ADAMS, Mass. — Hoosac Valley Coal and Grain owner Jennifer Brown has expanded the business hoping to remind shoppers of Adams' past.

 

"When I think of Hoosac Valley Coal and Grain I think of a lot of those mom-and-pop stores from growing up and Adams," she said. "We lost a lot of those stores and, I want to have a little bit of everything going on here."

 

The store carries a variety of fuels, animal feeds, pet needs, stoves and lawn and garden products. 

 

Hoosac Valley Coal and Grain is one of the oldest continuing businesses in Adams. It was incorporated in 1906 on the purchase of an older coal and wood supply company owned by Dexter Cook. By the 1950s, it was operated by a former selectman and longtime employee, Frank Kruszyna, who sold it to Hayden Oil & Supply in 1957. 

 

Brown and her husband purchased it from the Waterman family in 2019. By that time, it had long relocated from its landmark building to new quarters at 44 Spring St., at 2 Gavin Avenue.

 

Brown said she saw the new venture as a "fun project" but more importantly, she did not want to see another longtime Adams business lost to time.

 

"The business had gone up for sale, and no one really had an interest in taking it over. I didn't want to see this leave the community," she said. "I kind of did some exploring and decided to start a new career path midlife. I figured it would be fun and fulfilling."

 

What she hadn't planned on was that a few months later the COVID-19 pandemic would have the country in lockdown.

 

"We were either going to sink or swim," she said.

 

Thankfully, Brown swam with a current pushing her new business along.

 

"Oddly enough, the business soared. We were deemed essential and stayed open through everything," she said. 

 

She attributed this success to some of her ordering practices, noting that she keeps all seasons on the floor year round.

 

"Where people were having supply-chain issues and unable to get grills and that sort of thing I had fire pits in stock, I had grills in stock, I had lawn and garden stuff," she said. "People were home and more aware of their surroundings and all of a sudden we had this new traffic flow coming in looking for grills, looking to do outdoor projects … it was very humbling and rewarding being able to survive."

 

She said many of these pandemic shoppers are now loyal customers who come in for various necessities for their equipment.

 

"I did have a lot of new customers come through so it has been a mix of the faithful day-to-day customers coming in for animal feed and pet supplies, but now we have more variation," she said.

 

Brown said mid- to late August is the busiest time of year as it marks the beginning of the heating season. When she took over, she wanted to incorporate new items to get people through the doors year-round.

 

"You have to think outside the box, and you have to create something that's going to drive people here during the summer months … so I tried to incorporate some fun stuff," she said. "When I think about Hoosac Valley Coal and Grain it has been in the community so long and it makes me nostalgic … so I wanted to incorporate some of that here."

 

Brown tries to incorporate items she may have seen in the many businesses that used to line downtown Adams. She sells retro candy among other gift items. She also tries to carry items made by local companies and crafters. 

 

And she also sells a very familiar soda.

 

She said a customer came in, recommending Foxon Park Beverages noting their line of flavors was very similar to Squeeze, the former Howland Avenue soda maker.

 

"I go right in for the cream soda open it up, sip it, and I was brought right back to my childhood," she said.

 

She brought in some of the soda and started giving out samples. 

 

"I heard stories from customers that tried it dating back to their childhoods," she said. "The soda was special to a lot of people and brings back a lot of memories."

 

Brown decided to carry the product and held a six-pack special, allowing patrons to mix and match different flavors like Squeeze used to do. She said she sold almost six cases in four hours.

 

The soda still brings people to her shop, with new customers specifically stopping to get their hands on a bottle.

 

"I can't keep it on the shelves," she said. "People come in looking for the soda and end up looking around the store. The soda has been a huge marketing tool for me."

 

Brown spent much of her career in the dental and dermatology fields and said when she first purchased the business she didn't know the difference between a coal stove and a pellet stove.

 

She said former owner Keith Hayden and TMS Pellet Stove Service owner Todd Sherman have been a "godsend" helping her learn along the way.

 

"It has been a learning experience, but I knew I didn't need to know everything I just needed to know people and reach out to those people," she said. "These guys have had my back the entire way and every time I have a conversation with them I learn something new."

 

She said the business isn't as competitive as many would think and in reality, like businesses in the region all support each other and refer customers.

 

Although she has expanded her offerings, selling coal still makes up a big part of her sales.

 

"I have people call me from out by Boston to see if I can deliver coal out to them because they don't have anybody in the vicinity," she said. "I did think that coal may have kind of become one of those things that people replaced, but my coal customers are die-hard. They love coal."

 

The price of coal doubled after the 2020 election, she said, but her coal customers were prepared.

 

"My coal-burning customers were on target and followed everything. They bought in early. Some people had sticker shock but in general, a lot of people just pulled back on how much they were burning. Once the price plateaued everyone kind of acclimated."

 

Brown said, that even at five years, she struggled to get her business's name out there. She felt the broader community didn't know it was under new management and had made some changes.

 

After a conversation with friend, customer, and insurer David Bissaillon, she decided to bring back an event similar to Hoosac Valley Coal and Grain's Smoking in the Glen barbecue competition 

 

"I was going on year five and Dave said that I was never able to really introduce myself formally to the community," she said. "He said why not have an event to draw people to the store to show how the dynamic has changed. He said people still talk about those parties."

 

This fall Brown reintroduced herself to the community with a cookout during Ramblefest weekend.

 

She worked with the AYJ Fund, local businesses, crafters, restaurateurs and musicians to draw a diverse crowd from the larger community

 

"It brought in many many new faces," Brown said. "I am all about community support and building each other up, and it allowed everyone to show off what they have to offer and help build their businesses. So it was a great a day."