Unser Dorfladen - Metterich

It had already been several years since “Koster Marie” closed the doors of the last store in Metterich. Then, in 1995, as part of a village revitalization effort and with the support of what was then the State Teaching and Research Institute, a group of women took up a promising idea: founding a community-run village store. “At first, there were many skeptical voices,” recalls Carmen Jutz, one of the founding members and the store’s manager for the past 20 years. But thanks to the strong motivation of the residents, state financial aid, and support from the municipality, the “Village Store Working Group” launched the project in late 1995 as a civil law partnership (GbR). Forty residents of Metterich, as partners, each contributed 300 DM to the business, thereby providing the financial foundation. Since then, the municipality has provided the space free of charge. It is located—along with the fire station and the village community center—in the former Raiffeisen Bank warehouse in the village center. The municipality purchased, renovated, and expanded the building in the 1990s.

A staple of village life for a quarter of a century

For many residents—especially the elderly—a trip to the village store is part of their daily routine. “The service here is always very friendly—and there’s always time for a chat,” says regular customer Magdalena Boresch, who has also been an active volunteer at the village store for over 10 years. They take pride in the wide selection of regional products from local direct sellers such as poultry farms, distillers, bakers, and butchers, some of whom deliver fresh goods daily. After all, the village store is open 7 days a week. During special events—such as the flower sales in the spring and before All Saints’ Day, the Christmas tree sale, or the Advent bazaar—the five part-time employees also receive active support from villagers. Thanks to this community-driven commitment, the operators have managed to run the store successfully for 25 years now. “Our goal is to break even by the end of the year, despite the low margins in the grocery business,” says Carmen Jutz. Whether young or old—in Metterich, everyone is proud of their village store. And so everyone in the village is certain that, despite its proximity to the regional center of Bitburg, the store will remain an important cornerstone of village life as a hub for community interaction well into the future.