Delight Is in the Details

Delight Is in the Details

The local Jiffy Mart reminds me of the classic mom and pop one-stop shop and the essence of small-town America. The shop is not a store filled with strangers. It is just the opposite: it is a place where you are sure to recognize one, if not every, face. The store is teeming with life from the local population, which ranges from stay at home moms to local farmers. The people, sights, smells, and sounds of this store tell a story about what it means to belong to a small community in America.

The familiar faces are one of the best things about this store. Only after a few visits, everyone knows who will be working behind the counter on a particular day. Today, it is Kathy, a short woman on the heavy side that likes to wear colorful scarves. She wears tortoise-shell reading glasses, has a squeaky, high-pitched voice, and a shining smile. She reminds me of Betty Boop with her dark, short hair. Farmers, hunters, loggers, and other locals congregate at the coffee bar to discuss who has their hunting tags and who is trapping beaver as they eat doughnuts and drink their piping hot coffee. Their hunter camouflage and orange clothing stands out across the store. When listening closely, I hear a fishing tale about a bass that was so big, it jerked the pole right out of Jimmy's hands. Meanwhile, mothers with children, school kids, and older customers come in. They are like me and come here to get lively service, good conversation and tasty food. This store represents the heart and soul of what small-town America is all about.

The best time to visit this shop is the mornings because the aromas enhance the experience. With I open the door, the smell of coffee brewing and fresh-baked pastries hit me in the face. The aromas make me imagine how good fresh baked, crispy doughnuts would taste dipped into a steamy, fresh cup of coffee. The gigantic exhaust fan spreads the wonderful aroma of homemade pastries throughout the village. Like a magnet, it draws customers in. Other smells that give the shop character include the manure on farmers' boots, the odor of chain saw oil on loggers wearing flannel, wool, Carhart jeans, and dingy ball caps. The self-serve counter also offers up some tantalizing smells, such as hot dogs, pizza, hamburgers, and chili. All these smells combined remind me of the rodeo that comes through town. The aromas in the shop enhance the experience because they unify the entire experience.

The little store is truly a one-stop shop in that you can find almost anything you need. For example, the shelves are lined with the regular products you would expect to see in any shop including pharmaceutical items, such as pink, blue and green thermometers hanging from racks; staple groceries like Wonder bread with its red, blue and yellow packaging; toilet paper; liquor; cigarettes and Skoal; candy bars, ranging from Hershey bars to the healthy fiber bars; snacks; and newspapers like the Bennington Banner, Rutland Herald, New York Times, Boston Globe. On the shelves, you can also find toys, automobile oil, windshield washer fluid, gas, and maps of Vermont and New England. In addition, the store sells more eclectic, local products. For example, this store sells a variety of Vermont maple syrup, candies, butter, cheese, ham, and bacon. Other items made available by local artisans are hats, mittens, post cards, and local scenery on greeting cards. This variety brightens the isles and counters with splashes of blue, red, yellow, orange, and white wrapping, boxes and bottles.