By KAREN D. LORENTZ

After a 16-year hiatus, Willie E. Pierce Groceries has reopened in North Shrewsbury.

Now operating as a cooperative, the iconic country store known as Pierce’s serves the rural community of Shrewsbury with a greatly expanded product line in a light and airy environment that still sports a wood stove.

“The Shrewsbury Cooperative at Pierce’s Store, which is our official name, is a fully incorporated consumer cooperative under Vermont statutes,” noted Sally Deinzer, president of the board of directors that oversees the new venture. Other officers include: Kevin White, vice president; Theresa Clarke, treasurer; and Joyce Wilson, secretary.

The all-volunteer board includes Ginny Buckley, bookkeeper and a member of the business committee along with Judith Thomas. The buildings and grounds committee consists of George Brigham, Gary Shattuck and White. Brigham and Nancy Ellery comprise the services committee. Theresa Clarke serves on the administration committee with Deinzer and on the products committee with Wilson.

The group worked for more than a year to ready the store with the help of many volunteers. They have raised $63,000 in funds to date, including a $30,000 grant from the Vermont Community Foundation, donations from individuals and fees from co-op members. (Annual memberships cost $20 for households and carry benefits of a 2-percent store discount and voting privileges.) A fundraising auction was scheduled for October 10 to benefit the store’s operating reserves, according to Deinzer.

Lindsay Arbuckle and Scott Courcelle were hired as the store’s paid managers. They will help staff the store, co-ordinate volunteer staff and assist with inventory control and ordering, among other duties. The couple will begin living in a home adjacent to the store in November after finishing their prior engagement at the Foggy Bottom Farm in Benson.

“It’s wonderful that their vision is so in line with ours,” said Deinzer. “They see a community gathering place, and that’s what we are already experiencing.

“They see an emphasis on wholesome, local food (where possible), which is what a food co-op is all about, although we also have conventional foods,” Deinzer said. “Our goal is to be able to provide something to appeal to everyone who comes in.

“Lindsay and Scott want to cook, so we hope to expand on our three-days-a-week fresh baked goods offering, as well as institute some regular take-out dinners.”

Arbuckle and Courcelle described their new job as “a dream come true,” adding they have enjoyed working at the Rutland Farmers’ Market representing Foggy Bottom Farm. Arbuckle noted their organic vegetable farming experience will come in handy at the store and at future farmers’ markets they hope to hold.

In addition to helping to make the store a vibrant place to shop and socialize, the couple wants to use their education, work experience, and love of gardening and cooking to serve the community and host various events.

Courcelle said they are particularly “interested in education” and envision hosting and giving “classes, growing a garden and helping the board to meet its vision as a community center for the arts, music and gatherings.”

Courcelle, who grew up in Rutland and graduated from Johnson State College, where he majored in Environmental Sciences and minored in music, has a varied work background that includes teaching environmental conservation to youth. Arbuckle grew up in Kansas, graduated from the University of Washington and has taught low-income people how to grow and cook food among other things. They met while working at the Ferry Beach Ecology School in Maine.

The board’s emphasis on carrying locally grown or made foods and products wherever possible fits with the couple’s interest in getting back-to-the-land. Among the locally produced items are beef, maple syrup, jams and jellies, salsa, honey, salad dressings, sauces, woven Cape Cod baskets, books and music.

The store carries a vast array of items that one might purchase in a weekly shopping trip including canned goods, staples, dairy items, baking supplies, beer and wine, paper goods, toiletries and candy.

There are also some prepared foods and baked goods. Rob McKain, a former cook at Spring Lake Ranch, bakes on the premises on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. His macaroons and scones already are receiving rave reviews.

The expanded store layout includes an eating area, a commercial kitchen and a food service counter. Among the many items on the neatly stocked shelves are organic and conventional foods, including ingredients for gourmet meals.

In addition to the volunteers and board members who have made the store possible, Deinzer said Paul Bruhn of the Preservation Trust of Vermont (PTV) and his network of community-supported enterprises around the state “have been very helpful.”

PTV is a nonprofit organization that was deeded the home and store by former owner Marjorie Pierce. In 2008, it selected the Shrewsbury group to operate the store.