Bittersweet Vinegar

We made a visit to the International Vinegar Museum today. The owner gave us a nice tour and we did a vinegar tasting (riesling vinegar, yum!). But I was disappointed to see that the gift shop had changed since we were last there. Previously, they'd had a selection of unique vinegars for sale, and it was almost as much fun to look through the different ones they had in the shop as it was to see the exhibits.

When we asked the owner about it, he said that he was more interested in providing information than products, so he was easing out of the sales part of the business. And then he said that the future of the museum itself was in question, because he might not be able to run it much longer. It was a combination of him wanting to do other things (writing and selling books about vinegar; traveling to food shows to learn and to promote his business), and the financial realities of running a place that doesn't make much. It would be nice if the town or a group in the town would be willing to step in and help out with running it (since it seems like it's pretty much been a one-man show up to this point), but it's not clear how likely that is.

It would be sad to have the museum close, especially since it's featured in AAA and some other road trip guides, so it does bring traffic to the area. Mike and Mr. Diggs had a long conversation about what might work to keep the museum going -- Mike is really interested in ways to bring economic opportunities to small towns like these, and Mr. Diggs shares that passion, plus has all the first-hand experience of trying to do something about it. But it sounds like the people in the area haven't always shared that enthusiasm.