Summit General Store In Coventry Closing At End Of 2022

COVENTRY, RI — A local business with over five decades of history in Coventry will soon close its doors for the last time.

Summit General Store, located along the Trestle Trail on Old Summit Road in western Coventry, will have its last day in business on Dec. 31.

The owner, Paul Skaling regularly branded Summit as "the only real general store" in Rhode Island. But after struggling to compete with corporations, the COVID-19 pandemic and the rising cost of utilities, Skaling told ABC 6 he had no choice but to shut down Summit General Store.

"Times have changed," Skaling told ABC 6. "They don't make it easy for an independent small business today."

Summit General store first opened in 1969 and has sold groceries, deli products, farming supplies and tools ever since. The Greene Post Office is also located inside.