HAMPDEN – The Village Food Mart, at 43 Somers Rd., has been a staple of life in Hampden for nearly 75 years, albeit under different names. For the past 34 years, owner Gary Mayotte said, he has  run the small-town grocery store by “just trying to do things the way they should be done.”

To Mayotte, that means offering fresh food. “Our food is great. It’s extremely fresh. We always get our produce six days a week. We get our fish six days a week, the chicken comes in three to four days a week,” he said. Of the baked goods, he remarked, “The day that it’s baked is the day that it’s sold.” Anything that hasn’t sold is frozen and shipped to the Community Survival Center in Indian Orchard a couple of times a month.

The quality of ingredients is also important to Mayotte. “We use Certified Angus Beef. It is the best beef you've ever had,” he said of the brand. The Village Food Mart website touts that only 8 percent of all beef qualifies for the Certified Angus Beef brand. The chicken sold there is Waybest brand and the deli meats are Boar’s Head.

Village Food Mart is a full-service grocery store that offers catering and a selection of pre-prepared food, including sandwiches and salads and take-and-heat items. “It’s not just cuts of meat,” Mayotte said of his butcher shop. “It’s stuffed beef and stuffed chicken. We have a nice variety. Anything you could ask for, for a meal, you can get here.” Despite this, he said that the prices are lower than you find at larger stores. He cited the relationship he’s built with his suppliers as the reason he doesn’t have to charge more.

The Village Food Mart employs 25 people from Hampden, Wilbraham and Monson, 12 of whom work full-time. The rest are a mix of students and employees with mother’s hours. While many small businesses have had to close or lay off workers during the pandemic, Mayotte said that COVID-19 has actually increased sales. “There’s a reluctancy to go to a restaurant and go out,” he said, leading people to cook at home more often.

The business also supports local organizations. They have been a sponsor and member of the Minnechaug Booster Club, which provides funding and programs for the athletic programs at Minnechaug Regional High School.

Eventually, Mayotte said that he will likely sell the local grocery store to another person in the area, but he emphasized that he wasn’t in a hurry to do so. “I like to keep busy,” said the 69-year-old. “I came in at 6 a.m. and I’ll leave at 9 a.m., and come back later. I guess I’m in semi-retirement,” he said with a laugh.

For more information on the Village Food Mart, visit http://villagefoodhampden.com or call 566-8717.