THE MAGIC OF THE PAST. BEFORE DEPARTMENT STORES, THERE WERE GENERAL STORES SELLING A HODGEPODGE OF ITEMS EVERYTHING FROM MILK AND EGGS TO ENGINE OIL. THESE LITTLE COUNTRY STORES WERE THE CORNERSTONES OF THEIR COMMUNITIES, AND SOME, LIKE THE DANBURY COUNTRY STORE, AROUND SINCE 1875, STILL THRIVE TODAY. 1689 PLEASE. IN THE 11. THANK YOU. HAVE A GOOD DAY, AUDREY PELLEGRINO FOLLOWS IN HER PARENTS FOOTSTEPS. SHE AND HER BROTHER, JIM PHELPS, BOUGHT THE DANBURY COUNTRY STORE IN 2012, 50 YEARS AFTER THEIR PARENTS OWNED IT. IT’S VERY SENTIMENTAL AND THAT’S THE REASON WE STILL OWN IT. FOR 150 YEARS, THE STORE HAS PROMINENTLY STOOD AT THE INTERSECTION OF ROUTES FOUR AND 104. IT OPENED SHORTLY AFTER THE RAILROAD CAME TO DANBURY IN THE MID 1800S. THE TRAIN DEPOT JUST ACROSS THE STREET, AND SO IT WAS BUILT TO ACCOMMODATE THE PEOPLE COMING OFF THE TRAIN, AS WELL AS THE TRAFFIC GOING THROUGH JUNE. AND MERLE PHELPS OWNED THE STORE IN THE 60S AND 70S. THEY HAD 11 CHILDREN. JUNIOR, TONY, CATHY, MERLE, ME, DENNIS, STANLEY, RUBY, AUDREY, RUTHIE AND DANNY. THE OLDER KIDS THIS IS JIM AS A TEEN WERE PUT TO WORK AFTER SCHOOL. WELL, YOU WOULD RUN THE REGISTER, YOU WOULD PUMP GAS, YOU WOULD STOCK SHELVES AND, YOU KNOW, FILL COOLERS. AUDREY WAS TOO YOUNG TO WORK, ONLY THREE WHEN HER PARENTS BOUGHT THE STORE. RIGHT ABOUT HERE. WE HAD A RACK OF COMIC BOOKS, AND I WOULD JUST OVER THERE, AND I WOULD SIT AND I WOULD PRETEND TO READ THEM. THE PHELPS SOLD THE STORE IN 1977, THEN IT CHANGED OWNERS SEVERAL TIMES AND SAT VACANT FOR TWO YEARS UNTIL IT WENT UP FOR AUCTION. JIM ATTENDED OUT OF CURIOSITY. I ENDED UP OWNING A STORE. HE HAD NO INTENTION OF BUYING A STORE. WHEN I GOT UP THAT MORNING, THE PLACE WAS IN ROUGH SHAPE. JIM AND AUDREY GAVE IT A MAJOR OVERHAUL AND EXPANDED, THINKING OF THEIR PARENTS. WHEN THEY REOPENED THE DOORS. I REMEMBER THE DAY BEFORE WE OPENED, WE’RE LIKE DADS EITHER SAYING, WHAT ARE THEY? THOSE FOOLS THINKING? OR HE’S PROUD AS PUNCH. NO DOUBT DAD WOULD BE PLEASED AS AUDREY AND JIM HAVE RETURNED TO DANBURY COUNTRY STORE TO ITS FORMER GLORY. COMBINING MODERN NEEDS WITH OLD TIMEY CHARM, THE. THE NUMBER ONE THING WE WANTED TO KEEP WAS THE CREEK IN THE FLOOR. THE WOOD FLOORS ARE ORIGINAL, AS IS THE WOOD CHECKOUT COUNTER AND FEW THINGS ARE MORE NOSTALGIC THAN PENNY CANDY. I WANTED THAT OLD FEEL. THAT OLD COUNTRY STORE, AND I WANTED THE CANDY IN JARS. THE CANDY SHELVES ARE MY FAVORITE PLACE IN THE ENTIRE STORE. OLD CLASSICS LIKE BIT-O-HONEY AND MARY JANE’S AND SKY BAR JUST BARELY CAME BACK. THOSE ARE A GREAT OLD TIME. IT’S NO LONGER PENNY CANDY. SADLY, IT IS NOT. AUDREY FOUND THE CANDY COUNTER ROTTING AWAY IN THE BASEMENT AND FIXED IT UP. I WAS MOST EXCITED BECAUSE HERE, WHERE THE PRICE TAGS WOULD BE, THERE WAS SOME TAGS STILL FROM WHEN MY PARENTS OWNED THE STORE AND MY FATHER’S WRITING, AND MY SISTER WHO HAS PASSED AWAY FROM CANDY TO TOYS, PASSING SEEDS, SPICES AND SAUCES ALONG THE WAY. THIS IS THE TOY ROOM. WOW, PEOPLE COME HERE FOR THEIR GIFTS. THEY COME HERE FOR CHRISTMAS. A LOT OF PEOPLE COME HERE JUST FOR A TOY WHILE THEY’RE TRAVELING. AUDREY LIKES TO STOCK THE SHELVES WITH UNUSUAL TOYS AND VINTAGE GAMES OF MONOPOLY, CLUE, CHUTES, AND LADDERS. IT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SPOTS. PART OF THE STORE’S CHARM COMES FROM THE ANTIQUES THAT LINE THE TOP SHELF, MOSTLY DONATED BY CUSTOMERS IN THIS TOWN OF 1300 PEOPLE. A COMMUNITY MUSEUM ROOM OF SORTS, OLD CAMERAS, TOASTERS, VINTAGE HARLEY DAVIDSON BEER CANS AND THESE BURLAP SACKS HELD GRAIN. ONCE SOLD AT THE STORE, PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT IT AND BE LIKE, I REMEMBER WHEN YOU WERE PATTY DEROSIER STOPS IN SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK, SAVES HER TRIPS TO THE SUPERMARKET EIGHT MILES AWAY OR SHE’LL GRAB LUNCH WITH FRIENDS, ORDER FROM A MENU WHERE EVERYTHING IS MADE FRESH DAILY. ANY CONDIMENT ON IT. THEY COME TO SHOP, EAT AND MEET THE STORE. THE NERVE CENTER OF TOWN. IT’S A COMMUNITY GATHERING. IT’S ALMOST LIKE A COMMUNITY CENTER. YOU HEAR THE LOCAL GOSSIP, YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU YOU HEAR THE THE SAD NEWS. YOU’RE THERE FOR EACH OTHER. THEY’RE HELPING PATTY THROUGH THE SUDDEN DEATH OF HER HUSBAND. THE FIRST TIME THAT I CAME IN THE STORE AFTERWARDS, FIRST PERSON I SAW WAS AUDREY, AND SHE LEFT THE BACK OF THAT COUNTER AND CAME RIGHT OVER AND HUGGED ME, HELD ME NOT HUGGED ME. SHE HELD ME. AUDREY HAS BECOME THE TOWN GRANDMOTHER, SISTER AND FRIEND. I LOVE IT PEOPLE COME IN AND TELL ME, I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW I’M PREGNANT AND I’LL BE LIKE, OH, CONGRATULATIONS. INTERACTION WITH THE NEIGHBORS IS IMPORTANT. HAVING A FRIENDLY FACE THAT KNOWS YOUR NAME. FOR EIGHT STRAIGHT YEARS, THE DANBURY COUNTRY STORE HAS WON WMUR’S VIEWERS CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST COUNTRY STORE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. IT’S AN HONOR. IT REALLY IS AN HONOR THAT EVERYONE THINKS THAT HIGHLY OF THE STORE. AND NOW THE THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATIONS ARE KEEPING THE SPIRIT. ALIVE. AUDREY’S DAUGHTER, ANGELA WARREN, IS A MANAGER. HER GRANDDAUGHTER, HARPER, JUST EIGHT YEARS OLD. MAN’S CHECKOUT STANDING ON A BOX SO SHE CAN REACH THE REGISTER. THANK YOU. HARPER. HAVE A NICE DAY. HARPER’S BROTHER AND COUSINS STOCKED SHELVES. A REAL FAMILY AFFAIR. JUST AS IT WAS WHEN JUNE AND MERLE FELT OWNED THE STORE ALL THOSE YEARS AGO. I THINK IF THEY COULD SEE NOW WHAT THE STORE HAS BECOME, THEY’D BE REALLY PROUD AND THEY’D BE REALLY HAPPY THAT THAT IT IS WHAT IT IS TODAY.