Historic Chapman’s General Store is sold
By Erik Pekar, Town Historian
Last weekend was rainy for much of both days, but the precipitation didn’t dampen the enthusiasm for Halloween. After not occurring on a large scale last year, people were ready for a return of the annual event. After a rainy day, Halloween night turned out to have little to no rain. Many children and parents ventured out on the streets of the Village of Granville on Sunday evening for trick-or-treating. All sorts of costumes were seen here, including superheroes, ghosts, popular characters from movies and TV shows, and many more. A few businesses had candy available for those out and about on Halloween night. As the evening went on, the numbers decreased, perhaps helped by the fact that it was a school night. By 10 p.m., the streets were back to their usual stillness of a Sunday night.
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It is the end of an era in Middle Granville. Chapman’s General Store was sold by Gary and Marti Jurnak to Kam and Neil Patel. The occasion was surely bittersweet, as Gary Jurnak noted that “it was a difficult decision to sell, one that we struggled with for quite a while.” The decision was made with a thought for the future. “In the end, we felt it was time to pass the torch to some new people with fresh ideas,” said Jurnak, “and begin a new chapter of our lives.”
At the same time, the occasion was a time of fond reminiscing. Jurnak said they “have many memories that we will cherish” of the store, adding that “perhaps the most rewarding was serving the good people of Middle Granville for 31 years, and working with all of the wonderful employees we have had over that time.”
The sale to the Patels closed on Oct. 27, 31 years after the Jurnaks first bought the store. Neil has moved to Granville; Kam lives in the Capital District and owns gas stations in Rensselaer and Windham. The Patels own the store as an incorporated partnership.
A condition of the sale was to keep all the current employees and keep the historical character of the store. The Patels are fully aware of and will continue the tradition. Kam Patel noted that “in the era of the cookie-cutter franchise world, Chapman’s General Store is a rare jewel. The heritage [there] is rich and unique. We realized that and feel responsible to keep it that way. ... We are committed to maintaining the same quality of service and the same culture with the help of the current staff and Gary.”
Gary and Marti had bought Chapman’s General Store in October of 1990. At the time, there was a building where the parking lot is now, the entrance was facing the road, and the gas pumps were in front of the store. The Jurnaks made improvements to Chapman’s over their years of ownership, managing to keep the store innovative while retaining its historic character. Congratulations to the Jurnaks on their retirement. Best wishes and a welcome to Middle Granville to Kam and Neil Patel, the new owners of Chapman’s General Store; may they be successful.
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Progress continues with the Church Street bridge construction project. The abutments have been poured. The new bridge’s arch was constructed last weekend, starting Oct. 29. The bridge project still appears to be on schedule for completion in mid-November, which is a couple weeks from now. The Granville area eagerly awaits the reopening of the Church Street crossing of the Mettowee River.
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A popular addition to Granville’s landscape returned last week. The Village DPW and Charlie King began hanging up the honor banners on Wednesday, Oct. 27. Starting from Veterans Park, they continued hanging them east along West Main Street, Main Street and East Main Street, before going down Quaker Street, finishing on Oct. 29. The first banners to be hung were all new banners, ordered after the deadline back in March for guaranteed use by Memorial Day of this year.
The Slate Valley Military and Honor Banner Project was initiated late last year by Charlie King and is the effort of King, the Granville Post 323 of the American Legion, and the Falvey-Fringi Post 1653 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The banners will be up until a few weeks after Veterans Day; at that time they will be taken down, to return in the spring of 2022 before Memorial Day.
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