Photo by JenniLee Mark
By JenniLee Mark & Becka Roe
Ever make a big dinner and realize last minute that an ingredient is missing? With larger name grocery stores so far away, Prunier’s Market is the convenient place right around the corner for Castleton area residents.
Logan Houle, a Prunier’s customer, says he usually picks up miscellaneous things he needs for supper that night.
“It’s convenient to where I’m located,” he said. “It’s a nice a family-owned store.”
The store has been around since the mid-to late sixties and was taken over by the current owners in September of 1976. The original owner, Russ Norton, initially ran it as a gas station and garage. Then he started adding groceries and eventually it just became more of a grocery store than anything else.
Bill Prunier’s parents took over the store from Norton and now he and his two brothers, Steve and Charles, run the place.
A family owned market is a great place to shop, but in modern times, it’s tough to compete with larger chain grocery stores, he said.
“Do we have competition?” Prunier said laughing when asked.
Despite the competition, he doesn’t seem too concerned about larger grocery stores in nearby Fair Haven or Rutland.
Prunier said he doesn’t get out in the real world much because he lives here and is mainly focused on running his market. When he was younger, he used to go out and get ideas from other stores as part of the Vermont Grocer’s Association, but he claims he hasn’t done that in a long time. Now, he doesn’t really know what’s going on in other stores, which he said may be one of his weaknesses.
Prunier claims his warehouse is a big help running his business. He listens to counselors who talk to him and help him out with business decisions.
“We do our thing right and do things here the best we can,” Prunier said.
Ever make a big dinner and realize last minute that an ingredient is missing? With larger name grocery stores so far away, Prunier’s Market is the convenient place right around the corner for Castleton area residents.
Logan Houle, a Prunier’s customer, says he usually picks up miscellaneous things he needs for supper that night.
“It’s convenient to where I’m located,” he said. “It’s a nice a family-owned store.”
The store has been around since the mid-to late sixties and was taken over by the current owners in September of 1976. The original owner, Russ Norton, initially ran it as a gas station and garage. Then he started adding groceries and eventually it just became more of a grocery store than anything else.
Bill Prunier’s parents took over the store from Norton and now he and his two brothers, Steve and Charles, run the place.
A family owned market is a great place to shop, but in modern times, it’s tough to compete with larger chain grocery stores, he said.
“Do we have competition?” Prunier said laughing when asked.
Despite the competition, he doesn’t seem too concerned about larger grocery stores in nearby Fair Haven or Rutland.
Prunier said he doesn’t get out in the real world much because he lives here and is mainly focused on running his market. When he was younger, he used to go out and get ideas from other stores as part of the Vermont Grocer’s Association, but he claims he hasn’t done that in a long time. Now, he doesn’t really know what’s going on in other stores, which he said may be one of his weaknesses.
Prunier claims his warehouse is a big help running his business. He listens to counselors who talk to him and help him out with business decisions.
“We do our thing right and do things here the best we can,” Prunier said.
Photo by JenniLee Mark
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