Caroline Historic Association Walk and Talk at the Brookton Market

Recently, on a dazzling day, folks with a shared enthusiasm for local history eagerly arrived for the Caroline History Association’s Walk and Talk at the Brookton Market. These Caroline Walks and Talks, supported by Historic Ithaca, are very popular, with this event preceded by a Walk and Talk at the Brookton Cemetery two weeks prior.

Those gathered in the audience enlivened the presentation with their knowledge of the history of the Brookton Market – Frank Proto, owner of the Brookdale Apartments next door to the market, the site of one of the many old mills in the Town of Caroline, Sarah Michelle and Becky DeWitt from CHA, local author Susan Larkin, and present and past owners/renovators of the Market, Marie Cope, Debby Halpern, and Avi Smith. Also present in the audience were Susan Holland, Executive Director of Historic Ithaca, and our Tompkins County Historian Laura Kelly-Johnson.

Beth Harrington presented a colorful history of the Brookton Market, sharing many historic pictures throughout the talk. In the early 1800’s, this building was a tin shop, feed store (with the grist mill next door), plaster mill, horse-drawn rural free delivery station, and post office, meeting hall for the Brooktondale Fire Department in 1946, and then the C&A Food Market, Red & White Store, Driscoll’s IGA, TnT Market, an ice cream annex, and now the Brookton Market, which won an award for historic preservation in 2009.

Greg Harrington arrived late for the presentation, since he helps with set up and take down at the wonderful weekly Brooktondale Farmers Market.  His father owned the building in the early 1970’s and he recalled when the Brookton Market was an IGA grocery store: “People got paid once a month and took their check to the IGA, where they could buy everything. There weren’t many other stores, so the IGA was the main store for folks in Caroline.” Small local markets, however, lost much of their business with the opening of large grocery chains around the county.

By 2006, this Caroline centerpiece had been vacant and neglected for a while. As a kid, Avi Smith had bicycled 1 ½ miles from his home on Banks Road to the Market to buy and stash candy. Now a grown-up, he still had affection for the building and the candy. He bought the building from Scott and Jenny Lou Lovejoy.

With Avi living and working across the country in California, Avi’s mother, Debby Halpern, by default, played a key role in the renovation and historic preservation of the building they had just acquired. Debby modestly commented that she had no renovation experience, but had a vision for a country store that would be a gathering place for the community. When the store was gutted, lovely details in the archway, the tongue and groove ceiling, and the original wall panels were admired. But longtime buried architectural features require a lot of work to “bring back to life.” Debby added a kitchen and more. “It was a struggle.”

One year after purchase, this site, now renamed the Brookton Market, reopened, while less crucial fine tuning continued on the Market and the apartment above. Two years later, the Brookton Market won a Historic Ithaca award for its remarkable transformation. A building filled with local history was preserved.

Ari returned and began renovating and operating the Argos Inn, which he had next purchased. So, in 2013, Aaron Snow, of the seventh generation of the much-loved Snow Family in Caroline, took over the operation of the market, which by then had many enticing events and was recognized as a community gathering place for folks of all ages and interests… Just as Debby had envisioned.

In 2015 Marie and Josh Cope, son, and daughter-in-law of the Cope Family in Caroline, moved to Caroline. They wanted to be near Josh’s wonderful family, so this energetic young couple bought a home in Brooktondale, where Marie could walk to the Brookton Market for her morning coffee, with young kids in tow. Later in 2015, the Copes bought the Brookton Market, with Josh becoming the landlord of the now 3 apartments above, and Marie in charge of the Market.

Marie Cope talked about owning and operating a “country market” in 2023. Since the Brookton Market was first christened, the owners have struggled to make a profit. Marie: “Community members have been really supportive shoppers. They know we can’t match the prices of Tops or Aldi…Our Community Survey has guided us to include local beers and drip coffee. And we remind ourselves that this Market supports this community, as they support us.”

For more Brooktondale history check out the marvelous Caroline (NY) Historical Association and the acclaimed History Room in the Caroline Town Hall for more lively local history.

And be on the lookout for this array of events in Brooktondale:

December 3, 2023: Art Show  at the Winter Market at the Brooktondale Community Center, from 12 noon to 5 p.m., featuring local artists and local market vendors offering food, crafts, books, wool, meat, syrup, etc.

December 3: Community Potluck dinner, 6 p.m. at the Brooktondale Community Center (in the main building, beside the Old Fire Hall).

December 16: Vegan Potluck dinner, 5 p.m. at the Brooktondale Community Center (in the main building, beside the Old Fire Hall).

December 21: Winter Solstice Celebration, Holiday Sing Along and Caroling, from 7 to 9 p.m. at Brooktondale Community Center.

For more information about events and more contact BrooktondaleCCBoard@googlegroups.com

And if you use Facebook, you can follow the Brooktondale Community Center and the Slaterville Volunteer Fire Department.