Mother’s Pantry to close Jan. 31

After 17 years on Bridge Street, Mother’s Pantry will close on Jan. 31.

Although the store will be gone, Mother’s specialty food products — jams, chutneys, relishes, sauces and other items from locally grown ingredients — will still be available in other shops throughout the region and online.

In 1998, Robert and Teresa Hicks of Buckland and their son Rob of Greenfield opened Mother’s Deli, a breakfast and lunch spot at 65 Bridge St. Later that year, they opened Mother’s Pantry at 29 Bridge St. to sell their food products and gift items.

The little deli closed several years ago, but Mother’s Pantry has stayed open, run by Robert and Teresa, who also have a wholesale business selling eggs from their farm and other food stuffs to local restaurants around Shelburne Falls. With concerns about rising rent, the Hicks decided it was time to close the shop, and concentrate on growing and increasing their wholesale business and online sales.

Mo’s Fudge Factor, at 9 State St., will become the Shelburne Falls outlet for Mother’s products. Others will include: Hager’s Farm Market on the Mohawk Trail, Shelburne Center; River Valley Market in Northampton; Atkins Farms Country Market in Amherst and others.

The couple said, in a news release, they wish to thank everyone for their patronage and support throughout the years — especially the local support through winter months, when the village has fewer visitors. They said they also enjoyed meeting the area’s tourists and being a part of the downtown Shelburne Falls business community.

Until it closes, Mother’s Pantry will be open Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.