Our Story
For over 100 years, Merritt Clarke Store in Bantam has been known for quality goods and exceptional service. Unlike impersonal online shopping, customers are encouraged to touch, feel, and try on the clothing and footwear, with the help of friendly, welcoming, and knowledgeable staff.
The store’s legacy began in 1923 when Merritt Clarke, having grown up in his father’s dry goods business, became a door-to-door salesman, outfitting area residents by selling clothing and footwear from his 1928 AA Ford peddling truck. In 1943, during World War II, the business transitioned to a brick-and-mortar store after the tires wore out on his truck. He parked it in the barn behind his house, added shelves, heat, and light, and continued selling products from his “store in a barn” until his passing in 1992.
Yvonne Gilyard and her late husband Kent Gilyard, neighbors of the Clarkes, purchased Merritt’s farm, business, truck, and existing merchandise, continuing to sell from the original store for another ten years. In 2000, they purchased the adjacent 1795 building, which had once been an inn along the stagecoach route (now Route 202). After extensive renovations, the store moved in 2003 to its new home at 1101 Bantam Road, just one driveway west of the original location.
The new store interior features exposed original beams, a decorative colonial red fireplace, Merritt Clarke’s father’s original safe (now just decor), and a massive cast iron kettle stove filled with Pendleton blankets. The rustic first floor is welcoming and inviting, adorned with historic pictures and reminders of the 100-year history of both the farm and the store. Clothing and boots from Carhartt, Arborwear, Kuhl, Red Wing, Vasque, Muck, and Kamik fill the first floor, along with socks, gloves, and accessories for working men and women. A gift niche offers locally sourced New England products, including candles, soaps, maple syrup, Squamscot soda (established in New Hampshire in 1863), and stone ground mustards crafted on the Maine coast since 1900.
Wooden stair treads made from floorboards from a decommissioned Vermont covered bridge lead to the second floor, where men’s and women’s casual clothing and outerwear are displayed. The first room features men’s Pendleton, Schott Bros, Outback, and imported Irish sweaters. Beyond a table piled with Pendleton blankets, three rooms are filled with women’s clothing, also showcasing Pendleton, Irish sweaters, and Outback. Additional popular women’s lines include Aventura, Old Ranch, Soft Works, Lulu B, and the Dovetail workwear line. Cozy slippers, sleepwear, hats, mittens, gloves, and beautiful leather pocketbooks from Osgoode Marley complement the clothing collections.
The store and its customers hold a special place for current owners Yvonne Gilyard and her husband David Reynolds. They see themselves not just as owners, but as caretakers of a long legacy of loyalty and service to their community. Understanding customers’ needs and insisting on high-quality products are the cornerstones of Merritt Clarke Store. It’s about more than just transactions; it’s about relationships, conversations, a sense of community, and continuing a rich story that began over 100 years ago.
