by David Flint
The Cherry Plain Pantry recently changed hands and on Monday, March 18, opened as the Rocky Hill Country Store.
Dennis and Joan Masterson had the Pantry for almost 25 years and are now moving on to new things.
[private]The new proprietor, Eva Mayer Atwater of Berlin, said that she and her sister Jennifer Mayer Lee intend to continue the convenience store and expand it into a full featured deli with a few tables so customers can sit and relax for a while and have a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. Beer sales will have to be discontinued temporarily until a new license is secured. In addition to sandwiches there will be home made chili, mac & cheese, soups and a selection of baked goods. “We’d like to make it a friendly place for folks to get something to drink and eat,” Eva said.
Eva and Jennifer have long wanted to own a business as opposed to working for someone else, and they are excited about this opportunity. They plan to redecorate in a bright and cheerful theme, and Eva said she will be bringing some of her home grown produce to sell at the store. She will be selling her heirloom tomatoes and tomato plants as well, and in the fall, pumpkins, and Christmas trees after that.
There’s a family history in running this kind of deli/store. Eva and Jennifer’s mother, Fran Mayer, ran a luncheonette and coffee shop called The Coffee Mill in Stephentown some forty years ago. A decade or so earlier their grandmother, Eva Mayer, had the popular Country Kitchen restaurant and soda shop that was located next door to Sykes Store in Stephentown.
Why “Rocky Hill?” That’s the name of a prominent high point in the Rensselaer Plateau that can be seen in the landscape in back of the store. The Rocky Hill Country Store will be open 6 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday and 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday. For the time being the store will be closed on Sundays.[/private]