudos, for convenience and taste, but customer service seemed to be lacking in many minds with the other stores in town getting high credit for their service (even though they lack the variety of Steeple Market).
Menard said the building design was carefully thought out, keeping the look and feel of the town intact.
“We’re sensitive to what the town looks like and we didn’t want to have some sort of building that wouldn’t fit in the town,” he said. “If we were to put a big box up in town, I don’t think I would have been very proud of it and I don’t think the town would appreciate something that wouldn’t fit in.”
He’s looking forward to being back in business and said he has enjoyed the 10 years he’s been here as a member of the business community.
“It’s been great, we’ve kind of grown with the community,” said Menard. “The community has really grown fast. It’s been fun to be able to grow with the town—it’s been fun to be able to do a lot of positive things.”
