9 minute read
Towns with Heart
One-of-a-kind, locally owned shops and restaurants give downtowns and villages personality
In the downtowns and village centers across the Monadnock Region, the community’s industry and artistry are on full display. New England charm blends with modern sensibilities for neighborhoods that feel both timeless and ever-evolving.
Local businesses have personalities as varied as the people that keep them going. Entrepreneurs’ passions create places that are more than just spaces to shop or eat; they are the heart and soul of the region.
With quirky specialty stores and unique boutiques, cozy cafes and chef-driven restaurants, the small businesses reflect the spirit of the people who have chosen to call the Monadnock area home.
SHOP FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL
Keene’s famous wide Main Street makes walking and window-shopping an outdoor outing of its own. Among the myriad inviting storefronts here is Hannah Grimes Marketplace, where you’ll find the work of more than 250 local artists and makers, housewares and home decor as well as New England-made foods.
For decades, businesses like Miranda’s on Main, Ted’s Shoe and Sport, and Toy City have provided personalized shopping experiences in Keene.
Shadow and Soul Emporium, a metaphysical gift shop and tea lounge, has had a place on Main Street since 2018.
And for those seeking a gift with literal sparkle, Mon Amie Fine Jewelry or Good Fortune Jewelry can help you find just the right thing.
Toadstool Bookshop, one of the best independent bookstores in New England, is a fixture of downtowns in Peterborough and Keene.
Sporty types can find what they need for their outdoor adventures at Hubert’s Family Outfitters.
Just down the road, Depot Square’s riverside shops invite browsing for treasures.
Bowerbird & Friends is where you’ll find that antique butcher’s block, perfect linencovered chaise, or vintage Scandinavian hutch in hushed shades of gray. Across the street, Alice Blue is an eclectic boutique (think woven scarves from Japan, cotton sundresses and chunky jewelry). Another fabulous spot for vintage finds is Grove and Main Antiques in Peterborough, where you’ll find pieces for the home as well as jewelry, skin care and even gifts for kids.
A host of gourmet treats await you at Monadnock Oil & Vinegar with locations in Dublin and Amherst.
And it’s hard to find anything that compares to Frye’s Measure Mill, a National Historic Landmark in Wilton. Its rooms are filled with folk art, artisans’ wares, colonialand Shaker-style boxes, antiques and the classic wooden measuring vessels once essential to merchants in the 1800s.
STRONG BREWS AND LITTLE BITES
Morning people know there are few better ways to start a day than at a great cafe, one where you can relax with a specialty coffee and an oven-fresh treat and not feel hurried. As daybreak shifts to dawn, bustling bakeries provide menus that span from light pastries to filling lunches. And there are plenty of shops to keep you stocked on sweet treats or artisanal ingredients.
Brewbakers Café in Keene is a microcosm of the community, where on any given day you’ll find runners post-workout, parents with kids in tow, college students and older folks settling in for conversation over coffee. Prime Roast Coffee Co. in Keene, a staple of the community, has been bringing small-batch coffee roasts, delicious muffins and good vibes to the southwest corner of New Hampshire for more than 30 years.
The croissants at Keene’s Fire Dog Breads, where the wheat is milled inhouse, may be the tastiest and flakiest you have ever had.
In Westmoreland, Barn & Thistle offers cozy treats like cinnamon rolls and gooey chocolate chip cookies.
Sisters Courtney and Beth Hodge operate Echo Farm in Hinsdale, where they use the milk from their own cows to produce from-scratch puddings that include vanilla, chocolate, butterscotch and rice, as well as seasonal flavors such as maple and spiced pumpkin. Their tasty treats can be found at several local groceries as well as stores across the Northeast.
You might have spied L.A. Burdick’s Chocolatiers in Chicago, Cambridge or Washington, D.C., but its Walpole location is the second oldest after the New York flagship store. Don’t miss an opportunity to shop from impeccable hand-crafted chocolates.
French, olive-rosemary and homestyle multigrain are just a few of the many hearty breads turned out at Orchard Hill Breadworks in Alstead, which makes its home on a 1700s farm in quiet Alstead. Gardens and orchards still grace the lands, adding to the summer splendor when owner Noah Elbers cranks up the heat on his outdoor wood-fired oven to serve pizzas to his picnicking visitors.
Flag Leaf Bakery, where once you might have found the line snaking down the Antrim sidewalk, is in the process of moving to a new location in Greenfield.
In Hancock, Fiddleheads Café is a space for locals and a destination for travelers alike and where the kale salad is nothing short of legendary. Interested in dinners? Reservations are highly encouraged, as spots fill up fast.
If you want a touch of extra sweetness with that morning espresso, Sweet Macaron in Peterborough has almond-flour French delights.
When he founded his home-based bakery, French immigrant Nicolas Papoins decided to name it simply Les Bonnes Miches, meaning “The Good Loaves.” And that’s exactly what the Peterborough resident has been bringing to Monadnock foodies, with his out-of-this-world artisanal sourdough bread made in small batches using 100% organic ingredients.
The Root in Temple and Hilltop Café in Wilton combine farm-to-table excellence with a bit of country-bohemian flair.
After some experimentation with surplus milk at the TempleWilton Community Farm and some study from away, Benjamin Meier and Andrew Kennedy launched Abbot Hill Creamery, which makes over a dozen cheese options from its Abbot Hill Blue to a raclette, plus yogurt. All the while, it has trained more than 10 apprentices in the delicious art of cheesemaking.
If Willy Wonka dealt in maple rather than chocolate, he might look a little something like Ben Fisk. A fifth-generation sugarmaker, Fisk was 5 when he became obsessed with making syrup, winning Best in State when he was 15. His Maple Station Market in Temple — a 16,000-square-foot, wooden-beamed emporium — offers shelves laden with Fisk’s own syrup and treats made with his syrup including cotton candy, popcorn, barbecue sauce, maple creamees and fresh maple doughnuts.
In the mid-1990s, Keene’s Elm City Brewing Company had the brewery scene practically to itself; today, it’s still going strong, but it’s now joined by The Outlaw Brewing Company in Winchester; Frogg Brewing in Swanzey; Modestman, Elm City Brewing, and Branch & Blade in Keene; Post & Beam Brewing in Peterborough; Granite Roots Brewing in Troy; Hornburg Brewing Co. in Hancock; and Brewers of Nye Hill Farm in Roxbury.
For those that would rather sample a serving of wine, diVine on Main in Peterborough offers wine by the glass, flight or bottle and a secret beer menu plus a selection of savory and sweet snacks. Summit Winery in Westmoreland buys the grapes from around the world so you can enjoy your favorite varietal close to home.
New England Sweetwater Distillery in Winchester crafts their products from local ingredients with a focus on quality and terrior.
The region is home to several quintessential general stores. Dublin General Store has great soups, sandwiches and cookies. Sullivan Country Store has cider doughnuts and sandwiches and wraps. Harrisville General Store offers a range of options from empanadas to pizza.
DINE LIKE A LOCAL
Restaurateurs have created dining experiences in the Monadnock area that put fresh twists on family recipes and cultural mainstays. No matter what you’re in the mood for, you can dine like a local, enjoying delicious food in a welcoming space across the region.
Not far apart in downtown Keene, restaurants are serving up dishes from Asia (Thai Garden and Kurama Omakase), Mexico (Margaritas), Italy (Town Square Tavern) and Mediterranean (Granita Enoteca). Muse Bistro defies genre with a menu ranging from cold soba noodles to goat-cheese coquetas.
The Stage in Keene, at the head of the town square, has been in the Benik family for four decades. Yellow Bell Café is a go-to stop for American comfort food with a modern twist. New this year, Otto’s is named for the family’s 10-year-old foodie son.
Tempesta’s Restaurant in Keene has been a family eatery for 25 years and is now in its largest location yet. Lindy’s Diner opened in 1961 and continues to serve up classic diner fare. 21 Bar & Grill in Keene is a staple in the community and creates a monthly cocktail with proceeds going to a local nonprofit. Meanwhile, Fireworks Restaurant designs its dishes based on local and organic produce.
Birdie’s is a breakfast and lunch place by day and an event space by night, founded last year by Beth and Matt Wood.
In Walpole, The Restaurant at Burdick’s lures foodies with its elegant dining room and French-inspired menu. The Hungry Diner is a farmer-owned farm-to-table restaurant with a commitment to sustainable agriculture.
Locals rave about the surf-and-turf fare at The Smoking Trout in Marlborough, which expanded their hours to include breakfast last year. (And don’t miss the crispy cheese.)
In Troy, Royal Spice serves fresh naan to accompany soups, meat and vegetable curries, and pakoras.
Strolling through downtown Peterborough on a summer evening, you’ll spot diners sitting outside at Coopershill, enjoying the ambiance of an Irish pub as they feast on bangers and mash or Guinness stew with a side of colcannon.
Sometimes the setting is so special it shares top billing with the menu. The Waterhouse in the heart of Peterborough’s Depot Square, for instance, gives you a table right beside tumbling Nubanusit Brook.
The Peterborough Diner began in 1949, and recently hosted the cast of Broadway’s “Our Town,” which included celebrities like Katie Holmes and Jim Parsons.
Don’t miss the award-winning seafood chowder at Harlow’s in Peterborough. It recently invested in a new deep-fryer, so crispy fries could be in your future.
Maple syrup lovers have come to Stuart & John’s Sugar House in Westmoreland since 1975 for the always-comforting pancakes with the real stuff on top.
And when warm weather arrives, families begin making their pilgrimages to Kimball Farm in Jaffrey, home to lobster rolls, burgers and the biggest “small”-size, farm-fresh ice cream cone in the region, with flavors you may have forgotten: buttercrunch, grape-nut, rum raisin.
Also in the local food scene is Smokehaus Barbecue, which opened its Dublin location in 2023.
