Tammy Chalbeck typically orders her groceries from Walmart and has them delivered to her Epsom home.
But on Wednesday she stopped into the newly opened Chichester Market for the first time. Up on a hill off Dover Road, the small grocery store features a selection of shelf staples, fresh produce and snacks, alongside a deli counter for sandwiches.
“I think it’s gonna be a lot of convenience for the general area,” Chalbeck said.
She has lived in Epsom for 17 years and said she has “needed something close by that we could shop.” The new market is four miles from her home.
Owner Jason McKay has lived in Chichester his whole life and sought to bring a local food venture to life. Two years ago, he took over The Healthy Buffalo, an exotic meat store along Route 4. Around that time, he began dreaming up the market.
“That was the goal was to be one-stop shop, to limit people from having to drive all the way to Concord or something if they live around this area,” he said.
The meat section of the new store, once fully stocked, will feature a rich local selection from The Healthy Buffalo.
The market first opened its doors on Wednesday, with a larger official celebration planned for Labor Day weekend.
For Chalbeck, the market will become a new, essential part of her routine. She regularly bakes sourdough and now has a place four miles down the road where she can easily pop in for ingredients.
“We’ve all, I think a lot of us, have wondered what this was going to be,” she said. “And then support local — I believe in supporting local anyways.”
Daniel Silver works nearby and stopped in on Wednesday for a sandwich. He said he typically will go to the Common Man by the Epsom traffic circle but plans to start going to the market instead. The food is “way better,” per Silver.
“I’ll probably end up coming here for grocery shopping,” he said. “It seems like a place that’s local stuff. That’s a lot nicer to see.”
McKay intentionally designed the space to feel open and barn-like. There’s even an outdoor patio where people can sit and eat.
The reception from community members has been great, he said.
“There’s been a lot of people in town supporting us and a lot of familiar faces that I know from town,” said McKay. “The outreach on our Facebook page has been unbelievable in terms of how much reach we have. It’s been kind of surprising.”
Doreen Rich, who works as a cashier at the store, said that it’s exactly what the area has needed. Like others, she was previously heading to Concord or further down Route 4 to Northwood and beyond for groceries.
She’s loved working with McKay and seeing his hard work pan out.
“This was his idea and look at it. It came full throttle for him,” she said.
