The store that has stood as the true compass of Landenberg since 1872 now sits like an abandoned reminder of the past, and its center has been carved out, revealing nothing but a carcass of its former self. It will be difficult to see it there abandoned this winter.

Even its famous signage, the one that told decades of visitors, “This is where you are now,” has been unceremoniously taken down without fanfare, presumably in the dead of night when all of Landenberg was fast asleep, and now all that exists is a hastily-made note that informs passers-by that the store is closed permanently.

There are many ways to define thievery in all of its forms and machinations, but what happened when the Landenberg Store suddenly and without proper warning shut its doors last month is thievery that can never be repaired, because it was a thievery that took away a town’s soul.

Through closures and septic issues and a fire and new owners and more new owners and the up-and-down volley of our nation’s economy, the Landenberg Store took on the mantel of the battered and bruised survivor who nonetheless finds a way to take the next step forward. For generations of Landenberg families, the store became the focal point of conversation that ranged from gossip to sentiment and everything in between – where kids who are now parents once fished through the penny candy bins, where outdoorsmen grabbed a can or two of worms for their fishing trips and where the ordering of a simple sandwich came accompanied with small talk, free of charge.

It was often said of the Landenberg Store that if you wanted to know the news of the world, read a newspaper, but if you wanted to hear an opinion about the news of the world, buy yourself a cup of coffee at the counter and listen. Such gifts at our disposal are rare and precious, and every day throughout its long life, the Landenberg Store gave those gifts freely and without pretense. The purchase of food and provisions there, while necessary, were often afterthoughts to one’s enjoyment of the slow and deliberate spin of its days.

For the past two months, there has been a vacancy at the beating heart of Landenberg that is hollow and shrill, and it must be filled again, somehow. Now is the time for the residents of New Garden, London Britain and Franklin townships to save the Landenberg Store and in the process redefine it for new generations through vision, patience and collaborative ingenuity. It possesses the bones and the turn-key ease to be repurposed as a community center, an intimate listening room for local musicians and an informal meeting place for friends, families and groups to gather around over coffee and tea and conversation. 

Goals and bylines can be written. Designs on its concept – to restore and redefine an historical landmark – will no doubt be embraced by historical commissions and societies willing to pursue grants. While there will no doubt be roadblocks ahead, saving the Landenberg Store can be the stuff of grand dreams realized, and become again a place that lies at the core center of a small town’s vibrancy. 

More and more, we are choosing to turn our heads downward and disappear into the desultory scrum of our phones. The very tendrils that connect us to our neighbors are vanishing in a haze of scroll-by-scroll constancy and Netflix benders and furious texts sent in all directions. Although they live on the same street, we no longer know the names of every one of our neighbors - nor they us - and the entire sum of our relations extend no further than a wave of a hand from a passing vehicle. We have chosen our respective forms of solitude, and we are dedicated to protecting them.

For a century and a half, the Landenberg Store has been the people’s store, and in this our age of disappearance, now is the time for it to be reimagined by them.