SHREWSBURY – After months of planning, the new retail store at 557 Main St. – the latest addition to Shrewsbury Center – is nearing completion and will open in the near future.
The store will be run by the town’s Reaching Independence through Supported Employment (RISE) Program, which aims to provide special education students ages 18 to 22 with “the skills and experiences they need to be successful members of the local community.”
The store, which has been named “Maple & Main,” anticipates opening at the start of the next school year. Margaret Belsito, the assistant superintendent of student services, told the Community Advocate that there will be a grand opening ceremony to celebrate.
The building will double as a vocational training center for RISE students. Students will start to occupy the building as early as the start of June, and they will spend time setting up the store’s retail operation.
The products that the store will sell have not been finalized, but Belsito indicated that the store may sell candy, drinks and town-related products. Maple & Main hopes to feature “pop-up shops” within the store that showcase products from other local businesses and partners.
The hours for the store have not been finalized. RISE students will work at the store during school hours, but Belsito noted she anticipates the store will have “extended hours on some days to accommodate community members that may not be able to stop in during the day.”
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