"It is a rite of passage for children to be able to walk to the Genny by themselves,” said Deborah Habel, co-owner of the Green Harbor General Store. “That’s when they have become a real Green Harbor kid!”

The family-owned Green Harbor General Store – Deborah runs the store with her husband, Bob – has been a cornerstone of the neighborhood for 116 years. The Habels purchased the business 16 years ago and ever since have opened the doors daily of what Deborah describes as a “grand building “ to the community.

Store manager Linda Francis said, “I don’t call this a job,” as she spoke of the store known affectionately as “the Genny.”

“I get to have fun all day, see people I enjoy and watch their families grow and get paid for it,” Francis said.

Walking through the latched door of the building from the porch where customers sit enjoying ice cream stirs nostalgic thoughts of times past. The wooden floor creeks as the brightly colored penny candy shelves beckon. Staff behind a deli counter greets customers as they enter the store.

“Sometimes we have three generations of a family selecting penny candy,” said Francis. “For the kids it is a fun new experience and for the adults it brings back memories of their own childhood.”

In addition to its vintage confections, the store offers groceries, household supplies, beach items, Green Harbor gifts, delicatessen items and lunches to go for a day at the beach.

“The chicken salad is really wonderful!” Deborah said.

The store was recently awarded an annual all liquor license by the Marshfield Board of Selectmen.

“It was really more a matter of convenience for our customers,” Bob said. He presented testimony at the public hearing where the license was granted.

“We are very appreciative. This way our customers don’t have to go elsewhere between January and March and can make one stop for their liquor, wine food and other items. There is no need any more for them to change habits.”

The Habels are complimentary of the staff they have had since owning the business and are thankful for the managers they have employed.

“Linda is a member of our family,” Deborah said of Francis who will celebrate her 11th anniversary with the Genny on Sept. 1.

“We were very lucky when we first had the business, too,” said Bob. “We hired Ed Mc Quiggan, a gentleman with a great deal of retail experience. He taught us what we needed to know about operating a store. I told him in order to get the job he had to be honest, caring and he had to like kids. The only other condition of employment was he had to play Santa at Christmas time.

“Some things have changed over time but Santa is still here every year. Mrs. Claus usually comes by, too.”

The Habels believe ownership of the Genny is an opportunity to provide a foundation for the community and preserve neighborhood values and traditions that have survived for generations.

Over the years the neighborhood has transformed as summer cottages were converted to year round homes, new families moved to the area and others returned with their children to raise the next generation in a setting similar to that of their own childhood.

“Our first winter here there were days we wondered if a customer would come through the door. Though summer is definitely our busiest season, things have changed and business remains steady year round.”

President of the Green Harbor Village Association Hank Lane said, “This store is a gathering place for the community. It creates such good will by being a business that appreciates the customers, the neighbors and the other local businesses that it has improved the community as a whole.”

Deborah said she sees their ownership of the store as a way to offer the community opportunities to preserve values, help others, give back and teach the next generation about sharing and kindness. “We can not depend on the government to do everything for us,” she said. We have to take responsibility for ourselves,