Crozet's community blog
This past Friday January 11, 2013 we were informed by Norm Jenkins that the property is “under contract, there will be no place for us with the new owners, and that the transition will happen quickly”. Since we entered into this venture on a hand-shake and had no lease/contract, we have no choice but to vacate.
Read the whole thing. They did great stuff there and they’ll be missed.
The Plank Road Exchange (the former Batesville Store) is now open. And the sandwich I had was delicious. I’ll be back.
I was showing property to clients this morning and we went through Batesville. We drove past the Plank Road Exchange, and I made a U-turn because I saw their “Open” sign. Conveniently, my clients’ baby needed food, so the stop was well-timed (and they’re great new clients moving to the Crozet area). I took a few photos, got a juice, and left. Later today, I met another client and was supposed to meet a contractor who was serendipitously late. While waiting, we looked at the menu and decided to make a quick run to the Plank Road Exchange, and I’m glad we did.
While there, the store was what I’d hoped it would be – a place to get a fantastic sandwich (try the MC-50!*), the sides looked great and it looks like their ABC license is in the works … but what really defined the store was the friendliness of the proprietors, Aris and Jessica, their exuberance and the community they are facilitating. My client ran into her friend while we were there, a group of people were eating lunch and having what seemed to be great conversation, kids were running around (without being brow-beaten to be quiet by their parents), the pie was “delectable” … the Plank Road Store, which opened this past Saturday, was perfect.
Their opening is exciting – Batesville (based on my clients’ words, not mine; I don’t live there) – needs this store, needs this hub, needs this gathering and meeting place. I’m glad they’re open.
Or, as Lonnie Murray said:
“The store has been the cornerstone of our community and we’re really glad to see it opened again.”
Find them: (they say they’ll have “live music on the weekend”!)
– On Facebook
– On their website (under construction)
– On Twitter
* I would have taken a picture of my sandwich but I was way too hungry!
For those of you not on the Batesville Store email list:
THE DREAM HAS DIED . . . . LONG LIVE THE DREAM!
?
Dear Friends of The Batesville Store,
Since June 10, the day that state regulators forced us to suspend our operations, we have set one goal for ourselves–re-opening The Batesville Store. The pursuit of that goal has not been easy, and there have been numerous times when we’ve talked about giving up. But then we would recall the astonishing support that we have received from our friends and neighbors in the community, and it would inspire and motivate us all over again.
We received more than seven hundred fifty emails of support. We heard personally from many of you. We received old-fashioned letters by way of snail mail. We read what you wrote on Facebook. We held onto the petition that more than five hundred of you signed the weekend after we closed.
How could we have turned our backs on all this?
We weren’t the only folks who heard from you. Local and state politicians were inundated with emails and phone calls. So too were county and state regulators. The public made their views known–and then some!
And you know what? It made a huge difference. Continue reading “Batesville Store Update”
Update 13 June – Perhaps the best explanation comes from a Newsplex comment:
If you take time to read the letter provided by the Batesville Store to its clients, which is linked in the story, the reason for closing is clearly explained. They had been operating as a country store and were under the governance of the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. However, it was determined that the store did too much business to remain a country store. The only option available was for them to become a restaurant and to comply with all Virginia Health Department regulations. The owners state in their letter that the requiremetn (sic)to operate as a restaurant was not viable for many reasons.
Update 12 June: See the bottom of this post for new from the Batesville Store that they are closing. For good. Surely the State could find a way to make this work for the good of the Batesville community.
Update 12 June #2 – cvillenews has more insight.
Update 11 June: The Newsplex reports:
A store employee told CBS19 that the reason behind the shutdown wasn’t a health issue, but a safety issue. He says the store had exceeded their seating capacity.
A country store is allowed to have 15 total seats by law, but The Batesville Store has over 40. The employee was frustrated saying that the Health Department hadn’t given them a warning.
Surely someone in Batesville can shed some light on this. The Batesville Store is fantastic – the food, ambiance, smells, location, beer, music … it would be a tremendous shame if it were to be shut down by the State of Virginia.
Just received via email …
Dear Friends of The Batesville Store,
I have some sad news:
The Batesville Store is closed until further notice.
Earlier today two representatives from the state of Virginia showed up at the store without warning, informed us that we were not in compliance with certain state regulations, and basically gave us no choice except to close immediately. Continue reading “Batesville Store is Closed”