GROTON, NY (607NewsNow) — About two and a half years after opening their brick-and-mortar store, Good Neighbor Grocery in Groton is growing.

Having received money from the NY Forward Grant that the Town of Groton was awarded, the store completed several renovations to the interior and exterior of the building. A new counter layout that is soon to turn into a coffee bar and a painted logo on the drive thru side of the building were among the improvements recently made.

Photo of the Good Neighbor Grocery store interior, from Renee Storiale.

Started by local chef and caterer Laura Hahn in 2023, the business has blossomed since opening its doors. For 8 years, Hahn earned herself a solid reputation in the Finger Lakes for creating farm to table dishes through her business, Little Yard Farm. Opening Good Neighbor and building a team was a natural next step, giving her the opportunity to foster a sense of connection.

“Fixing the disconnect has been the biggest motivator in opening a storefront. Groton is a food desert, and so connecting people with local purveyors and farmers by offering local meats, produce, and other goods is really important to us,” said Hahn.

Local favorites such as Owasco Meats, New Hope Mills, Coffee Mania, and Old Chatham Creamery among many others are the grocery vendors whose products customers can purchase at Good Neighbor. A full list of grocery vendors can be found here on the Good Neighbor Grocery website.

Open from Tuesdays to Fridays from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., goods made by local artisans, garbage tags, a food and drink menu, and more are also offered at the store.

The team at Good Neighbor comes from assorted backgrounds in culinary arts, yoga, arts and nonprofits, and more. Team member Renee Storiale is the latter, having experience working in nonprofit and arts administration for various organizations in the area.

Photo of Storiale painting the drive thru exterior.

“What comes to mind when we talk about our vision for the store is wanting to become a community hub. We want to be the background for people to bring in their families, come in and catch up with a friend over a coffee, listen to live music and buy from local vendors at our Market Nights, we want to be a safe space where folks come to congregate and make memories,” said Storiale.

Looking ahead to the spring of 2027, Good Neighbor hopes to add an extension to the storefront, creating more space for events and classes. Learning to make pizza, sauces, focaccia bread, salad dressings, and pasta are some of the classes they’ve offered so far, hoping to expand and offer a plethora of opportunities for locals to learn something new and immerse themselves in their community.

Stay updated on Good Neighbor’s expanding offerings on their Facebook page here, and their website here.