Celebrating the Best of the Past

…All While Building for the Future

When you visit our store, you’ll see that we sell a lot of natural, time-tested remedies in our old-time Apothecary Department. The centerpiece of the department is pretty time-tested itself: an original, typically ornate apothecary display case from the mid-19th century. And what a magnificent thing it is!

It stands over nine feet high and stretches across 25 feet of our apothecary department wall. The numerous cabinets and shelves are made of old-growth mahogany. The sturdy planks measure an inch and a half thick in some places. No one remembers—or even knows how to estimate—how much the thing weighs, but we know we aren’t moving it anytime soon. The level of craftsmanship is incredible. It has hand-lathed medallions, intricate moldings, and carved reliefs. It even has arches like a cathedral, and in a way, it was—a cathedral to the emerging science of good health. 

Built in an era when things were made to last, including business relationships, this fine old case reflects our belief in that same common-sense value. Our commitment to you is just as solid and assured. Let others go for the “short dollar” and short-term gains, we’re with you for the long haul. Planning for the future while preserving the past is a big part of what we do. Practicality is an unshakable part of a Vermonter’s nature, after all.

But the big idea just might be that many of the best ideas ahead are rooted in the things that have already proven their worth decade after decade. It’s why we still offer many of the products your parents and grandparents trusted. Embracing the past informs and inspires us. That’s a good thing. And it’s the reason why folks of all ages get a warm feeling whenever they visit our store, go online, or flip through the catalog.

We often overhear a visitor exclaim, “Oh, I remember that!”

And nothing delights us more.