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Word of Mouth Rockets Customers to Harvest MoonBy Justin Saldo - July 29, 2008
iBerkshires Intern
WILLIAMSTOWN — The Harvest Moon General Store opened last week at 724 North Hoosac Road. The new general store has everything from basic amenities, drinks and snacks to a well-stocked deli offering full line of soups, sandwiches and rotisserie meals for any time of the day.
"So far business is going better than I could have hoped for," said Michelle Koelle, the store's proprietor. "I wanted to take it slow to get a feel for things until our grand opening so business has been mostly people in the neighborhood, but customers have come back multiple times since we opened last week and word of mouth is spreading."
Since the store opened, Koelle estimated that about 75 people have come in daily. "About 95 percent of our sales so far have been from the deli," she said. "My big draw is my slow-cooked ribs; I went through 13 racks of them in just one day last week."
 Harvest Moon General Store owner Michelle Koelle sells lunch on Tuesday to Jim Bayliss. |
Among the first-time customers were Williamstown residents Beverly Bayliss and her husband, Jim.
"We drove by the store several times before it opened; our hunger and curiosity brought us in today," said Beverly Bayliss. "It looks very nice. ... I like the colors, decorations and the menu."
A resident of Hinsdale, Koelle is no stranger the world of small business in the Berkshires. "I have always been interested in this kind of business, for six years I have been self-employed and ran a realty business with my husband in Pittsfield."
The property has seen its fair share of general stores, from the Tupelo Honey Market to McNichol's General Store for many years before that. Koelle offered her thoughts on challenges she has encountered with the location and her plans that she hopes will make the Harvest Moon outlast its predecessors.
"The most challenging thing is trying to balance supply with demand," Koelle said. "Meat is too valuable a commodity to waste with respect to the amount of time it takes to get it and the life of the animal that provided it.
"Right now I am trying keep store prices convenient in terms of customer's gas and time so that people won't have to justify a drive down to Stop & Shop to save on milk and bread."
 Koelle's plans for the general store as it grows include advertising online and through local papers and the addition of a delivery service. Another popular idea is the recent addition of rotisserie duck to the deli menu. Currently, the store has five employees but Koelle plans to hire more as it grows.
The Harvest Moon General Store's hours are Monday through Wednesday 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information or to place a takeout order, call 413-458-4300. |
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