MANSFIELD — The owners of the Old Country Store and Emporium are selling the property and say they intend to open at a new location when a suitable site is found.
Christopher and Lauryn Baker have operated the business at 26 Otis St. for 12 years but the rustic New England store has been a general store and tourist attraction for decades.
It has been family owned and operated for over 190 years and has sold everything from homemade fudge and jewelry to furniture.
Christopher Baker declined to comment Monday on his plans.
But in a notice to customers posted on the door, the couple said there is an agreement to sell the property and they anticipate closing in mid-January.
The 20,557-square-foot store was put on the market last year for $1.1 million by Ellis Realty of Norwell. According to the listing Monday, the property is under contract.
“After 192 years, it looks like Christmas 2021 will be the last one for the Old Country Store in Mansfield. It is our intention to continue the business in a new location once a suitable one can be found,” the Bakers said in a statement.
The couple said they anticipate a “scaled down version” of the store in the new location and “it is our desire to keep the flame alive up to, and beyond, our eventual retirement.”
“We understand the store has been a mainstay and a much loved destination in town for many generations of shoppers. We are very grateful for the support, loyalty and friendship you’ve shared with us during the past 12 years,” the couple said.
For the remainder of the year and until the store closes, there will be a 20 percent discount on every purchase and an additional 5 percent on all sale items, according to the Bakers.
“This will be one small gift we can offer all of you to help offset the expected challenges of inflation this season,” the couple said.
The Bakers bought the business and real estate from the Zecher family following a chance visit, according to a Sun Chronicle story published Feb. 6, 2010.
Lauryn Baker discovered the store on a trip to Mass. Premier Courts, where their three children played basketball. The children were 11 to 15 years old at the time.
Christopher Baker, who worked for two dozen years in banking and international trade, said at the time that it was a dream for the couple to open their own business.
Since they bought the store, the Bakers have largely kept the operation as it had been for years.
In November 2018, the store was the center of some controversy after a 19th century poster hanging in it sparked a petition drive by people who said the poster was racist, though some in town defended the store.
The poster was for Bull Durham tobacco and featured cartoonish depictions of African-Americans with exaggerated racial features, such as extraordinarily large lips.
David Linton may be reached at 508-236-0338.
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