By Avice Meehan

Ryan Craig, who has operated the Berkshire Country Store for a decade, has announced that he will shutter the business on Oct. 31. The news was shared in a Facebook post on Sept. 23, prompting hundreds of comments and many mournful visits to the eatery and convenience store on Station Place.

Craig, 43, and the father of two young children, said he was still figuring out the next chapter of his business career, but said he needed to earn more money than he could make while running a small business. He hopes to become part of an organization “big enough to have its act together and small enough for one person to make a difference.”

No sooner had news of the Berkshire Country Store closing begun to circulate than a poster went up in a window of the historic Royal Arcanum building just across Station Place. In an ornate script it read: “Opening Fall 2026–Alfredo Taylor’s Food & Grocery.” Aaron Aujla, one of three partners in American Folk & Heritage, which owns the building, said a firm opening date has not been set.

Meanwhile, the space now occupied by the Berkshire Country Store may not be vacant for long. Michael Selleck, who chairs the board of the Norfolk Hub, which owns the building, said an announcement could be made in the near future. “We hope to find someone equally as good as Ryan,” he said, describing him as an excellent business partner. “[We are] very sad to see him close the Berkshire Country Store, which has been a tentpole in downtown Norfolk.”

Craig said his lease with the Norfolk Hub came up for renewal in June and that he requested an extension so that he had time to review his options. Selleck said the Norfolk Hub had been working with Craig for the last several months and was committed to managing the transition for the benefit of both Craig and the community.

Over the past several years, Craig has been matter of fact about the challenges of running a business in Norfolk, including staff recruitment, the seasonal ebb and flow of customer traffic and the wide range of customer expectations. In a group conversation, Craig said that he was able to pay himself an average of $40,000 on business volume that averaged between $500,000 and $550,000 a year. He had also experimented with opening satellite locations—he had a second store in Canaan for about 18 months—but found it difficult to ensure consistency.

“I want to be paid fairly for my work,” Craig said, emphasizing a concern about saving for retirement and providing for his family. He said the business had been for sale on an informal basis for the past six to seven months, but that he could identify very few qualified buyers.

American Folk & Heritage acquired the Royal Arcanum roughly a year ago from the Norfolk Hub and was founded by brothers Aaron and Dev Aujla and Aaron’s wife, Emily Adams Bode Aujla. All three live in Norfolk.

The space that would be occupied by Alfredo Taylor’s formerly housed the Norfolk Pub and has undergone extensive renovation over the last several months. Tantalizing glimpses have been visible from time to time, but the principals behind the business have been quiet about their plans. “We are looking to create something unique, something that will be fitting for this space and the Town of Norfolk,” said Aujla.
Aujla said additional details about Alfredo Taylor’s would be shared once the firm opening date was identified. That in turn will be determined by two factors: delivery of major equipment and issuance of permits needed to run the business.
Meanwhile, Les Renards & Co. bookshop will soon move out of the Royal Arcanum and into newly renovated space beside the Hub. Ruthann Olssen Interior Arts & Design has moved out of its ground floor space in the Royal Arcanum and will be relocating to Canaan. n