Next Stage has its roots in another important community project – the reconstruction of the Putney General Store by the Putney Historical Society. In 2008, when the 200-year-old landmark in the heart of the village burned almost to the ground, PHS took on its restoration with generous support from the community. 18 months later in October, 2009, an arsonist struck and completely destroyed the renovated structure. Already reeling from the first fire and the Great Recession of 2008, the village center was now gutted with many vacant storefronts, a newly vacated church, and a severely threatened village economy. In the …