Jordan Holman

Right.

Yes.

Yeah, and I think this is the important part of there's different tiers of consumers that companies are relying on.

So you're maybe spending more on gas and maybe you have to offset your consumption elsewhere in your monthly budget.

Back in the day, meaning 100 or even 200 years ago, a town's country store was the nearest place for miles where you could buy nails, eggs, and a cup of coffee, all while catching up with your neighbors.

When telephones first came out, sometimes the country store was the only place you could make a call.

There's a lot of emotion that gets evoked with these stores for the town, for people growing up, of what they remember.

Beth Richards owns The Barrel and Basket in Hopkinton.

Though ownership and names have changed, there's been a store of some kind at the site since 1790.

The original wood beams are still in place, and Richards sells penny candy and local maple syrup.

Both locals and tourists expect that cozy, nostalgic atmosphere when they come in.

No one has to go to the store to make a call anymore.

And it's often just as easy to grab a snack or whatever you need at your local gas station.

So Richards is adapting.

This is where we are modern.

So meal kits go out and get delivered.

In addition to the meal kits, she's also started an online ordering option for customers.

She has to carefully balance expectations from the past and the economic realities of the present.

Richard says her profit margins are tight, sometimes as low as half a percent.

For another struggling general store in Harrisville, New Hampshire, the solution was to get out of the for-profit realm altogether.