Glutenallergies got you down? It might be worth a trip to White Birch Gluten-Free Market, a new specialty shop in downtown Hillsboro where all the goods are sans gluten.

Owner Paula Bishop, who has a wheat allergy herself, decided to open shop after years of meeting folks who couldn't tolerate gluten either. In her hunt for gluten-free fare, she discovered that good food was hard to come by. She hopes to change that.

"I'd been wanting to start a business of my own for a while," Bishop said yesterday. "I thought this was perfect, people need this."

The market features an array of high-end dry, refrigerated and frozen foods that aren't available in supermarkets, she said. There are also fresh bakery products, homemade apple pies and cookies. Bishop said she's working with the state to obtain a liquor license so she can carry gluten-free microbrews and hard ciders.

Bishop is hoping the market will help liven up Hillsboro's center, a prime spot along the corridor from Keene to Concord.

The store's soft opening was last Friday, and there will be another opening after the new year. Bishop said the hours may expand, depending on the market's popularity.

Hours: Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday noon to 5 p.m.; Sunday noon to 4 p.m.

Address: 35 W. Main St. in Hillsboro.

Phone: 464-2700.

On the web: whitebirchmarket.com.

AMY AUGUSTINE