CONWAY — For more than half a century, Baker’s Country Store has been located on River Street, offering fresh baked goods, pumping gas and serving as an unofficial meeting place for town residents.
It has survived countless snowstorms, the 2017 tornado and even the torrential rains that hit the town last year. But its future is now uncertain after a rainstorm on July 17 dumped over two inches of rain on the town in an hour, overloading the catch basin above the store and causing water to overflow the six-inch embankment the Bakers had built, severely damaging the embankment, crushing the septic tank and washing away part of the parking lot.
Faced with tens of thousands, if not more than $100,000, in damage, owner Helen Baker and her husband, Fire Chief Robert Baker, are facing the reality that they may have to close the family business.
“I don’t know what to do. I really don’t,” said Helen Baker, who bought the store from her mother in 1985 and has worked there since 1972. She added that she had never experienced such a weather event before. “Even during the tornado, I stayed open the whole time.”
Because of the damage to the septic tank, the store has no restrooms and Baker’s Country Store can no longer sell fuel because a representative from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection advised them that the 2,000-gallon tank could be damaged. Fuel sales, Helen Baker added, make up about half of the store’s revenue.
After the flood, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation improved the catch basin on Route 116 and the Bakers have had several discussions with the agency. Because the damage was caused by an unusually severe storm and not by the actions or inaction of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the department is not responsible for repairing the damage. According to Robert Baker, the state right-of-way ends several feet from where the damage occurred on their property.
MassDOT has not received any damage complaints for this location.
To make matters worse, the Bakers put the business on the property market two months ago in the hope of selling it within a few years so they could retire. Those plans have now been put on hold, with Helen Baker saying they have taken the business off the market this week.
“How the hell am I going to sell it?” said Helen Baker. “I don’t know what to do but it’s just very frustrating because I’ve spent half my life here and now I might have to lock the door and leave.”
At this point, the Bakers said they are reviewing their options and taking it “one day at a time.” They said they may look into legal counsel to see if they can get advice.
“At this point we’ll probably try to hire a lawyer. I don’t know what that would accomplish,” Robert Baker said. “If we have to pay for this whole mess, and that’s probably going to happen, we’ll probably have to close the place down. … Board up and call it a day.”
There is a community initiative to support the Bakers. Local resident Kate Clayton-Jones has helped organize a GoFundMe campaign for the store, and residents have already started donating. Clayton-Jones wrote in the fundraiser description that when their Conway home burned down in 2022, the Bakers were immediately on hand to support her.
The Bakers have served the community for decades with their store and Robert Baker’s work as road superintendent and fire chief. They said they’ve been “the generous type our whole lives,” so it’s a little uncomfortable to be on the other side of things.
“The community has been very supportive,” Helen Baker said, adding that businesses have been helpful, too. Carson’s Cans quickly set up a portable toilet outside the store and Sandri reimbursed the cost of the fuel when she pumped it out of the tank. “And I’m grateful to everyone, absolutely everyone.”
The GoFundMe campaign can be accessed at bit.ly/3X0rMiD.
You can reach Chris Larabee at [email protected].
