After years of touch and go, the General Store is on a roll.
“It’s been an incredible struggle, but we have succeeded in creating a business that’s sustainable for at least the next 10 years,” said Scott Hayward, owner of the General Store, in a recent conversation. Hayward credits a string of fortunate events and the dedication, talents, and energy of his staff, two young women in particular, for creating an uptick in business and a turnaround for the store.
During the past few years, the TV program “Chronicle,” the movie “Little Women,” and Yankee Magazine have helped bring the General Store broader recognition. To capitalize on the publicity and to make sure even more people visited the store and, more importantly, came back, Hayward created a number of managerial positions because, he said, “Managers are part of the concept of sustainability.”
The official announcement of Bethanie Greenaway as the general manager of the store was made fairly recently, but in actuality she has been doing management work since October 2018. Perhaps the best way to describe the change, said Greenaway, is that “Scott can step away and focus on growth and development.” She is now the one handling the day-to-day operations, the one to get the crisis calls. Greenaway said she’s seen an increased number of regulars at the store; “even if it’s just them, it’s a survivable day in revenue.” She added that she does see new faces every day, especially on weekends.
Everybody’s boss
Greenaway said her main job, outside of being “everybody’s boss,” as Hayward describes her, is the planning and scheduling of staff. With more than a year of experience, she said she now has a handle on staffing and can delegate responsibilities and not feel she needs to be doing everything herself. Having Liza Fisher in the role of assistant store manager means that Greenaway is freed up from doing inventory and ordering. She can also plan ahead so that she’s using the small staff economically to adjust to the flow of business at different times of the year.
Having worked in the corporate world, Greenaway has no desire to be tucked away in an office. “I love being on the floor, having the pulse of what’s going on,” she said. Noticing that having cookies, bread slices, and small cakes behind the counter was proving counterproductive, she established the bakery shelf out front so people could pick up desired items themselves. “I take pride in the store itself and pay attention to how things look,” she said.
She appreciates that she can dress casually and that she has the flexibility she didn’t find in a large company. She can make schedule changes to accommodate something that comes up in a staff member’s personal life. Having worked as a barista in “the square” at the center of the store, she herself can “jump in for staffing.”
Events and marketing manager Lindsey Borreson works on the store’s latest announcement board. (Photos by Jen Manell)
She said she was pleased that for the past two years she could plan staffing and ordering well in advance so the store could close for more than one day at Christmas and New Year’s without financial loss.
In December 2018 Lindsey Borreson came on board as events and marketing manager. Borreson has a background in e-commerce and said consistent emails and social postings are essential in letting people know what’s fresh and special and getting them into the store. She said her goal is to “further the sense of the store as a place of community into the evening hours.” Hosting events—such as trivia night, pub night, the new lounge nights, and once-a-month open mic—on a regular basis is a way to build a consistent clientele. Borreson said she relies on Joe Small, a musician who works in the store kitchen, as a point of contact for adding music to evening events.
She said it’s a challenge to set a regular schedule because private events have priority, as they bring in more money. She said she tries to give people a heads-up if a regular event is being skipped, posting a schedule on a blackboard in the store’s front window to the right of the door. Closed events like bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, and birthday parties are now being booked by people beyond Harvard.
“I love it here,” she said. “It’s a great town, a great space, and a great team.”
Another recently promoted young person is town resident Michael Canning, the new alcohol manager. Canning started out working in the square, and he continues to work a few shifts there. In his new capacity, he orders wine, some of it organic; runs the Sunday afternoon wine tastings; and is becoming more and more involved with the weekend lounge nights. Hayward said Canning “has a good palate,” and Canning himself said he plans to take some courses toward wine certification.
In describing these changes in management and his feeling that “it’s great to have [the store] in a sustainable position,” Hayward reflected on some of the events that led to the store’s turnaround. In early 2016, at a low point for the business, the television show Chronicle featured Harvard in a segment on general stores. The following year its host, Ted Reinstein, published his book “New England General Stores,” with a rave about the General Store.
From left: General Store alcohol manager and occasional barista Michael Canning meets with store owner Scott Hayward and wine distributor Charles Oliver.
The General Store was a focal point in 2018 for a week of “Little Women” filming, not only as a setting in the film but also for feeding cast and crew. The weeks of set construction next to the store started the buzz, and its starring role in the movie itself brought broad recognition. In the spring of 2019, Yankee Magazine cited the General Store in its “Best of New England” section in the May/June summer travel issue. These significant events further endeared the store to residents of Harvard, evoking pride and an enhanced feeling of community, and they brought more traffic to the store.
Gluten-free and vegan
Additions to the menu and the bakery have also brought increased traffic and kept people coming back. Hayward said he’s always receptive to people’s criticism and suggestions. “We keep our ear to the ground” and try to be sensitive to what’s going on. They were quick to catch the wave of demand for gluten-free and vegan food. “We now offer some of the best vegan food around,” said Hayward, with 50% of the menu choices vegetarian and vegan, the beet and bean burgers being popular items with everyone. He said their kitchen is too small to offer allergy-free food, but they do have a gluten-free version of most selections.
Head baker Cindy Glade has long been the mainstay of the store. Hayward calls Glade “the heart of the place” and many people associate the store with her cookies, scones, muffins, and cakes. Not too long ago, when Hayward challenged Glade with “What can you do vegan?” he had no doubt she would come up with something fabulous. One of her answers was the mini chocolate bundt cake. There’s also a chocolate chip cookie that’s not only vegan but also gluten-free. On a recent morning, Jessica Callahan, who has been working with Glade for a bit over five years, was just bringing a batch of cookies to the square from downstairs. She said a lemon cupcake is another vegan offering. “Vegan is definitely on our radar,” she said, adding that it’s a whole new science. She said the bakers are always receptive to requests.
After five years of real struggle, “everything’s clicking,” said Hayward. “The tide is coming in. We’re not making a lot of money, but we’re not losing money.”
Next week: Part 2, The back story
