CONWAY — For more than half a century, Baker’s Country Store has sat on River Street, where it has offered fresh baked goods, pumped gas and served as the unofficial town gathering spot for residents.

It’s survived countless snowstorms, the 2017 tornado and even the torrential downpours that plagued the town last year. Its future, though, is now in doubt after a July 17 rainstorm dumped upwards of 2 inches of rain on the town in an hour, which overwhelmed the catch basin above the store and sent water flowing over the 6-inch berm the Bakers had constructed, severely damaging the embankment, crushing the septic tank and washing away part of the parking lot.

With tens of thousands, if not more than $100,000 in damages, owner Helen Baker and her husband, Fire Chief Robert Baker, are facing the reality that they may need to close the family business.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do. I really don’t,” said Helen Baker, who bought the store from her mom in 1985 and has worked there since 1972. She added she has never faced a weather event like this before. “Even during the tornado, I stayed open through the whole thing.”

Due to the septic tank damage, the store has no bathrooms and Baker’s Country Store can no longer sell fuel because a Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection representative advised them that the 2,000-gallon tank is at risk of damage. Fuel sales, Helen Baker added, account for about half of the store’s income.

After the flooding, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation upgraded the catch basin on Route 116 and the Bakers have had several conversations with the agency. Due to the damage being caused by an unusually severe storm and not MassDOT’s action or inaction, it does not have the responsibility to repair the damage. The state’s right-of-way, according to Robert Baker, stops several feet before where the damage occurred on their property.

No previous damage complaints have been logged to MassDOT at the location.

To make matters worse, the Bakers put the store on the real estate market two months ago with the hope of selling it within a few years so they can retire. Those plans have now been shelved, as Helen Baker said they took the store off the market this week.

“How the hell am I going to sell it?” Helen Baker said. “I don’t know what I’m going to do, but it’s just very frustrating because I’ve put half of my life here and now I might have to lock the door and leave.”

At this point, the Bakers said they are exploring their options and are taking it “one day at a time.” They said they might look for some legal representation to see if they can get any advice.

“At this point, I guess we’re probably going to be looking at trying to hire a lawyer. I don’t know what good it will do,” Robert Baker said. “If we have to pay for this whole mess, which it looks like we’re going to have to, we’re probably going to have to close the store. … Board it up and call it a day.”

There is a community effort forming to support the Bakers. Resident Kate Clayton-Jones has helped organize a GoFundMe for the store and residents have already started donating. Clayton-Jones wrote in the fundraiser’s description that when her Conway home burned down in 2022, the Bakers were right there to support her.

The Bakers have served the community through the store, as well as Robert Baker’s work as highway superintendent and fire chief, for decades. They said they’ve “been the giving type our whole lives,” so it’s a little uncomfortable to be on the other end of things.

“The community has been very supportive,” Helen Baker said, adding that businesses have been helpful as well, as Carson’s Cans quickly set up a port-a-potty outside the store and Sandri returned the cost of fuel when pumping it out of the tank. “And I appreciate everyone, I really do.”

The GoFundMe can be accessed at bit.ly/3X0rMiD.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.