Photo | WBJ File
Lynn Cheney, the founder of Maker to Main, a boutique grocery store in the Canal District that closed in January.
January 26, 2024
Maker to Main to close permanently after 3+ years of operation
Photo | Timothy Doyle
Maker to Main on Harding Street in Worcester
Maker to Main, a small curated grocery store located on Harding Street in Worcester, will shut down after just under four years of operation in two separate locations.
The announcement was made on the Maker to Main Facebook page by Owner Lynn Cheney on Friday morning.
“After 12 years of grassroots efforts hauling local food, numerous awards, endless business pivots, and millions of dollars to local farmers, brewers + makers, I can no longer afford to continue,” Cheney wrote, thanking local farmers, fellow small business owners, employees and customers for their support of the store.
“In the past few days I realized you can pivot, fix problems, follow economic trends, and implement new tactics to fulfill demand, but in the end still fail because not everything is within your control,” she added.
The store offered locally produced food and beverages from the New England and New York area, with the aim of supporting the local economy and reducing environmental impacts.
Maker to Main evolved from Lettuce Be Local Food Hub, a Sterling-based enterprise that Cheney started in 2012. The store originally opened at 328 Main St. in 2020 before it moved to a larger location at 162 Harding St. in September 2023.
The Facebook post said remaining inventory will be sold at 25% off until 6 p.m. Saturday, at which point the store will shut its doors for good.
Cheney was one of several small business owners who told WBJ in December the combined forces of lower consumer spending and higher costs were threatening the future of small businesses in Central Massachusetts.
“Except for small business owners talking to each other, nobody is really talking about these problems,” Cheney said in December, expressing concerns businesses were going to start to falter. “It’s a house of cards right now.”
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