In early July, a note went up on the door at 21 Main St. It said Chester Hardware & Mercantile would be closed from July 3 through July 13. The Chester Telegraph reported that on July 7, partway through that stretch, the business filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. By July 17 the closed sign was still up and the store had not reopened.
So this is Chester's first October in a long while without a hardware counter in the village. It comes in the season with the longest errand list: storm windows, stovepipe, snow shovels, ice melt, and the small bag of fittings that always seems to be missing from the cellar. What changes the outlook is how this closure is being resolved. The sale is moving faster than most people would expect from a bankruptcy, and the likely buyers already run a hardware store a short drive west on Route 100.
How a Chapter 7 sale changes the clock
Chapter 7 is a liquidation. The Telegraph explained that under this type of filing, the business stops operating and its assets are sold to repay creditors as fully as possible. The filing covered two pieces. One company ran the store. A second company owned the building at 21 Main St. and leased it to the store.
That second detail matters to anyone hoping for a hardware store on Main Street again. A buyer of the business alone would still have to work out a lease. The proposed deal covers both, so the store, the building, the inventory and the records would all go to one buyer.
A follow-up report from the Telegraph on Sept. 22 described a motion filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for Vermont. It asks the court to approve selling the store, its real estate, and its contents and records to Adam and Jaimie Rawson of Londonderry for $587,200. The paper noted that the Rawsons own hardware stores in Londonderry and Bondville.
The dates that decide it
The process is designed to get the best price for creditors, so the agreed deal still has to hold up against competing offers. Here is the schedule as the Telegraph reported it in September:
- Friday, Sept. 18: Trustees Raymond Obuchowski and Paul Levine filed notice of the motion to approve the Rawson sale.
- Friday, Oct. 16: Deadline for "higher or better offers." Any competing bid must be at least $597,200 and go up in steps of at least $10,000. Bidders also have to show they can afford to close.
- Early December: If everything goes to plan, the date by which Obuchowski said the store could have new owners.
Today is Oct. 12, which puts the bid deadline four days away. As of this writing, no reporting after Sept. 22 says whether another bidder came forward or whether the court has ruled. No public source yet gives a reopening date, a store name, or what the buyers plan to stock. December is the earliest point the trustee mentioned for an ownership change. It is not a promise about when the doors open.
The trustee put the case for speed directly. He told the Telegraph, "At this point, the process has worked as it should, with a sale taking place quickly with a good return for the bank and other creditors while preserving a project with economic viability for the community."
The same Telegraph article suggested a seasonal reason for that speed. The secured debt sits with an Alabama bank and the U.S. Small Business Administration. The paper noted that the SBA may have guaranteed the loan, and speculated that if so, the bank may have wanted out quickly to avoid paying to heat and maintain the building through the winter. In practice, the same heating bill that worries a lender pushes a building on Main Street toward a quick handover.
The buyers already run a store you may be using
This is where the story connects back to everyday errands. The pending buyers aren't strangers to the region. Londonderry Hardware is at 5700 Route 100 in Londonderry. Its paint-dealer store listing shows hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. The Manchester Journal identified Jaimie and Adam Rawson as the store's owners in April 2024 coverage of a local fundraiser.
The Telegraph also says the couple owns a store in Bondville. We couldn't confirm that store's name, address or hours from a current listing, so it's best to call ahead before driving over.
If the sale closes, a Chester store would join a small group of hardware counters run by the same owners along the Route 100 and Route 11 corridor. That could affect inventory sharing and special orders. Until the buyers announce their plans, though, that is only a possibility.
Where the hardware run goes until then
Until a store reopens at 21 Main St., errands go out of town. These are the nearby options we could confirm through the businesses' own pages or store listings:
| Store | Address | Posted hours | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Londonderry Hardware | 5700 Route 100, Londonderry | Mon–Sat 7 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sun 9 a.m.–1 p.m. | Owned by the pending buyers of the Chester store |
| Bibens Ace Hardware | 362 River St., Springfield | Mon–Sat 7 a.m.–4 p.m.; Sun 9 a.m.–1 p.m. | Hardware, lumber, building materials, pet and livestock feed |
| LaValley Building Supply | 182 Pleasant St. Ext., Ludlow | Mon–Fri 7 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sat 8 a.m.–3 p.m.; Sun 8 a.m.–1 p.m. | Posted hours come from an older page, so confirm before going |
Watch the closing times. Bibens closes at 4 p.m. on weekdays, an hour earlier than Londonderry Hardware. On a Saturday, LaValley in Ludlow and Bibens in Springfield both open early, which helps if a project starts before lunch.
For second-home owners closing up a Chester house for the season, the takeaway is to buy winter supplies on the way in. The village no longer has a place to pick up a forgotten part on the way out.
The village calendar kept going without it
A closed storefront on Main Street could have made this a quiet fall in the village center. It hasn't been. Chester spent September and October running events in other spaces, while daily business shifted to places that are open.
In September, the 52nd Chester Festival moved off the Green to Gateway Field at 637 Route 103 for Sept. 19–20, with more than 100 vendors listed in the Telegraph's festival guide. The Green didn't sit empty. A new event, Chester Celebrates Vermont Special Foods, brought about 20 food vendors there on Sept. 19. Editor Cynthia Prairie wrote in her column on the two events that it was organized by Sharon Baker of Sharon's on the Common and Chester Candy Company. On Oct. 3–4, the Scarecrow Festival brought more than 30 vendors to town and set 26 scarecrows along Main Street, according to the Vermont Journal's preview.
Food has shifted toward Route 103 as well. Alder Bakery & Eatery, run by Miguel and Kirsten Calderon, took over the former Heritage Bakery space. The Vermont Journal reported last December that it planned to open the first week of 2026. It's now at 642 VT-103, open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. In the evenings, MacLaomainn's Scottish Pub lists hours of 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Here's what's ahead between now and the bid deadline's aftermath:
- Oct. 24, 4:30–7 p.m.: The Chester-Andover Family Center's Empty Bowls fundraiser at 908 Vermont Route 103.
- Oct. 28, 10–10:30 a.m.: Story Time at Whiting Library, 117 Main St., for ages 3 to 5 and their caregivers, drop-ins welcome. The library's regular hours are Tuesday and Wednesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday 1 to 7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Oct. 29, 6–9 p.m.: Hocus Pocus Ladies Night at Endless Creations Pottery Studio, 23 Maple St., $18 with pottery sold separately.
- Nov. 5, 6–8 p.m.: A $10 stoneware pottery class at the same studio.
Together, they show the village has kept its regular routines going this fall while 21 Main St. sits dark. The two dates that matter for the hardware store are Oct. 16 and early December, and the Chester Telegraph is the local outlet most likely to report what the court decides.
A vacant storefront on Main Street affects how a village feels, and it can also change how a house nearby gets cared for, shown and valued over the winter. If you own in Chester and want to know how the village center is affecting your home's value this season, Southern Vermont Realty Group can prepare a valuation based on what's happening in town right now.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
