FERRISBURGH — Preliminary work has begun to transform the former Ferrisburgh Methodist Church, on Route 7 next to Ferrisburgh’s town office building, into the new home of the nearby Gilfeather’s Fine Provisions, according to Rick and Nan Benson, the owners of the grocery, specialty food and takeout business.

The Bensons, a married couple who are business partners, bought what is commonly known as the Brown Church from the town of Ferrisburgh on Nov. 11 for $100,000.

They paid that sum for a building on about a half-acre that contains, according to town records, about 2,200 square feet above ground, 1,800 square feet of finished basement, and about 20 parking spaces on a half-acre.

The price took into consideration the property needs major repairs and upgrades, including a new roof and septic system, stabilization of the 1891 building’s tower, lead and asbestos abatement, and some work to its foundation.

Rick Benson told the Independent he and his wife and business partner based their offer, which was less than half of a professionally appraised value, on financial considerations, including the cost of renovations and business income projections.

“It needs a lot of work before we can even start to build out our store,” he said.

Ferrisburgh was deeded the church early in 2023, when its dwindling congregation donated the property to the town. A public survey indicated support for conversion of the church into a childcare center, but several childcare providers looked at the property and ultimately decided not to make a bid.

Meanwhile the Bensons maintained an interest — and they made the only offer in June 2024. The board rejected it after a June 18 executive session. But meeting minutes also stated the board would “consider a counter-offer.” About seven weeks later a deal was struck, and both sides said they were happy with the outcome.

“Everybody was content with it,” Rick Benson said.

Selectboard Chair Clark Hinsdale said ultimately it was the best decision the board could make for the town. He wrote in an email to the Independent that the Bensons met the board’s criteria for buyers that would benefit the community.

“Gilfeather’s is viewed as an important business in the village and converting that business from being a tenant to an owner helps secure its future,” Hinsdale wrote. “Additionally, the Bensons plan on making a substantial financial investment in the building.”

The board also pledged to use the proceeds from the sale to create a tangible and lasting benefit for the community, keeping a promise to the congregation, Hinsdale said. He told the Independent the selectboard plans after Town Meeting Day to hold one or more public meetings to seek input from residents on ideas for using the $100,000.

The deal also includes provisions that the new owners dedicate 24 square feet inside their new business home to honoring the church’s rich history in the town, and that they also allow Ferrisburgh to use some of the property’s 20 parking places during Town Meeting Days and for special events at town hall’s community meeting room.

Hinsdale also in his earlier email noted the contract includes a provision that will allow the town “a degree of design control to protect the historic appearance of the church.” In a conversation this week he said the selectboard could review the plans, or possibly the town’s board of zoning authority could handle that task as part of its review of a required conditional use permit.

BENSONS’ PLANS

While the town’s plans might be a little uncertain, the Bensons’ motives are crystal clear. Rick Benson, who like his wife has years of experience in food service, said they need the space to grow their business. They have done well in 1,500 square feet, but more room will mean more basic grocery inventory, kitchen space, and employees.

Benson previously described Gilfeather’s to the Independent as “a specialty food market featuring restaurant-quality prepared foods to go” while also offering “fine wines, craft beers, artisanal cheeses, charcuterie, mustards, jams, chocolates, conserves and many more unique items from Vermont and beyond.”

While giving a quick tour of the premises on Tuesday, Benson said Gilfeather’s would add cases for meat and fish and expand into produce at its new home.

“We’re just scaling up what we do. We’re going to triple the size of our grocery offerings, and we’re going to basically quintuple the firepower of our kitchen,” he said.

GILFEATHER’S FINE PROVISIONS will make the former Ferrisburgh Methodist Church, on Route 7 next to Ferrisburgh’s town hall, its new home by the end of the year. Gilfeather’s co-owners Rick and Nan Benson are lining up contractors to renovate the Ferrisburgh Methodist Church in their hometown of Ferrisburgh to be the new home of their nearby business. They plan to complete a historically sensitive renovation of the 1891 structure and to move their business there by the end of 2025.
Independent file photo/Steve James

Gilfeather’s remains known for its takeout food, with a regular menu of to-go sandwiches. Benson said the most popular are lobster rolls and spicy blueberry grilled cheese sandwiches.

They now have just one fulltime employee, Drew Price, and they hope to add up to four more full- and part-time employees when they open Gilfeather’s in the Brown Church.

“We want to make it so we don’t have to close the store when we want to take a break,” Benson said. “We can be open seven days a week. We can be open longer hours.” Current hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

They also plan to add a full-size commercial entrance facing Route 7 and “a big deck” on the south side, according to Benson.

In addition to owning their own building rather than paying rent, Benson said the move and expense will be justified by the expansion of Gilfeather’s grocery offerings.

“The grocery section is the biggest part of our business. Yes, we do value-added food. We do sandwiches (and) all kinds of meals to go. We do pastries. But the biggest thing is groceries,” Benson said. “And this place is just limited in what we can offer. This will nearly triple our grocery offerings up there.”

All of the above will be in the upstairs and accessed from the front. The Bensons say they have no immediate plans for the basement other than storage, for business and construction purposes.

Certainly, the Bensons have the experience to manage a larger operation. Rick Benson said he started out in a “fine dining French restaurant” in West Dover, and worked next in a café in Manchester, where the Bensons met and then operated for 12 years. After that, the couple made food service stops in the Magic Mountain Ski Area and a guest ranch in Montana.

Back in Vermont, Benson said Nan went into nursing, while he worked for restaurants in Burlington and a catering business before they opened a waterfront restaurant in Burlington.

They closed that venture in the 2008 recession, when they moved to Ferrisburgh and focused on what had been a secondary business, the Little Garden Market in Shelburne. Eventually they changed course again and signed a lease for Gilfeather’s when its tenants moved to another location.

Since then, Benson said business has been good at Gilfeather’s, which they will operate in place for the rest of 2025, and then, if all goes smoothly, move a couple hundred yards up north. Rick Benson is doing some basic demo and construction prep now to lay the groundwork for the historically sensitive renovations.

“We’ll be there by the end of the year, but we’re just getting started,” Benson said. “We’ve got a year now. We’ve got until the end of the year not to get in there. It might happen sooner, but it won’t happen later.”