Twp. Woman Saves Fairmount Country Store’s Legacy

Laura Mariano works in New York City, but ever since her family moved onto Fairmount Avenue in Chatham Township, a stone’s throw away from the store, it’s been “an extension of our family kitchen,” she said. 

Though her day job is in consulting, she’d been thinking for years of what an adventure it would be to take over the country store. When Aida Hajjar sold the store in 2009, Mariano’s children were still in school and it wasn’t the right time. Earlier this year, however, when she learned it was about to be sold to a New York pizza company and converted into a pizza place, “I decided it was time.”

Mariano called owner TJ Keane in June and managed to put in a bid for the deli and diner. Now she has completely taken it over.

“I’ve been coming here for 23 years, and I’ve always wanted to do this,” Mariano said.

She closed the store on June 21 and since then has been working around the clock to renovate the store. “It’s been a crazy whirlwind three weeks,” she said, “a 24-7 labor of love.”

With the help of her husband John, her three children—Gia, 14; JB, 16; and Francesca, 18—extended family members and local contractors Guy and Dawn Hladky, Mariano put in a new hot station, new floor, a completely new menu with paninis and additions to hot, cold and breakfast dishes, and a new electronic payment system (now done by iPad).

She also removed the shelves and a full wall so patrons can see the old butcher’s freezer and scale (“Now people can see this and realize that it’s part of the history of this place,” she said), and had the tables and chairs renovated. 

Finally the store was ready for its grand re-opening, which was held on July 15.

“This has been a vision and a passion, one I have wanted to do forever,” Mariano said. “We’re going to take it to the next level.”

She hopes to get a plan for outdoor dining approved soon, and said Chathamites should look out for Sunday football specials, an Oktoberfest celebration, coffee nights and even karaoke BYOB events in the evenings.

“I also want to bring in some of the cyclists up and down Fairmount Avenue,” Mariano said. “I want to cater to them somewhat, and the high school kids will have an opportunity to work here.”

Bringing on additional staff is key to her business plan, which hinges on increasing customer service and improving the customer experience. Now patrons have the option to sit and be waited on if they don’t wish to order at the counter.

Catering is another area where Mariano wants to expand her business, especially for school events in town. 

Since she plans to keep her day job in New York, she was able to convince longtime Country Store employee Brian Mahoney to stay on as general manager and run the day-to-day operations.

“As soon as I spoke with Laura I knew I had to stay onboard,” Mahoney said. “I knew the potential of what it could really become, I knew better things could happen here. I knew with the right people behind me it could be a better place.”

With a new menu and a new associate chef coming onboard, “this gives me the opportunity to make more and different foods, to show people my skills,” Mahoney said.

It also helps him advance into a managerial role in the store, both with the rest of the old staff that stayed on and with the new employees, such as Mariano’s daughter Gia, who now works as a waitress in the store.

However, the new incarnation of the Fairmount Country Store also represents what Mariano wants from the next phase of her life. “For me, it’s ‘What would I do if I wasn’t doing my job?’ And it’s this,” she said. “And of course, you can’t beat being four houses away from where I live. It’s nice to have a place where you can come here and walk home.”

And since the Fairmount Country Store is “the only game around for miles,” Mariano thinks she has a winning recipe.

“I want to create a space where everyone feels comfortable coming here: contractors working in town, retirees, women who lunch, high school students. I want to make it a real community local place,” she said. “It’s something I feel passionate about.”