Nissen’s Market is Back!
The store took a savage beating in the March flood. Kendall and his team went to work immediately to restore and repair the building, but as with all structures that had gotten water on their main floors the walls had to be cut away, insulation removed and discarded, and the flooring stripped out to the sub-floor so it could all dry out.
In addition, all the refrigeration units were lost and the electrical wiring had to be re-done. It was a gargantuan job, but the renovation was finally completed last week and Nissen’s re-opened to an enthusiastic and excited crowd on September 1st.
The newly re-opened store looks beautiful inside. Since the big walk-in cooler was a flood casualty the space it had occupied is now all opened up, with smaller refrigeration units placed around the store.
It was hard to realize how big that walk in was until you see how expansive and open the new lay-out is. It looks great!
Along with all the other regular customers, I had been anxiously awaiting the re-opening. I missed chatting with Kendall and Ashley. Every business that we lost because of the flood has diminished our village in so many ways. And Nissen’s is one of Perth-Andover’s most unique and personable establishments
It’s the only place in…heck…a huge radius… where we can get bulk herbs and spices, imported spices and ethnic ingredients, a vast variety of beans and grains, local vegetables, home-made desserts and more. And if this isn’t enough, Nissen’s has a marvelous selections of antiques and collectibles for sale as well.
And, let us not forget the specialty glycerin soaps! Or the deli counter and tasty subs!
I ran out of that delicious natural sea salt that Nissen’s carries right after the flood and I was really looking forward to getting it again. If you haven’t tried it yet, it looks kind of like moist, gray dirt crystals… but it has a marvelous flavor.
You might think that salt is salt is salt, but iodized table salt is mined salt that is refined to pure sodium chloride and then has iodine added. This is because back in the 1920’s people in certain parts of the US began developing goiters due to iodine deficiency, so it was decided to dose everyone with extra iodine by adding it to the salt. Table salt tastes too strong and bitter to me personally now.
Depending on their source, mined, natural sea salt varieties will all have distinct coloring and subtle mineral flavor differences.
This grey, natural sea salt that Nissen’s carries is from France, where the sea water is hand collected and sun dried so it still contains the small and flavor of the Dunallella-Salina seaweed.
This local market reflects all that is true and good about independently owned and operated neighborhood businesses. It offers a diversity of products and personalized service to all of its customers.
It has a heart and soul, something that big box marts most definitely do not possess. Big Box Marts might appear to offer a better bang for your buck….but it is an illusion, a corporate chimera.
The more money you spend at Big Box Marts, the more powerful their parent corporations become. And the more powerful the corporations become, the less we actual individual humans, in all our diverse magnificence, matter.
Perhaps you’ve heard the saying “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” At the grass roots level this means supporting the independent businesses and people you want to see continue in your community.
Anything else is the equivalent of the Faustian Bargain of selling your soul to the devil to save a few bucks!
Support Independent Businesses to Save Your Community and the World…Shop Local!!!!
Stephanie Kelley
