May 5, 2011

The Little Garden Market owner Rick Benson has a prime location on Ferry Rd. in Charlotte, a stone’s throw from U.S. 7 and near the ferry. (Citizen photo by Luke Baynes)

With its hand-painted sign and tri-colored “open” flag fluttering in the breeze, the Little Garden Market looks like your typical small town deli from the outside.

But step inside and you might find yourself browsing through the store’s 1,400-plus products or gazing at one of the several paintings for sale, while Duke Ellington’s orchestra plays on the stereo and the aroma of slow-roasted barbecued pork wafts from the kitchen.

“I don’t have a lot of any individual things, but I have a little bit of a lot of things,” said owner, chef and artist Rick Benson.

Those things include the usual corner store goods like soap, coffee and potato chips, but also atypical items like bungee cords, ping-pong balls and sushi rice.

“I want to have what people need,” Benson said.

The Little Garden Market, which opened in June 2008, is located on Ferry Road in Charlotte, about two and a half miles from the ferry terminal and a stone’s throw from U.S. 7.

The “big garden” is located in Benson’s yard in Ferrisburgh, where he grows all the produce used in his culinary concoctions. He comes from a family of green thumbs: his great-uncle was James Underwood Crockett, the original host of the PBS program “The Victory Garden.”

Benson, 47, previously owned and operated Taste restaurant, on the Burlington waterfront, for five years, until a near-fatal car accident on Sept. 11, 2008 shattered his wrist and broke his sternum and several of his ribs. He persevered, working through the pain and keeping his business afloat for several months, but wrist surgery eventually forced him to close the restaurant for good.

While Benson spoke with lingering frustration about the accident – caused by the other driver, neglecting to clear the snow off his windshield – he noted that it has allowed him to concentrate full time on The Little Garden Market and become a valued member of the Charlotte community.

“I’ve been very welcomed in the community here,” he said.

As one of the first businesses travelers see after disembarking the ferry from New York state, The Little Garden Market gets a sizeable amount of business from tourists and out-of-state commuters. But Benson emphasized that local Charlotte residents form the core of his customer base and keep him going during periods when the ferry is closed.

“We have a great local following that really carries us through (ferry closures),” Benson said, citing the current closure, due to record high water, as a case in point.

He added that he chose the location after seeing the success the Flying Pig Bookstore had in the same building before relocating to Shelburne, and remarked that Charlotters who commute to work in Burlington often stop by his store for takeout dinner, particularly during the winter months.

“I’ve tried to sell raw steaks, but people want it marinated or they even want it cooked for them,” he said. “And that was the idea: that this community, with people traveling back and forth to work, would want to come home and get good chef-prepared food, so they don’t have to go home and open a box of something.”

Rik Carlson, who works part time in the kitchen and whose photographs are available for purchase in the store, agreed that it’s the Little Garden Market’s position as a local meeting place for the community that makes it special.

“I know everyone by name,” Carlson said. “I’m here because I love it. We’re always laughing.”

Carlson is the only helper Benson employs, although he plans to hire one additional seasonal worker this summer.

“The trick to running a small business is to do as much as you can yourself,” said Benson. He paused a moment and glanced at his most recent painting leaning against the wall, waiting to be hung, then added, “And people really respond when you add personality to it.”