Plainfield Co-op to Move to Plainfield Hardware

The Plainfield Co-op, a beloved small-town institution, will relocate to the Plainfield Hardware Store on Route 2 in July.

Board members signed a purchase agreement with the hardware store earlier this month. The news comes after years of dwindling sales at the co-op due to the one-two punch of pandemic-related restrictions and the labor shortage. The hardware store will continue to operate at the location — and its staff will stay on — but the Plainfield Co-op will assume ownership and management.

Locals are hopeful that the relocation will breathe fresh life into the co-op, which was created in 1972 and is one of the oldest in the state. It had humble beginnings as a passion project of back-to-the-landers who wanted to live in accordance with their environmental and social values.

Since then, the member-owned and -operated one-room downtown enterprise has provided fresh produce and bulk goods to community members. But sales have declined in the past decade, putting the co-op in the red.

In 2022, the longtime owners of Plainfield Hardware — Richard and Gaye Christiansen — encouraged the co-op board to purchase the hardware store, which is located outside of the town center. The co-op used a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to explore the financial feasibility of the purchase, compared to staying in place and expanding.

“The only direction that was profitable and made any sense was purchasing Plainfield Hardware,” said Rose Paul, president of the co-op board.

The deal means the co-op can combine two customer bases, attract Route 2 traffic and expand into a full-service grocery.

Plus, construction on the Main Street bridge connecting Plainfield — and therefore the co-op — to Route 2 will begin in 2027. Paul said if the co-op stayed in place, the bridge construction would likely be the final nail in its coffin.

Some residents have expressed trepidation about the move, particularly because the new location is not as accessible by foot for residents of the town center.

“People have a lot of strong feelings about the co-op,” said its treasurer, John Cleary, “but they also know that it has struggled financially for many years.”

Ultimately, a majority of co-op members supported the move in an August 2023 vote. The board has inked a $1.75 million agreement to buy both the hardware store building and its inventory. The sale is set to close on July 17, and the co-op should reopen in the new space shortly after. According to Paul, it’s a turnkey operation — another reason to move.

Board members have lots of ideas of what they might do with the new space. Residents have suggested installing electric vehicle charging stations and community gardens. Cleary is particularly excited to take advantage of the greenhouses attached to the hardware store.

Board members have been working with Buffalo Mountain Co-op to plan the transition. Last year, Buffalo Mountain made a similar move to a larger space in Hardwick.

The Plainfield co-op board is committed to finding a good use for the old co-op building, which it will not sell immediately. After the transition to the hardware store, Paul said, the board will work with the community to decide its future. A coffee shop is one option.

Board members are considering setting up a volunteer shuttle to the new location and creating a grocery drop-off service to ensure all residents can get groceries.

“We were at a point where it was very possible that the co-op would simply close,” Paul said. “There is a feeling of some of that weight lifted.”

Correction, May 10, 2024: An earlier version of this story misidentified Buffalo Mountain Co-op.

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