A Window into Warren
If you come to my office, you will often see a live webcam view from the Mad River Valley area of Vermont. For the longest time, one of my favorites has been a view of the Warren Store from the Pitcher Inn across the street. Some days I look to see people stopping at the store for their morning coffee. On others, I am checking the weather or to see the color of the leaves. When snow is falling, a sense of calm comes over me regardless of what I have on my plate.
Warren is a small town in the southern end of the Mad River Valley. While learning more about the town, I came across a live webcam feed with the view of the Warren Store, which promotes itself as “almost world famous.” That dry sense of humor made it even more endearing to me.
During my first few visits to Vermont, a trip to Warren never made it on our itinerary. Finally in November 2021, Cade, Liberty, Aunt Reeda, and I decided to visit Waterbury and Middlebury. As we were going further north, I made sure that our route would take us through Warren. As odd as it sounds, I simply wanted to visit the place that I had viewed so many times.
Early in stick season, we left the place we were staying in Peru and headed north on Route 100. We turned off purposefully so we could drive into Warren on the covered bridge across the Mad River. After we turned on to Main Street, the Warren Store was on our left before we knew it. I pulled into the parking area. As I was walking across the parking area and on to the store’s porch, I wondered if someone like me was out there watching at that moment.
It felt surreal to finally enter this quintessential general store. In the busy store, I noticed the juxtaposition of the modern refrigerators against walls that appeared to be built before electricity. Downstairs, there was a food counter and the shelves stocked with everything from bread to maple syrup. Upstairs they had clothing, jewelry, gifts, and other merchandise.
Cade and Liberty headed to check out the candy area to see if there was anything unique. Aunt Reeda was happily browsing and later making sure both Cade and Liberty got something they wanted. There was a mix of local regulars at the store exchanging pleasantries by first name, and people who were traveling through. Aunt Reeda had a few things she wanted to buy, and I had found a book. While we were in line, I noticed a Warren Store pint glass behind the person checking us out. I asked if they had others of those for sale. She took the one off the shelf and offered it to me. I still have and use that glass.
Soon after we returned home from the trip, it came across my social media feed that HGTV’s upcoming Dream Home was going to be in Warren, VT. HGTV would allow people to enter a contest by submitting their email address for a chance to win the house. It was a great house, with an awesome location. I entered the contest every day, hoping for the unlikely chance of winning a home in a place I had come to know. While I was unsuccessful, Warren was even more top of mind that year.
The next year when we were planning our trip to the Northeast Kingdom, Cade, Liberty, and I planned our trip to stop at the Warren Store again. This time in the summer, the trees were green and lush. We entered the town in the same way going through the covered bridge and parked near the store. I recall a man working on the building exchanging greetings with a woman wearing a Warren Store shirt as she walked by. It reminded me of a scene from Norman Rockwell painting. We went in the store and got something to eat and drink.
We then walked around a bit more behind the store. There was the Mad River and rocks creating some small waterfalls. Cade, Liberty, and I were all captivated by the relatively calm flowing water. They also had a sculpture of a bear made of washers welded together, and a table and chairs for guests. We had the whole place to ourselves just a hundred yards from Main Street. It was one of those special unplanned moments of joy that we have experienced in Vermont. It has made viewing the webcam all the more special for me.
As I reflect on it, when I was first watched the webcam, I imagined being there. After that trip, it became a reminder of having been there. In the last couple years, the Warren Store webcam had been hit or miss. At the time I am writing this, it is not on YouTube. While I am hopeful it will return soon, I am now watching the Vermont Covered Bridge Webcam in the Mad River Valley. Perhaps on an upcoming visit, I will get to walk across that bridge and look at the house across the river.
