Scott Hayward accepts a key from Lyn Horowitz as the General Store changes hands on Aug. 14. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
The new owner of the Harvard General Store is also a neighborhood resident. Scott Hayward, who has lived at 5 Elm Street for 13 years, announced in an email to the store’s mailing list Tuesday that he had purchased the town center institution from Adam and Lyn Horowitz. The Horowitzes will continue to own the building, which also houses the offices of the Harvard Press, while Hayward will own and operate the first and second floors.
“I will not be changing the store’s concept; it will remain a coffee shop, general store, and wine shop,” Hayward wrote in his announcement. “Instead, I will devote my time to remerchandising, making the stock more responsive to our local customer base. And don’t worry—the same great staff will continue to serve the store’s customers.”
Hayward, who said he has experience as an architect and real estate developer, called the store “a great third or fourth career for me.” Hayward said he sees himself as continuing a family tradition. His grandfather lived through his retirement as the owner of a boat livery and bait and tackle store, Hayward said.
“It’s a great way to combine lifestyle with work,” Hayward told the Press. “I don’t want to retire. I don’t have an interest in retiring.”
Running the store will give him the opportunity to wear several hats, in sales, marketing, human resources, and other fields, Hayward said. He’ll also be found behind the counter and taking out the garbage, he said.
“This is everything. This is all those things, and in one day you do all of those different job descriptions,” he said. “That’s fun, in a way.”
In his announcement, Hayward said the store will be conducting a customer survey through its email list and website. His goal, Hayward told the Press, is not to change the vision the Horowitzes had for the store, but to expand and enhance it.
“I think the Horowitzes did a terrific job, and I think that I want to take the best of what they did and keep it, and I think I want to expand it, and broaden the offerings in the store to a broader cross section of people,” he said.
For example, he said, he wants the store to continue to carry gourmet products, but he wants to know directly from the customers which gourmet products they’re interested in and which they don’t want. From the customers not interested in gourmet products, Hayward said, he wants to find out which convenience products they would like to see stocked at the store.
“Everybody has ideas,” he said. “I want [the customers] to feel like they can do that [share their ideas]. We’re approachable. We want to be approachable.”
With a hookup to the new town center sewer imminent, Hayward said, he plans on soon offering sandwiches, salads, and other food prepared at the store for take-out or dining in with tables and chairs on the first floor.
“I want [the General Store] to be a hub for the town,” he said.
Read Scott Hayward’s full announcement in this week’s Letters to the Editor.
