Explore the Black Moose Country Store

About nine years ago, Monica Beaulieu ran a country store in Merrimack out of a house across from the old Silo's Steakhouse.

The business, called Yankee Bullmoose Country Store, was not unlike the one she just opened on Cobbett's Pond Road in Windham on Sept. 18.

She referred to the old Merrimack business, which lasted a few years before she sold it to stay home with her son Tyler, as one that had "a lot of character."

But Beaulieu is trying to bring that same character to her new shop, called Black Moose Country Store.

A blast of autumn greets visitors when they walk in the front door. Beaulieu said that the store will change with the seasons, with some sections staying constant.

She has separated the shop into themes. One section offers penny candy. Another is linens. Yet another is home décor. A fourth is where you can find seasonal items and country furniture. 

"New merchandise is coming in weekly," she said. "My old slogan was 'boredom is not an option here.'"

She said that people of all ages enjoy the store, with some kids rushing to pop the caps off of sodas in an antique-looking cooler near the register, while some tell her that they have to walk around the store a few times just to see everything.

"My favorite thing is listening to the customers," Beaulieu said. "In Merrimack they used to say 'I like to come to the store when I'm having a bad day.'"

Much of the merchandise in the store Beaulieu buys because they are the things she likes. She also finds a lot of the items at trade shows and through sales representatives.

"This is something I love to do," she said. "My house is something like this (store)."

Beaulieu is a lifelong New Hampshire resident who grew up in Londonderry but spent a lot of her time in Windham. 

She has lived in Windham for the past four years, and said the new store is close enough to home that her son can get off his bus right at the plaza.

Beaulieu added that the store gives people a place to shop for gifts in Windham, although she mentioned that the store is not just country.

"We're a little bit of everything," she said.

On Oct. 20, an open house will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the store.