The Andes General Store Reopens After Two-Year Hiatus

ANDES — It’s back. The general store in Andes has reopened as The Andes General Store & Deli and is up and running seven days a week under new ownership. Two years ago, the store on Main Street went dark—closing its doors and leaving the Andes community without its vital hub, until now.

The new store’s main counter is stocked with candy bars and snacks.  The glass case holds croissants and other freshly baked goods.

For more than five decades, the general store had served as a lifeline for the hamlet. Its convenient Main street location meant that residents no longer had to drive fourteen miles to Delhi or ten to Margaretville if they ran out of milk, needed an aspirin, or had a yen for an ice cream cone. It was also a popular gathering spot where neighbors and friends could meet and catch up on local news over a hot cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich. 

An Andes General Store specialty – ham and cheese on a flaky croissant.

The new owners, Kasta Damianos and June Bee have stayed true to past iterations of the store, while giving it new life. “Our goal is to be as close to a grocery as we can, supporting the town by stocking the kinds of items customers need and love at affordable prices,” says Kasta. The store will also provide the inviting atmosphere and good food that residents and visitors have long enjoyed at the Andes General store. The couple have been busy since May making renovations and refurbishing the shuttered store. After a soft opening Memorial Day weekend, the new Andes General Store & Deli is now full open for business.

New picnic tables with bright orange umbrellas provide outdoor dining at the new Andes General Store & Deli.

It was a warm evening last July, as the couple sat on the porch of the Andes Hotel, that the idea of reopening the general store was born. They looked over at the vacant building across the street and wondered if it were for sale. The couple had closed on a house in Andes six years ago. Their five-year-old son was already enrolled at the Andes School and would start Pre-K in the Fall. As permanent residents, the couple understood how much reopening the store would mean to the community. “We wanted to open a store that would be accessible not just in the summer months, but all year long.” 

The new general store occupies two thirds of the building’s space while Dana’s Pub continues to occupy the back third. The exterior of the store has been painted a new coat of dark evergreen with bright orange trim and the parking space has been upgraded. In front of the store are new picnic tables for outdoor dining, made by local carpenter Harvey Morse.  

Tiled area for coffee dispensing and food preparation.  Menu conveniently listed on overhead blackboards. 

Inside, the store has all new light pine shelving stocked with household staples and grocery items. A refrigerated unit holds dairy products, prepared foods, packaged meat and beverages, including beer. Specialty sandwiches are available for breakfast and lunch, along with fresh pastries, croissants and coffee. The couple have also brought back the much-loved Ice Cream Window and are now dispensing soft-serve ice cream during the summer months, from a side-service window on the front porch.

Kasta brings to the couple’s new venture, previous experience in the restaurant business. Born in South Africa and raised in Cyrus, he came to the United States to attend Queens College, working to support himself by taking restaurant jobs. He started out as a busboy and worked his way up the ladder to restaurant manager. June Bee, born and raised in Queens, graduated from SUNY Binghamton with a degree in graphic design and later segued into designing software. 

Kasta & June are also supporting the area by stocking the store’s shelves with locally produced produce. The store now carries honey from Dar-View Maple and meat from the Gladstone Farm -- both located in Andes. From Walton, they have added chicken from the Double B Farm and coffee from the Rock Royal farm. Tay Tea in Delhi is providing the store with selections from her inventory. Cowbella in Jefferson is supplying dairy products while cheese comes from Harpersfield Cheese, also in Jefferson. The couple are continuing to work with local providers and anticipate more locally-made items will soon fill the shelves. 

The new general store is on course to becoming the same indispensable hub it has been over the years. “It will be a place built on good memories and on good food,” adds Kasta. The new owners are well on their way. Summer store hours are Monday-through Saturday 6am-8pm; the kitchen closes daily at 4pm. Sunday the store is open from 7am to 4pm.