The Cheese Store’s storied legacy could be continuing

WATERTOWN — Say cheese! A beloved north country specialty store that announced it was closing after 51 years may have a new lease on life, literally, and that’s more than Gouda news for people who have made the store part of their routine.When The Cheese Store announced in March that “the rumors are true” and that it would be closing on Wednesday, responses to that Facebook post were swift, and as of Friday morning, its Facebook page had 326 comments, including:- “This is sad news. I know things happen, but wished it wasn’t The Cheese Store.” — John E. Jenner- “Another north country icon gone.” — Dan McCargar- “Wow. So sorry to hear this. We loved having it shipped to Tennessee.” — Robin Young- “Beyond devastated! Don’t think any other place will be adequate for cheese curd!” — Penny LaJuett- “My husband is a native to the area and insists I bring Jefferson Bulk milk cheese curd to him in N.C. or mail it. It is simply the best! The legacy has to go on somewhere, somehow.” — Brenda McCabeMs. McCabe and other fans of The Cheese Store, operated by Jefferson Bulk Milk Co-Op at 19401 Route 3, may get their wish of a continued legacy. The closing may be temporary.An announcement is expected next week about someone taking over operation of The Cheese Store in Watertown, according to Jefferson Bulk Milk Co-Op, which now owns and operates it. Chris Brock/Watertown Daily Times “Our plan is to have somebody else take it over for us and we’ll just be the landlord,” Jefferson Bulk Milk Cooperative president Steve H. Lee said Friday. “We’ll continue running it as it is. That’s what our plan is. We have three or four people interested and we should have an announcement next week.”Mr. Lee said the cooperative, which has 22 members, has been gratified by the community response following the closing announcement. But he said the decision to close came down to a realization of the needed time and resources.“It’s a wonderful little store,” Mr. Lee said. “But we’re 22 farmers and we really don’t have the ability to oversee it and to manage it ourselves. That was the main reason. Without having that oversight, we’re not able to take care of the little details that need to be taken care of and so on.”Mr. Lee said the cooperative hopes to sell to someone who will maintain the traditions at The Cheese Store, most noted for its cheese curd and subs. Locally made products such as maple syrup, coffee, Croghan Bologna and candy are also popular at the store. It also regularly hosted fish fries and barbecues in its parking lot.“We’re hoping we can have somebody else who can carry on the tradition and availability of cheese curd for our community,” Mr. Lee said. “That’s what we’re looking for in a tenant. We’ve had a lot of different people contact us. But we’re focusing on the ones who want to carry on the tradition.”Mr. Lee said that hopefully, the new owner will hire the store’s current employees. He said that about seven workers, mostly part-timers, work there now.“They’re nice people,” Mr. Lee said. “Most of the people we talked to said that their biggest concern is finding employees. We’re hoping our employees can move right into their employment.”During a visit to The Cheese Store on Friday morning, its employees were unaware of the potential sale when told of the situation by a Times reporter.“The community has been wonderful, but very, very upset,” said Kelly E. Anderson, assistant manager and product manager who works full-time. “It’s been here for so long. So many people just love it. A lot of that is that there’s so many memories, childhood memories, coming with family, grandparents and parents.”Some of the goodies at The Cheese Store, 19401 Route 3, just outside of Watertown. Chris Brock/Watertown Daily Times Ms. Anderson has worked at the store for five years. “It’s amazing how many people have worked in this store,” she said. She added that people who have left the north country still seek out the store’s products.“We’ve had people from all over the United States call and ask if it’s true that we’re closing, because the store does a lot of shipping,” she said. “When it was first announced, people were calling from all over.”ROOTS AND MISSIONThe Jefferson Bulk Mil Co-Op was created in 1964 when the milk market for Jefferson County farmers was economically threatened. Dealers in the Southern Tier had started charging for hauling bulk milk. This act, along with pressure to build larger milk houses and put in larger bulk tanks by Jefferson County dealers, made it the right time to organize an operating cooperative.The co-op’s first milk was shipped April 1, 1964, from 27 farm members to United Products Corp. in Adams Center.Mr. Lee, co-op president, has been on the organization’s board of directors for 30 years. Mr. Lee, his wife Sally, and their son, Christopher, operate the Lee farm on County Route 62 in Hounsfield.“Our priority is to get market for our milk and that has seemed to work well for us,” Mr. Lee said of the co-op. “We’ve gone through some tough times. Years ago, we owned the Redfield cheese plant and made some of our own cheese. We didn’t do very well financially on that project so we got out of that.”The co-op also once ran a farm store located next door to The Cheese Store.Mr. Lee said the co-op once had a membership as high as 75.“But we’re still handling the same amount of milk, the same volume,” he said. “That gives you an example of how the farms are growing over the years in size.”As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.