Country store

It's that time of year again to buy gifts and why many people are choosing to purchase Vermont-made products through the Northeast Kingdom Country Store website.

    The store only sells Vermont products, so you know where your products are coming from.

    "The online country store is one part of a USDA-funded grant project focusing on product distribution for businesses in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom," Executive Director Gloria Bruce said. "The project included a redesign of the regional tourism website TraveltheKingdom.com as well as the addition of two new pieces of technology - one is the Central Reservations System which functions like "Expedia" for the Northeast Kingdom and the other is the Online Country Store which functions as the "Amazon" for the Northeast Kingdom."

    The online store has no affiliation with the Kingdom Trails Country store, though many people often confuse the two if they are not from the area.

    "At first I thought that the Kingdom Trails store was the same as the online store so when I went there I was disappointed that all the products weren't there until the person working informed me," LSC student Kayla Brobst said.

    The store has many different clients across America, but the biggest group is people living in or traveling through the Northeast Kingdom.

"NEKTTA is the official Destination Marketing Organization for Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, as such we market the region to travelers who may wish to visit the area," Bruce said. "We use this marketing power to showcase the offerings of the online country store, matching our local goods with people who are interested in the region."

Many students use the site as a place to purchase gifts for family and friends.

"I have purchased many items from the country store since going to school in the Northeast Kingdom," LSC student Tracie Noyes said.  "When I give gifts to people at home I like to incorporate gifts from around here then at home because it is more personal and different to what I would normally find."

Students who have never used the site are using it this year because it makes their gifts unique.

"I am doing a secret Santa with my friends from back home and I definitely will purchase things there to make a Vermont themed gift basket for her," Brobst said.

The site has been an easy source for students to get their gifts.

"Every time I use the store I always have good customer service and everything is shipped to me on time with no problems," Noyes said.

For students, finding the perfect gift can be hard, but Northeast Kingdom Country store online makes this task easier.

 "Looking at the site I like what I see and would purchase many of the things for my mom or other relatives," Brobst said.