NORTH NORWICH – When Chris and Wendy Dowdall first opened the doors of Dowdall’s General Store on West Cayuga Street in North Norwich – where traffic is light and only locals seem to pass through – they weren’t sure what to expect.
Now approaching the end of its first year in business, the little store has proven to be a valuable asset to residents of the small North Norwich community, who now have quick access to daily essentials, along with 25 local food products including cheese, yogurt, beef, pork, honey, eggs – even locally made soaps, salsas, and meat marinades.
In addition to the basic essentials stocked daily, store shelves are also filled with handmade toys and other various hand crafted items. According to her, the store does what it can to support the tight-knit community, operating under the motto ‘buy local, support a neighbor and eat well.’
The store’s been a perfect fit in a town where the hustle and bustle of the adjacent Route 12 highway slows down.
“When opening the store, we thought we could provide a service to the residents that they haven’t had for nearly 20 years,” said Wendy Dowdall. Setting up shop along the Route 12 corridor might have given the store more exposure, she admitted, “but nothing beats the neighborhood kids walking or riding to the store because Mom or Dad needed milk.”
For the last year, the Dowdalls have used their business to lend a helping hand in the community. An indoor bulletin board advertises local vendors who use the store to sell their products, and merchandise supporting the Sherburne-Earlville Central School can occasionally be found, with proceeds benefitting the district. Last summer, the Dowdall’s General Store also chipped in to support the first Chenango County Pig Skin Classic 7-on-7 Youth Football Tournament and made contributions to the annual North Norwich community picnic.
But above all else, Dowdall said it’s been a friendly relationship with her customers that sets her small store apart from the larger supermarket chains.
“I know the people that come in,” Dowdall said, adding that she refers to most shoppers and their families on a first name basis. “I know, when I stock the store, who wants what.”
At times, Dowdall said she has even gone above and beyond the regular duties of a store owner to provide for customers – even giving her cell phone number to shoppers in need when the store’s closed. It’s one of the benefits of living close by, she said.
Dowdall’s General Store is open from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with flexible hours on Wednesday and Sunday. For more information, find Dowdall’s General Store Facebook page or call 226-2689.