After two years without one, the tiny town of Upton has “a local store once more,” in the words of resident and customer Charlene Warbeck.

The Upton Country Store on the New Hampshire border in northern Oxford County reopened last month under the new ownership of Adam and Carol Fleury.

The population was 68 in 2025, according to the World Population Review.

The Fleurys, who had been coming to Upton from their home in New Hampshire for years, decided to build a permanent home in Upton. They completed it in November. The couple bought the store a few months later, with the hope to revive its past popularity as both a retail business and a gathering spot for locals.

“We were first drawn to the area for snowmobiling and hunting, and then got to know some locals and decided it would be a nice area to build a home,” Carol said.

While they built their home, they often went to the store for drinks and lunch.

“We were saddened when it closed, and after two years of not having the convenience of a local store, we decided we would buy it and reopen,” she said.

Carol said she has heard positive feedback since the reopening.

“They appreciate not having to drive far for small staple items, like they have been doing the last two years that the store was closed,” she said.  “I have three customers that come in almost every day.”

Warbeck is a regular. She said she’s glad to see that her neighbors are employed there and she’s happy with the service.

“The store owners are interested in their customers’ input and recommendations,” Warbeck said.

The clientele varies, consisting of local residents, tourists passing through on Route 26 or staying nearby, camp owners from Lake Umbagog and some ATVers. In the winter they expect to get snowmobilers. The eating area has a new shelf for helmets and hooks for outerwear. In warm weather, a wide porch on the front of the store offers picnic tables.

The couple remodeled the store, sprucing it up and putting down a new floor in the eating area. They added a couple of clever displays, including an old kitchen stove that serves as the candy display and an old wooden canoe that Carol bought, cut in half, and stood on end to serve as a shelf for Maine books the store sells. (The other half of the canoe is a bookshelf in her home.)

One display that can initially draw puzzled looks features flooring samples. The Fleurys have long owned a flooring business in Concord, New Hampshire, and they still operate it. If Upton homeowners want flooring installed, the Fleurys will bring installers up from Concord to do it.

As for food offerings, they expanded the previous menu, adding to the basic pizza and subs that had been offered before. They make breakfast sandwiches, but lunch and supper are the busiest meals, Carol said.

Their lunch order schedule is flexible to accommodate people who may be headed out in the morning for a day on the lake.

In coming months they plan to become a game registration station.

More information on the store can be found on its Facebook page.

Alison Aloisio is a freelance writer.