by David Flint
The Stephentown Trading Post opened for business on Sunday, November 25. The opening attracted a good crowd of locals eager to see what exactly was going on at the building that used to be the Stephentown Hotel. Their curiosity may have been heightened because the business is a peculiar blend of a grocery store, a breakfast and lunch café and a resale/consignment shop.
[private]Walking into the Trading Post, on your left is the little grocery market stocked with necessary everyday supplies including bread, butter, eggs, milk, cheese, peanut butter, coffee, baking and cooking supplies, snack foods, cleaning supplies, paper products and drug store items. It seems the Austins have made an effort to stock locally produced items whenever possible.
To the right of the entryway is a cozy corner with a sofa and tables and chairs where you can enjoy a bagel or fresh baked scone and a cup of coffee from Fred Cashmere’s Liquid Assets in West Stephentown. Or you can sit down and have a full breakfast or lunch. If you prefer, you can perch on a stool at the café bar. The lunch menu on Sunday included spinach quiche, a bowl of soup with home baked cheese bread, a custom deli sandwich or all beef hot dog and a variety of salads including cranberry almond chicken and spinach and goat cheese.
In the back, where the dance floor used to be, is the resale and consignment shop, a picker’s delight, but a nice and varied selection of things, not junk. Prices appear to be very reasonable.
The Trading Post is open daily, 6 am to 3 pm, except Wednesdays when it is closed. Call 733-6659 for more information, or check out their website at stephentowntradingpost.com.
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