GREENWOOD — At The Local Hub on Route 26 in Greenwood owner Dara Behan is always on the hunt for ways to keep things local.
Honey, soap, popcorn, maple syrup, soy based candles, and eggs are all made by locals and sold in “The Hub.” Greens come from Christy’s Crops in Woodstock, while asparagus and potatoes are from Bethel’s Middle Intervale Farm.
Coffee connoisseur Behan once was buying roasted coffee beans from as far away as Portland and Gorham. That was before Greenwood Bean, under a mile from “The Hub,” purchased a larger roaster. Now she buys her coffee there.
Keep it local, “that’s what we try to do,” said Behan, adding, “It is a symbiotic relationship.”
The local commitment extends to artists, too. Every month they switch the local artists’ work on the walls, never asking for a cut when something sells. “It helps them [the artist] get their name out there. It also helps us, we don’t have to buy any art for the wall.” said Behan.
They sell Wayne Keith’s walking sticks and the money is returned to fund Buck’s Ledge where the wood was originally culled from, says Behan.
customers
While one half of the shop is for retail and counter space, the other half is for dining. During COVID they held a pod school on the dining side. Later they renovated, adding a bathroom. The grocery orders’ take-out window in the kitchen is still used.
Behan said her customers are a mix of locals; “pass-through people” travelling from Vermont and Canada; motorcyclists out for a ride; Mt Abram’s mountain bikers and in the winter, skiers.
“I love hearing people say, ‘I love this place.’ … It’s cozy, very casual. Some people stay here for hours just to hang out and talk. Then we have people who run in and out, they just need a quick meal, but still it starts their day off right … I like being a part of people, being around people and having them enjoy what we do,” said Behan.
Popular choices for lunch are, “The TBCR,” turkey, bacon, cheddar and ranch; and “The Loaf” a meatloaf sandwich or “a meal between two slices of bread,” as Behan describes it. For breakfast “The Deluxe” on rosemary bread is packed with roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, spinach and onion, scrambled with eggs.
It has been ten years since Behan, of Bethel, opened The Local Hub.
The time? “it’s flown by,” she said.
The Local Hub is open Thursday through Sunday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
