New owners of Harvard General Store revive sense of community

By Kathleen Pierce

Adam and Lyn Horowitz, owners of the Harvard General Store in Harvard, tap into the olive oil they sell in refillable bottles.

Connie Larrabee, left, and Kathy Hewett, both of Harvard, get their hot dogs at the Harvard General Store from Ben Farwell, also of Harvard.

HARVARD — They weren't looking for a general store.

The historic three-story structure anchoring Harvard Commons found Lyn and Adam Horowitz anyway.

"We spent 15 minutes in here, turned around and came back," said Adam, a native of South Africa who worked for Merrill Lynch in New York, South Africa and London for 11 years.

Lyn had ties to this quintessential New England town. Her mother and great-aunt lived here. She and Adam married in her great-aunt's garden 26 years ago. When splitting their time between homes in London and South Africa started to wear thin, they decided to shake things up by settling down.

"Looking 50 in the eye we said, where are our roots?" said Adam.

They were in Harvard.

"We knew the town was looking to reopen the store. They missed it. It's an integral part of the town common," said Adam, 51.

Coffee and espresso from Acton-based roaster George Howell, baked goods from a Harvard pastry chef and milk from Stillmans Farm in Lunenburg have been drawing crowds from miles around.

"This makes living in town more organized," said Lyn.

Four different kinds of bread, like Iggy's from Cambridge and B&R from Framingham, are sold up front next to imported olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Like Stillmans' returnable glass milk bottles, reusable bottles are provided for organic oil sold in vats.

Adam is proud of specialty treats like nougat candies from South Africa, and both tout their "Rolls Royce of cappuccino machines," the La Marzocco. Smoked salmon and crab cakes from The Quarterdeck in Maynard are other favorites.

Customers like them, too.

"They help us stock the shelves," said Lyn, a friendly woman with warm and intelligent eyes.

Frozen pumpkin ravioli and gnocchi for a quick dinner and a trove of gourmet chocolates pop out from the shelves. In the back corner, hot dogs and popcorn are sold. The only thing the couple laments is not being able to sell prepared meals or peddle fresh produce. The antique sewer system they are tied into prohibits this, but they hope a town vote this spring will allow them to increase their offerings.

What you will find in this shiny, new version of the town gathering place is an individualistic sense of life.

"You will not find banks of 1,000 ketchups. It's local and smaller. It's something special, not too many national products," said Adam.

Penny candy, instrumental to the early general stores, can be found in this modern remake. Barrels of saltwater taffy, dispensers of jelly beans and M&M's in every color are a child's (and grown-up's) delight.

This well-sourced edible emporium does more than provide quick nourishment. Harvard General strengthens the bonds of a rural community.

"We've heard people say, 'I haven't seen you in weeks,' to their neighbors," said Lyn.

Connie Larrabee and Kathy Hewett, who came in for hot dogs, seemed pleased by the newest entity in town.

"People now come in here and hang around and talk. I'm seeing younger families, too," said Hewett, digging into her dog outside on a new picnic bench.

Seems the Horowitzes hunch was right: "We bought the building because it has an extraordinary feeling," said Adam.