After nearly three decades of serving Hanover’s chefs, Main Street Kitchens will close on Feb. 14, according to a statement posted on the store’s Facebook page.
In a statement posted on the store’s website, Dave and Kaitlyn Barrette announced that they were closing the store to focus on their family.
The store first opened in 1997, according to the store’s website. In 2018, the Barrette family bought the shop in order to “keep an iconic Hanover small business alive,” Dave Barrette wrote in an email statement to The Dartmouth.
Sara Gormley, who has worked at Main Street Kitchens “off and on for many years,” said her experience working at the store was always “very positive.”
“It’s nice to work in a small business,” Gormley said.
In his statement, Barrette wrote that he grew up in the Upper Valley but later moved to Orlando to work as a sous chef. He wrote that after eight years in Florida, he and Kaitlyn decided to return to New Hampshire to raise their children.
“It immediately felt like the right opportunity at the right moment,” Barrette wrote. “It felt natural and meaningful that we were putting down roots as a family, and owning a community-centered business in the Upper Valley where we had both grown up.”
The store carries a large assortment of cook and bakeware along with holiday products and specialty foods unique to the Upper Valley. Barrette wrote that after assuming ownership in 2018, he and his spouse also started to sell honey, olive oil and local jams.
Jack Stinson, who owns Stinson’s Village Store just down the block, said he was “psyched” when Main Street Kitchens opened.
“They’ve got everything in there,” Stinson said. “I used to go there and get can-openers, bottle openers and all kinds of stuff.”
Stinson added that he thought the closure was a “big loss.”
“It’s a great little store,” Stinson said.
Hanover resident August Driussi, who works at the nearby Still North Bookstore and Cafe, said the closure was a “shame.”
“I like it,” Driussi said. “It’s got some cute stuff.”
In his email statement, Barrette thanked his employees and customers, writing that the store was “so blessed to have such a supportive community.”
“We appreciate everyone who has been a part of the Main Street Kitchens story as they will always remain a part of Hanover’s story,” Barrette wrote.
