Shelburne Country Store — Just seven miles south of Burlington, Shelburne doesn’t exactly qualify as “country.” But the area was undoubtedly more rural when the main section of the Shelburne Country Store was constructed in the 1830s. A shop has operated there continuously since 1859. The building’s exterior — red clapboard with green-and-white-striped awnings — offers the first clue that the store is aptly named.
Confirmation is just inside the front door, where patrons find worn wooden floors and beadboard ceilings. Diverse wares line the shelves and display racks: home goods, jewelry, stationery, specialty foods, Vermont souvenirs and candy.
Nostalgia is scattered throughout the store’s seven rooms. The toy shoppe — yes, that’s how it’s spelled — sells piggy banks, Etch A Sketch, wooden blocks and Barrel of Monkeys. Stick candy, taffy, Mary Janes, horehound drops and many more sweets fill glass jars, baskets and barrels. Fine chocolates and store-made fudge tempt customers from a glass case.
Shelburne Country Store sells online and ships all over the world, but if you’d like to work there, you need to stop by and pick up a paper application — the old-school way.
Other Finalists
- Craftsbury General Store (The Genny)
- Jericho Country Store
- The Vermont Country Store
- The Willey’s Store
This article appears in Seven Daysies 2025.
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