Over the last century, the landscape of our rural communities has shifted, including where we work and gather, and how we access food and other daily necessities. Once resilient and self-sufficient agricultural communities have undergone massive changes in their social, economic and cultural patterns, with the majority of residents now commuting away from home for work, shopping and education, and chains like Walmart and the Dollar Store spreading and replacing old family businesses. In many places, these changes have left behind abandoned buildings and shuttered historic main streets and plazas, with profound impacts not only on the economy but also on the deeper health and integrity of our rural communities.

 

Locally owned rural grocery stores are one of the important spaces that have come under pressure. Across the United States, hundreds of rural stores have closed their doors in recent decades, leaving both a hole in their communities. This loss is unacceptable, as both national research and our own stories and memories tell us that they are cornerstone institutions that are central to our wellbeing. 

 

Rural grocery stores are the heart of their communities. At the most basic level, they ensure people have access to food and household necessities - however they do so much more than just provide food. Rural grocery stores are places for neighbors to gather and trade news, maintain relationships, and organize to better their community. They offer a young person their first job and ensure that elders and those without transportation have what they need close by. They incubate and support the success of other local businesses, as well as farmers, ranchers and craftspeople, and in times of disaster and crisis they provide a lifeline of critical resources. Critically, they offer us a space to build and actualize an alternative vision of ‘economic development’ that is rooted in culture and keeps local wealth circulating in the hands of local people. 

 

When these stores are lost the whole community feels the impact, and their closure can contribute to a cascade of negative impacts such as an increase in food insecurity and diet related illnesses, the loss of neighboring businesses, decreased social connection amongst neighbors, and the movement of more families out of rural areas due to lack of opportunity and resources.

 

Inspired by both the injustice and grief of the loss of many of our stores, and the hope and potential for their restoration, this handbook brings together community stories and histories, research, and resources to support, protect and re-vitalize our rural grocery stores across Northern New Mexico. Above all, it is a love letter to these special places - seeking to deepen our understanding and start needed conversations about their importance and all that is at stake if they continue to be lost. 

 

The handbook was originally born from a curiosity about the many closed historic stores that sit beside our Northern New Mexico country roads and plazas - from El Rito to Chimayo, Truchas to Pojoaque - however this research has found that there are also many beloved stores that are still open despite the odds, providing vital services to their communities everyday. This story is therefore one about change, transition, and loss - about abandoned buildings and struggling businesses - and also about endurance, strength, and our capacity to build spaces that nourish our communities.

Ultimately, the deepest intention is that this work can be one small part of the generational work to (re)build “una vida buena, sana, y alegre” (a good, healthy and happy life) for the people of rural Northern New Mexico, and the pages that follow explain why and how rural stores can be part of achieving such a big goal. One small store can’t change the fate and future of a community - but it can act as a catalyst that can help a place hold on, heal, and become more vibrant and resilient.

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Whats Included?

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• Part One holds the introductory and grounding information including the project vision and purpose, definitions of key terms, and research methods. 

 

• Part Two asks ‘why rural grocery stores?’, and explores their importance for food security and public health, agriculture, economic development, community resilience and more. It also analyzes the political, social and economic conditions that have led to the loss of countless stores at the national level.

 

• Part Three zooms in on Northern New Mexico and looks for inspiration, wisdom and guidance by exploring the historic landscape of our rural grocery stores and their status today. It includes an overview of local history and eras of change that have impacted our rural stores; photos and maps documenting the locations and condition of both active and closed stores today; and an analysis of the results of a community survey on rural grocery access. Throughout this section (and woven through the handbook) is a collection of archival photos from over the past 100 years.

 

• Part Four shares in-depth stories of twelve Northern New Mexico stores, drawn from oral history interviews with former or current store owners. These profiles record the multi-generational histories of the families who’ve cared for them, and uplift the many roles they’ve played in their communities. They also gather practical insights into the logistics of operations, the difficulties they’ve faced, and the support they need (or needed) to keep their doors open.

 

The profiles represent a wide range of conditions and possibilities including 100+ year old stores being run much as they always have by the third (or fourth, or fifth!) generation of family; abandoned buildings; remodeled stores that have taken on new life as mechanic garages and coffee shops; and historic stores that have transformed using new ownership models to stay viable in the modern economy.

 

• Part Five provides thoughts on the future of our rural stores and where we can go with all that has been learned through this work . It opens up a ‘tool box’ of different strategies to support these important places through community organizing; historic preservation and building restoration; infrastructure, zoning and land use; store management and operations; financing mechanisms; and policy and advocacy actions. A range of ideas are provided, recognizing that we will need to approach the issue from many angles simultaneously - and that what works for each community and region will be unique.