Historic Marion General Store reopens under new management
The Marion General Store held their grand opening Saturday, Aug. 1. Photos by Mari Huglin 
The Marion General Store is located on 140 Front St. 
Residents and locals were in and out of the General Store as it opened. 
Dry goods and produce are avaliable. 
The original cash register Jack Cheney used. 
New merchandise for the Marion General Store is now avaliable. 
The new store has a similar layout. 
Goods, gifts and bouquets were avaliable at the store.
The Marion General Store held their grand opening Saturday, Aug. 1. Photos by Mari Huglin
The Marion General Store is located on 140 Front St.
Residents and locals were in and out of the General Store as it opened.
Dry goods and produce are avaliable.
The original cash register Jack Cheney used.
New merchandise for the Marion General Store is now avaliable.
The new store has a similar layout.
Goods, gifts and bouquets were avaliable at the store.
MARION — The almost 200-year-old Marion General Store, located at 140 Front St., has officially re-opened under new management after being closed for four months.
This April, Jack Cheney and his family took a step back from running the store and closed it briefly until they could find new tenants to run the historical landmark.
New owners, Will Felder and Amy Baxter of Carver, took on the responsibility and officially opened the store’s doors on Saturday, Aug. 1.
The store was originally a church built in 1794 then converted to a general store in 1841. Cheney ran the beloved store for 52 years.
Felder said the community has been so supportive of the opening and he has enjoyed getting to know residents more. Felder remembers coming to the store as a kid buying candy.
“It's just more of a blessing and an honor to be part of something so historic,” Felder said.
The store did a soft opening on Thursday so the store team could work out some of the “kinks” beforehand.
Felder said he wants to make sure the store is the way the community wants it while upholding Cheney’s legacy.
“It would be like the biggest accomplishment to have my name even be part of this for half the time that it was for Jack [Cheney],” Felder said.
Ruth Griffin of Mattapoisett had been shopping at the store for years heavily relying on it during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She usually buys groceries and gifts at the store and appreciates its historical look and significance.
“It looks more like how an old store used to look so it goes with the tradition of Marion,” Griffin said.
The shopper said she is grateful that the store is now open on Sundays making it a perfect place for her to grab coffee with friends after church. She said she is happy the store is back.
“I hope they do well, I wish them the best,” Giffin said. “It's great to have new people involved.”
Mother and daughter Susan and Natalie Nilson have been at the store for the past three days it's been open. On Saturday, they were grabbing fresh bouquets from Small Axe Farm the store was hosting.
“It's a local gem and we're so happy to support the new owners,” Susan Nilson said about the general store.
Natalie Nilson reminisced on the memories she had of the store growing up. She said she would come to the store after school to grab ice cream, hot dogs and soda unbeknownst to her mother.
Both women said the store is a great place to see people and build community since it's the center of town.
“I think it's important that we support local businesses and that we have this as a gathering place for our community and we want them to be able to thrive in this location,” Susan Nilson said. “I can't imagine this being anything else but a general store.”
The Marion General Store is located at 140 Front St. The store will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. It is open Wednesday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m and Sunday from 7:30 am to 4 p.m.
