The Bridge, November 15, 2012

7/30/2019 The Bridge, November 15, 2012

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Montpelier,VT

PermitNO.

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TheBridge

P.O.

Box1143

Montpelier,VT05601

Connecting Montpelier and nearby communities since 1993 | NOVEMBER 1528, 2012

CELEBRATING

DOWNTOWN

Barre Revitalizationp. 1417

A Conversation withJeff and Jesse Jacobs

p. 46

David Kelley Romancesthe State & Main Building

p. 89


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PAGE 2 NOVEMBER 1528, 2012 THE BRIDGE

Holiday Open HouseSaturday, Nov. 24, 10 am4 pm15% offall mail orders placed Nov. 24(does not include shipping charge)

Huge Tasting Table All Vermont Products

Silver Dollar Pancakeswith Morse Maple Syrup

Burr will be signing hisnew book, Sugar Words

Door Prizes & Hay Rides

. . . and much more!

HOURS: 8 am5 pm(8 am6:30 pm starting 11/30)

CapitalCity CashSupporting local businessessince 1999! Perfect stockingstuffers, corporate client gifts,

and everyone else on your list.Accepted at over 60 local busi-nesses; infusing over $20,000into Montpeliers economy.

MontpelierAlive.org

223-9604


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THE BRIDGE NOVEMBER 1528, 2012 PAGE 3

HEARD ON THE

STREETDowntown Development District Could Improve Streetscape

Montpelier Alive is moving forward with a downtown development district idea andhopes to take it to City Council in the future to get on the ballot for Town Meeting inMarch. In a downtown development district, assessments are made on property owners. It isup to property owners to decide whether they pass that tax increase on to their business oc-cupants. Montpelier Alive plans to use the money to improve the downtown streetscape andmarketing. Montpelier Alive is presently working on firming up its proposal in preparationto market it to Montpeliers small business community. Small businesses collectively rose todefeat the last proposed downtown tax measures.

Voices of Montpelier: An Intergenerational Oral History

Look for an intergenerational oral history and photo project called Voices of Montpelierhappening. Its a collaboration between the Senior Center, the Basement Teen Center andMontpelier Alive. The Voices of Montpelier project will record and photograph conversationsand interviews between seniors and teens about winter traditions in Montpelier. Recordingswill occur every Friday and Saturday from Thanksg iving weekend until Christmas at the

Senior Center and downtown. The photos and audio will be presented in an exhibit at theSenior Center as part of Montpelier Alives first-ever MontPolar Fest (February 1 through 3).Folks interested in participating should contact Voices of Montpelier coordinator Sarah Adel-man at 229-9035 or [email protected]. The project is raising funds on Kickstarter:kickstarter.com/projects/569079135/voices-of-montpelier.

Lights On After School Rally

Apromotion of after-school programs and building use occurs this Friday at Union El-ementary School. The Community Connections Afterschool Program will sponsor aLights On Afterschool rally on Friday, November 16, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Speakers includeMayor John Hollar, Superintendent Brian Ricca and Union Elementary principal OwenBradley. Community Connections started in 2001 with a 21st Century Community Learn-ing Centers grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Community Connections claimsa client base of 2,700 children; it provides homework assistance, mentoring, tutoring andclasses and clubs in sports, recreation, mathematics, chess and other subjects. CommunityConnections partners include the Montpelier Public School District, Washington Central Su-

pervisory Union, Washington Central Friends of Education and the Montpelier DowntownCommunity Association.

Lieutenant Governor Phil Scott Seeks College Interns

The office of Lt. Governor Phil Scott is now receiving applications from college studentswho would like to serve as interns in the lt. governors office during the upcoming legisla-tive session that begins in January 2013 and ends in May.

According to the press release from Lt. Governor Scotts office, This is a great opportunityfor students to gain a firsthand understanding of the legislative process. Internship respon-sibilities may include monitoring the progress of legislation, attending committee meetings,drafting letters and press releases, and helping out with special projects.

College students interested in a legislative internship in the lt. governors office are beingasked to submit a rsum, a cover letter and brief answers to the following questions.

What are your career goa ls or interests ?Describe the process by which a bill becomes a law in Vermont.What policy issues interest you and why?

Who is your state representative, and who are your state senators?What interests you the most about working in the lt. governors office?The deadline this year for receipt of internship applications is November 30, 2012. College

students with questions about the internship program, or with questions about submitting anapplication, are asked to contact Nancy Driscoll by e-mail at [email protected] orby phoning the lt. governors office at (802) 828-2226.

Local Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts

Vermont & The New Hampshire Valley American Red Cross has assigned 14 local volun-teers to Hurricane Sandy relief efforts and has sent its two emergency response vehiclesto help in the hardest hit areas. The vehicles are part of a fleet of approximately 320 sent towork on behalf of Sandy relief efforts. To make a $10 donate, v isit www.redcross.org, ca ll1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or text the word redcross to 90999. Or send gifts toVermont & The New Hampshire Valley Red Cross, 29 Mansfield Avenue, Burlington, VT05401-3323 or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Thelocal chapters website is redcrossvtnhuv.org.

first item by Richard Sheir; all other items by Bob Nuner

P.O. Box 1143, Montpelier, VT 05601

Phone: 802-223-5112 | Fax: 802-223-7852

montpelierbridge.com; facebook.com/montpelierbridge

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Location: The Bridge office is located at the Vermont College of Fine Ar ts, on the lower level of

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Subscriptions: You can receive The Bridge by mail for $50 a year. Make out your check to

The Bridge, and mail to The Bridge, PO Box 1143, Montpelier VT 05601.

Copyright 2012 by The Montpelier Bridge

November woods and fields run in grays and browns with intermittent whites asthe snows come and go. But what of the November greens?Evergreen was favored early on in plant evolution, so our so-called primitive

plantsmosses, club mosses, ferns and conifersdominate the November greens.Mosses and liverworts are now still rich green as they grow on many surfaces project-ing above the leaf-litter-covered ground, such as rocks, logs, stumps and lower treetrunks. The club mosses (not mosses at all)princess pine, running-pine and bristlyclub mossoften form large green patches in forests that were once fields. Two ofour common ferns, the intermediate wood fern and Christmas fern, are wintergreen;that is, their fronds live one full year from spring to spring. Even after the first snowsflatten their fronds to the ground, they create green forest floors in some places. Andhow drab our forests would be without the true evergreensthe pine, spruce, fir andhemlock. While it is easy to take them for granted, their green cheer goes back throughthe ages in northern cultures.

Many so-called modern plants, the true seed plants or herbs, have wintergreen hab-its. Partridgeberry, goldthread and many of our upland sedges stay green right throughthe winter. And though not so common in our woods, the true wintergreensthecheckerberry and creeping snowberryhave thick, leathery leaves that stay true totheir namesake. Even one of our orchids, the rattlesnake plantain, is wintergreen. Not

so apparent, some of our woodland grasses and aster family members keep some smallgreen basal leaves through the cold months.Brett Engstrom, guest contributor

Nature Watch

ADVERTISEin Our Holiday Issues!

November 29: nonmailed issueadvertising deadline: Friday, November 23

December 13: mailed issueadvertising deadline: Friday, December 7

Lots of great discounts available! For more info, contact our ad

reps: Carolyn, 223-5112, ext. 11, or [email protected], or

Gabriela, 223-5112, ext. 12, or [email protected].

Schedule Changes at The BridgePlease note: our first and second December issues will be released

Thursday, November 29, and Thursday, December 13, respectively.

Interested in advertising, or have a story idea? Please be in touch:

montpelierbridge.com or 223-5112.


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You may be a Montpelier native;youve been here for a long time.What were your impressionswhen you first arrived?

Jeff: I remember the town from 48 yearsago, when I first arrived. It was pretty sooty,a little dilapidated, a lot of empty build-ings. Mostly ev-erything onthe second andthird floorsabandoned. Alot of aluminum

siding up onbrick buildings,dirty windows.Some emptystorefronts. Nota whole lot.Most of the sec-ond, third andfourth floorswere unusedand unuseable.Some of thebuildings hadbeen abandoned on these floors, and accessto the upper floors was often dangerous.Windows were covered with grime. No one

had put any money into the buildings for along time. Things looked pretty grim.

During this time the town had lots ofsurrounding farms. Old farmers and hiredhands came to town. You only saw theseguys once in a while because they only camein when they had to. They came in to buy

supplies and things that they needed andthen they left. Everybody had old cars, oldtrucks, pretty dilapidated, in the days beforerust prevention. The clothes that people wore

were not the latest fashion. There wasnta lot of freshly painted or well-maintained

buildings, but people had a lot of pride andsense of community in downtown. Residen-tial neighborhoods always looked neat andtidy. The folks in Montpelier shopped inMontpelier. It was all mom-and-pops; therewere no big-box stores, and no one went toshop in Barre because of the strong sense ofcommunity. The town had an old-timey feel-ing and still does.

But you could buy a pair of shoesin town. There was shoe shopover here, City Boot Shop.

Jeff: Yes, I think it was called CobblerShop before it was called City Boot. He was alongtime business owner in downtown, whospassed on now. You could also buy glass from

Andys Glass shop. He just glazed windowglass all day. It was next to where the newpolice station is, behind the building thatwas once the post office. So there were fiverestaurants and just a couple of bars. One ofthem was the Tool Shed, which had been ThePines before that and is now Charlie Os.

There was the Lobster Pot.Jeff: Yes, there was the Lobster Pot. I dont

know if the Thrush Tavern was in business

then. In the 70s, there was a nice steak jointwhere the credit union is now. And beforethat, it was a state police station.

So whatever made you involveyourself in Montpelier. Youve

become involved with Montpelier.Youre no longer just a visitor.Youre involved. Youre up toyour ears with involvement. Howdid that happen?

Jeff: Involvedit was happenstance, oryou might say it was a question of fate ordestiny, maybe coincidence. I dont know. Ibegan doing more serious business in 1973.I did my first renovation when I put in M.J.Fridays, which is now The Black Door. Itwas an upper-floor l aw off ice f illed with lawbooks and a big stately desk. I remembertaking the law books down to Boston andselling them. They were sold for the decora-tive leather covers. I salvaged plumbing outof old buildings for M.J. Fridays as well as

other architectural elements from old build-ings that were being torn down. All thelightsmostly everything that you seearefrom old buildings. The art deco lights wereactually from an old hardware store. The barwas made f rom cit y ha ll vot ing booth doorsthat I bought from city hall. This little spotwas rented to me for $125 for 10 years . Thatgives you an idea of how cheap things were.A good building downtown sold for $50,000.I bought my first building, 28 Main Street,

for $30,000, nointerest. Thespace whereM.J. Fridayswas had beenvacant for 27

years. I dontthink that any-one had walkedup those stairsor unlockedthat law officefor 20 years.The floor wascovered withdust, grime andthe signs of age.This lawyer

place that was up there, it closed down in1952. After M.J. Fridays, I opened CharlieOs. It had been the Tool Shed; it had a lock

EVERY ONE OF OUR LEASESEVERY ONEHAS BEEN TAKEN BACK TO EARLY 2002 LEVELS OF RENT.

Jeff Jacobs

Jeff & Jesse Jacobs

An Interview

Early this summer, Nat Frothingham of The Bridge and

Montpelier property owner Jeff Jacobs talked briefly on thestreet, and Nat suggested the idea of an interview with Jeff

in The Bridge. Then early this fall, Nat had an extended conversa-tion with Jeffs son Jesse Jacobs. Jesse is taking a very active role in

managing the Jacobss properties in Montpelier. That conversationwith Jesse led to a meeting and recorded interview on October 23

between The Bridgeand Jeff and Jesse Jacobs. The interview tookplace at a ground floor space at the old Chittenden Bank building,a space that will soon be occupied by the Asiana House restaurant.

What follows here is the transcript of part one of the October 23

recorded interview between The Bridgeand Jeff and Jesse Jacobs.The Bridgeis planning to publish the second part of the transcriptin the November 29 issue of the paper.

COURTESYJEFFAND

JESSE

JACOBS


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and chain on it and had been closed as apublic nuisance. And it had all the earmarksof a bad section of town. Its reputationwas terrible, mainly because of the VietnamWarthe fellows coming home with theirvarious nasty habits. It was a very confusingtime for a lot of people then. There was a lotof rage, and things just got worse. It was atough bar, no doubt about it.

So now I had two bars, M.J.s and Charlie

Os, and I went into real estate. It was reallyjust a coincidence. I bought 28 Main Street,where Bagitos is, because I needed a placeto live. I thought it would be cool to liveon the top floor in a loft-style apartment.I got married in the living room. So thatwas my home up there. It wasvery grand, kind of New Yorkartsy. Done in the early 70s.When I bought the building,it was completely empty ex-cept for a small portion on thesecond floor where there wasan engineering office in thefront. The first floor had beenan old cleaning establishmentwhere all of the machinery ran

on wheels, shafts and leatherbelts. Anyway, 28 Main Streetgot me thinking about the sec-ond, third and fourth floors intownof which there were agreat deal.

So there I was living in theold building, living up there,and I had just done three reno-vations, one for M.J.s in 73,one for Charlie Os in 74 and28 Main Street in 76. AndI saw that all the second andthird floors were empty intown. So I then decided to buy buildings. Ibought one, and then another and another.The two most important things are that, at

the time, no one else wanted to buy them,and at the time, I was the only one who hadan interest in owning the buildings. Therewas no competition, as there is now, for goodproperty. I had faith in the downtown for allthe right reasons. It was pretty. It was cohe-sive. Fully realized. The state offered stability.And people who had lived there had livedthere forever. I also saw how new people wereslowly arriving. But the world has changednow, and things are not as they are todaylike they were in the early 70s. Anotherthing that is really important is that all of thebuildings I bought were essentially empty.Some of them were completely empty. Theold Chittenden Bankwhere this interviewis going on right nowonly had one tenant

when I bought it. Thats 43 State Street.Another building, 58 State Street, the old

garage out behind Julios, was 100 percentempty. Ill just go down this list with you,because its quite amazing. It really sets thetone of the town. Elevenfifteen Main Street,which has 16 apartments and the Verizonstore, was completely empty. Nothing onany of the floors above. Thirty-one BarreStreet I bought completely empty. Thats anine-unit apartment house. I bought 104Barre Street completely empty. Not a soulwas in there. Thats a seven-unit apartmenthouse. I bought 9698 Barre Street, next toit, completely empty. A seven-unit apartmenthouse.

I bought 5 State Street completely empty;it once had an old pharmacy in it. Where theBlack Door Restaurant is now, I bought com-pletely empty, except for a Sherwin Williamspaint store on the first floor.

Twenty-six to 42 State Street had onetenant on the first floor, Seivwrights Phar-macy, I believe. The rest was empty. TheRialto Block, the building over the river, hadno stores downstairs, and the second floorwas completely empty. The third floor wasan old-time, working-mans rooming house,which had not been used since the 60s. Therooming house had four to five toilets, four tofive showers and nine or 10 rooms for singlemen to live weekly.

Forty-nine Greenwood Terrace had 24apartments. Its a 1950s mid-century next tothe capitol. The owner turned up missing,and he went missing for three years, and thenhe was declared dead. His partner had to sellthe buildings. They never found the owner, Ithink. So during that time, for three or fouryears, no one managed the building. No onedid anything to it. So then I came along,and I bought it. Of the 24 apartments, 19

units were empty, five were filled. I bought4 Langdon Street. I think that I boughtthat building entirely empty, but MarineausPaint Shop could have been there. FifteenBarre Street, where Angelenos is, was entirelyempty.

I bought 54 Main Street with a tenanton the first floor, but the second and thirdfloors were uninhabitable. Fifty-four is where

Capitol Stationers was. Sixty-six Main Street,the building that burned, I bought that com-pletely empty. It had been an old movietheater.

Twenty-eight Elm Street, where KingmanPenniman is now, had life on all floors. Ithad a restaurant in it called Tubbs that theNew England Culinary bought as their firstflag-ship restaurant. At this time, I think theculinary institute had 20 students.

There were two other buildings that Iowned in Montpelier. One I sold in a month.And one, which once belonged to a famouspainter, I restored over time and eventuallysold. Other than those two buildings, I havenot sold any. I have never seen myself as adeveloper but more of a curator. The only

work that Ive ever done are buildings thatweve owned.

Twelve months ago, we purchased Barberand Laniers Funeral Home at 139 Main. Thebuilding was completely empty after JimmyJohnson, the prev ious owner, stopped doingbusiness there after 50 years. Most recentlywe bought 15 Center Street in Burlington,the home of the Daily Planet. This buildingis now entirely full since we took it over eightmonths ago.

Why buy empty or nearly empty build-ings? We saw the opportunity. We took therisk. The hardest part is managing the asset.Sometimes it takes a long time to fix an oldbuilding. Sometimes it takes a long time tofind a good tenant. Real estate is a cyclical,

constantly moving target. Not a day passeswhere a great building doesnt become empty.Not a day passes where a vacant buildingdoesnt find a great tenant. Things change.Not just banks, but also peoples perceptions.Real estate is about holding power. Stronghands and the long haul. It is not about fastmoney. Certainly not in Montpelier, Ver-mont. Ask any farmer, and they will tell youthe same about their crop, their herds or theirland. It takes a lot of faith to keep at it everyday, through hard times and good times. Itis a bust-your-hump job. And you cant giveup. Jesse and I look to find new uses for oldbuildings. We retrofit and seek out new ideasto make nonfunctioning, obsolete space, an

active part of the town. This hasnt changedand never will.

Jesse: Good question. Ive always beenpart of it in a way. I grew up talking aboutthis business around our dinner table; ithas always been part of my life. Discussionsabout opportunity and diligence. Ideas aboutprogress and security. Making decisions withappropriate foresight and attention to detail.There was always an air of accountability

that came along with each of these discus-sions, the idea that nothing was deservedbut rather had to be earned. Hard work wasthe key. My parents had always instilledthat in my brother and me. My dad startedbringing me to work on various renovations

projects when I was 10. I was a grunt. A go-for. I picked up around job sites and swept.Scraped and painted. I was little. I remember

being part of pouring the concrete basementover at 4 Langdon Street, where the LandonStreet Caf used to be [the old Huntsmanbuilding]. Not even so much the pouring ofthe concrete itself, but how tall those base-ment ceilings were at the time. I had to usea broom to reach up into the floor joists tosweep down all of the dust and spiderwebsthat had accumulated over time. Now I canteven walk around down there without bend-ing over to avoid low-hanging plumbing.I worked on renovations for 9698 BarreStreet, for 104 Barre Street. Before that, I didsome of the demolition on 1115 Main StreetStreet. We did the entire segment of the thirdfloor of that building.

Is this Angelenos?Jesse: No, this is the building on the corner

of Main Street and Barre Street. Above theVerizon store. I started on the demo crew andcleanup crew. Then I worked my way up tocarpentry. And then I started working in theoffice after I graduated from college.

I had gone to Vassar College, studied arthistory and architecture, and wanted to usethose skills for the good of the business. Ihad always had an appreciation for the pastand loved old buildings. This was years aftermuch of the renovation that my dad hasalluded to had already taken place. By thistime, apartments had been put into most ofthe second and third floors of the buildings,and spaces had been completely filled with

healthy businesses that would later be im-pacted by the downturn and financial crisisthat started at the beginning of 2007. But Illget to all of this later.

Interesting.Jeff: Jesse worked every summer. Then

when he went to college, he still worked everysummer on the buildings. Then after he gotout of college, I asked him if he wanted tocome home to the family farm and give it atry. What I thought would just be 12 to 18months has turned into a much longer periodof time. Hes been here six years now.

Changes?Jesse: I came into the business at an un-

usual time because we were coming into thethroes of this f inancial crisis. It really startedto hit our business at the end of 2007 whenLehman Brothers failed. Banks locked up,nobody could borrow money and it reallychanged the business landscape as we hadknown it. We really found out that we hadbeen living in a lending-and-housing bubble.

It was chaotic. And disheartening.

2009 seemed like the heart ofitthe heaviest moment of it.

Jesse: Yes, thats true. It was terrible. Itstaken us a long time to come out of it. Weve

seen Burlington come out ofit a little earlier. Were twoyears behind Burlington andthree years behind Boston.Burlington is a huge finan-cial engine. It does not reallymimic any other areas of Ver-mont. It really reflects Bos-ton in complexion, with allof its subsidized college stu-dents spending their parents

out-of-state money on four-dollar cappuccinos. They,themselves, are an engine tosupport much of the busi-ness that exists there. Burl-ington has all of the correctdemographics and populationbreakdowns for larger fran-chise stores, not to say that issomething that we want herein Montpelier. Its just a mat-ter of facts.

In Montpelier and aroundcentral Vermont, weve

watched a lot of businesses lose their f inanc-ing, have new presidents. CEOs or boardscome in and say, We need to cut costs. We

need to downsize. We dont need this addi-tional space. Or, just say, in terms of retailspace have owners thinking, This businessmodel isnt necessarily working anymore.So Ive watched business after business afterbusiness either downsize or close or lose fund-ing. It was a tough time. And it was very hardto watch. Here is this gem of a city, lively andbeautiful, entirely at the mercy of a crisis thatit had little responsibility in creating.

You must have had encountersor exchanges with some of thesepeople who were going throughthis stuff.

Jesse: Im face-to-face with most of thesepeople every day. I know how fragile this

little economy of ours is on a person-to-person level. We are recovering, but thereis still a scarcity of jobs in certain areas,and the margins of profit for small businessowners are quite sheer. I remember at theheight of downtown, heating oil went up to$4.85 a gallon, which sent many Vermontersinto a tail spin. People tightened up theirbelts and focused on saving. This led to lessmoney being spent around town and moremoney being spent online and up the roadat Walmart. It wasnt that people wanted tobuy at the big-box stores rather than sup-port small business downtown, it was thatthe consumer went into survival mode, andall of their necessities hurt their wallet lessthere. Just as it was not necessarily that officeemployees preferred to be out in the middleof suburbia and packed into office parks;space was just more abundant and as a resultaffordable, so business moved out to thoseplaces as a survival tactic as well.

So are we seeing positive changeat the moment. Or are we still inrecovery?

Jeff: Every one of our leasesevery onehas been taken back to early 2002 levels ofrent. The amount of money we wanted toreceive for rent was wiped off the map en-tirely. Every building from New York to San

WHY BUY EMPTY OR NEARLY EMPTY BUILDINGS?

WE SAW THE OPPORTUNITY.WE TOOK THE RISK.Jeff Jacobs

seeJACOBS, page 6


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Francisco was negotiated down to the levelsof rent from 2002. Buildings from all overAmerica were worth less. Building valuesplummeted.

You see, prices within the housing mar-ket and prices within the commercial real-estate market had becomeincredibly inflated. Whether

you were Joe and Jane Lunch-box, Ethel and Al Mom andPop, a Kinney drug store,Best Buy or you were a largehedge fund in New York,the value of your home andthe price of your rent hadbeen progressing continu-ally upward for years. Thiscaused both housing pricesand commercial real-estatevalues to rise significantlyover time. Because of thesetrends real-estate speculationwas added into the equation,and speculators began buy-ing and flipping properties

at unsustainable values. Butwith the 0708 meltdownthe most recent economicholocaust since the 1929Depressionthat all ended.The bubble burst. And thatis when we saw a precipi-tous fall in both the value ofpeoples homes and the valueof commercial buildings be-cause of rental renegotiation.It had to happen. Businessesbecame weaker because of the economy asa whole and so could not afford to pay therents as they had been prior to 2007 levels.Every property you can think of, every brickand mortar, has gone down tremendously

since then. This correction lead to a situationwhere banks began to foreclose on overlever-aged homes and call loans on commercialproperties whose newly corrected rents nolonger supported the debt service.

Larger urban areas like New York wereable to see their way out of the crisis morequickly as a result of heavy population den-sity and abundant job opportunities. ButVermont has been slow to recover.

Jesse: I think its important that we talkabout consumer confidence, because peoplesgeneral feeling about business, the economyand themselves was shaken so hard duringthis time. It was a perfect storm. We weresaving rather than spending. Banks were notlending any money to new or even existing

businesses. And so people were not sure itwas time to start a new business, becauseit wasnt. Our disposition collectively hadcooled toward progress. There was no confi-dence between the lender and the borrower,so the supports had been kicked out, andthe economy began to fall underneath all ofus. The cycle ended up leaving us in a placewhere people could not support businesses,which then could not support buildings,which, as we all know, are a huge part ofsupport and vitality for a community as awhole.

Jeff: Today, the documentation you needfor banks means that the bank windowis only open to a very small percentage ofpeople. Because the documentation is sostrict after the debacle of 2007 and 2008(and that extends to 2011 and 2012) that foryou to go into the bank, youve got to havea lot of horsepower or else the bank is notgoing to deal with you. They dont have anyproblem saying no.

At one time, all the banks here in Vermontwere small banks and were locally owned.Now, theyre mostly franchise banks ownedby out-of-state firms in Rhode Island andNew Jersey. So the franchise bank is formany, many Vermonters completely out oftouch with their lifestyle or the way of lifeand the way they do business. So the fran-chise bank is applying the same standards to

people who live 10 miles outside of Montpe-lier as they would to someone whos living inNew Jersey. Once the banks started to with-draw their support, that hurt us. And thathas been going on for years and years.

In the future, there are going to be lessbanks than there are today as were havingthis conversation, which will make lending

and borrowing much harder, much more ofa life event. Because to get money out ofthe banks today is so hard and so rare, thedocumentation is so extensive, that for mostyoung people, the banks window is closedthey dont have a prayer. But even peoplewho at one time were bankable now cantmake the team. So the small entrepreneurand the mom-and-pops are in jeopardy.

Who does the bank want to lend to? Theywant to do the same thing that Jesse and Iwant to do. We want good tenants. We wantto feel secure that they can pay the rent. Weare more cautious than ever before. We sayno to people if they dont have the freightto pay the rent or do not have a good credithistory or do not have a good vision forthemselves or a good plan. Its the same asthe banks. Everybody is more careful. And,sadly, more suspicious. Everyone is afraid ofcounter party failure.

This is sobering, but interesting.But let me ask you, Jesse. Doyou find yourself attracted tothis town or do you just findyourself here because you havea history here and theres anopportunity for you here and youhave good employment? Do youfind yourself attracted, do youfind yourself drawn to this placein any way?

Jesse: MontpelierI have always foundMontpelier to be an absolutely wonderfullittle place. Its quintessentially homey, NewEngland. Its full of beautiful old buildings,like a stable of Chris-Craft boats. They takea lot of work to maintain, but its very re-

warding. I look at how construction happenstoday: its much like many things; its builtas if it were disposable and not meant tolast. Big-box stores and strip malls go up ina matter of months. Buildings like we havein Montpelier will never be built again; itsjust not how things are today. So I feel a realsense of commitment to maintaining them. Icant say that part of the reason Im here isntout of a commitment to my family as well.But Montpelier and my family have beenintertwined for so long that there is no wayto really separate them entirely.

Theres a reciprocation thats happening.Its important to me to be helpful as Montpe-lier moves toward the future in any way that

I can to make it a better and more interestingplace. I look at myself as a problem solver.People come to me, and I listen. I try to helpthem sort through all of the confusion instarting a business and renting commercialspace. Sifting through which ideas will bebest in terms of progressing Montpelier for-ward. Im young, and I have the energy to do

that. And I want to be able to. And, I reallylike the process of seeing peoples excitementin starting something new.

Thats interesting.Jeff: Jesses got a lot of roots here. And

cares greatly about things.

So we started talking aboutdowntown before this interviewstarted. So Jeffrey, do you thinkthis little place, this little statecapitalcan we be optimisticabout the future?

Jeff: The future has already changed thecomplexion of the world and this place tre-mendously. Let me just go over it again. Thecell phone, the Internet, then the smart-phone, personal computers, the big boxes,the large mall up the street, the large mallin Williston, peoples change of lifestyles,peoples change of shopping habits. Thesechanges are going around Montpelier andare impacting Montpelier.

At one time, you could actual ly buy TVsand refrigerators here. Purchase shoes orluggage and get them repaired. You cant dothat anymore. We seem to becoming a townof restaurants and boutiques. Theres lot ofthings you cant buy in Montpelier for vari-ous reasons. The big boxes do it better. Themom-and-pops have disappeared, and mostyoung people are looking to make a livingon flat-screen devices. And people [who]thought they might love a country store wantthe best buy for their money, and theyllgo to Costco. So, along with all of thesenew devices are new shopping alternatives.The complexion, character and nature of

the town has changed indelibly because peo-ple have changed. Because technology haschanged. You see the kids who are hookedup to their cell phones constantly. The cellphone is to the kids of this generation whatthe television was to the kids of the 50s. Itchanged our lives forever. Before that, kidsworked on cars. They went fishing. Theywent hunting. They built things. And nowtheres a great shortage of those jobs. Thingschange.

The thing that has always held Montpelierback is its size, because theres approximately8,000 people, and its gotten smaller andsmaller as the years have gone by. That tellsyou theres not a lot of economic opportu-

nity for a lot of people, so not many peoplearrive and not many people stay. Its beensaid that the only thing Vermonters export istheir kids. And they do. The kids cant findjobs here, and they go to Boston, New York,wherever. A lot of them return later on withtheir families. The lifestyle here is very pleas-ant. But often kids go away because theyre

getting out of high schoolor theyre getting out of col-

lege, and they want to seewhat its like someplace else.Some return, and some aredisappointed, not so muchwith the lifestyle, but withthe lack of opportunity.

Jesse and I had apretty energeticconversation. I toldhim a few things thatwere on my mind. Itold him about someof the opportunitieswe missed the boaton in this town;some of the dreams

that are still therebut havent beenrealized. Wevegot this greatriver. It floods usoccasionally. But itssomething to lookat and enjoy. Wehave second- andthird-story spacesthat have beenempty or vacant for

years and years. We have a cityadministration and taxes andplanning and design review. Wehave a fabulous state capitol andthe State House is a glorious

building. I havent seen everystate capitol building in thenation, but I cant imagine thatthere are many state capitolbuildings that combine themajesty of state governmentwith the intimacy of humanexchange that ours combines.Its a great building that wascompleted at the end of the1850s.

So, were surrounded bychurches, public buildings, thecollege on the hilltheres adelight to the eye here. Wecan see the little North Branch

flowing under the LangdonStreet bridge. Or the MontpelierUnitarian Church with itsbeautiful proportions and simplesteeple. Were surrounded byhistory, by architecture. Ourlives here are favored by human-scale encounters. Yet it strikesme that for all the bright, smart,inventive, creative people whohave lived in this town andworked here, worked hard hereand contended with each other,we could have done more withthis place in the last 40 or soyears. Where did we miss theboat? What could we have done

better? Thats what Im askinghere.

Jeff: Well, I agree. There are probably anumber of things that could have been doneto make Montpelier better and to get theword out there that this was a really coolplace to live and work. And we want morefor it because its like the little engine thatcould.

This is part one of a two-part interview. Thesecond part is schedules to be published in theNovember 29 issue ofThe Bridge.

ITS IMPORTANT TO ME TO BE HELPFULAS MONTPELIER MOVES TOWARD THE FUTURE

IN ANY WAY THAT I CAN TO MAKE IT

A BETTER AND MORE INTERESTING PLACE.Jesse Jacobs

JACOBS, from page 5


7/32


11.23 Flannel FridayMontpeliers version of Black Friday features a laid-

back shopping atmosphere. Shoppers are encouraged towear their flannel (or purchase a flannel pin) to receivediscounts at downtown shops. e day features wagonrides and other family events. Flannel Pins cost $3 andare fundraisers for Montpelier Alive.

til 11.23 Skip Around MontpelierOur fun, free scavenger hunt throughout downtownMontpelier features Skip, the mascot for the VermontMountaineers, hiding in 24 different downtown loca-tions. Find Skip in 20 or more places and qualify fora raffl e entry for prizes during our Sk ip Party on No-

vember 23, as part of Flannel Friday (at City Center,12 p.m.). Pick up instructions at Bear Pond Books, GlobalGifts or the Kellogg Hubbard Library. Free.

11.23, 12.1, 12.8,12.15, 12.22Free Horse-Drawn Wagon RidesPaul Ruta of Black Horse Farm will bring his wagonteam to downtown Montpelier. Dont miss this freechance to get a different view of Montpelier. Firstcome, first served; please dress for the weather. Eachtrip takes about 1520 minutes. Corner of State and

Main Streets (in front of La Brioche). 11 a.m.3 p.m.Free, donations to Montpelier Alive accepted.

12.1 Free Cookie Decorating Demo& Santa Arrives in Downtown

Join the staff and students of New England Culinar y

Institute to decorate cookies to eat or leave out forSanta. Later in the afternoon, Santa comes to down-town Montpelier by fire truck, with the assistance ofthe Montpelier Fire Department. Come meet him andtell him what youre wishing for for Christmas. Fun forthe whole family. City Center, 89 Main Street. Cookies,11 a.m.1 p.m.; Santa, 3:30 p.m. Free.

12.7 Montpelier Art WalkStroll Montpeliers holiday Art Walk, which kicks off

Montpelier Craft and Art Weekend. Over 30 venueswill d isplay fine art, inc luding open studios and a craftfair, host artist receptions, and have live mannequinsin their windows featuring actors of Montpelier HighSchools Masque drama club. Held in conjunction

with Montpelier Craft and Art Weekend: dont miss avariety of cra ft fairs thoughout downtown December79. Guidebooks available in participating stores or via theGuidebook mobile app starting November 23 (search forMontpelier Craft and Art Weekend).

12.1012.24 Free ParkingParking at metered spaces is free for up to two hoursin downtown Montpelier to help you get your holidayshopping done. Parking for more than two hours maybe subject to fines; all other normal parking rules apply.

Parking amnesty is courtesy of the City of Montpelier.Normal parking hours are 8 a.m.4:30 p.m., MondayFriday. Parking on holidays and weekends is always free.

12.22 & 12.23Free Family MoviesOn December 22: Miracle on 34th Street. On December23:A Christmas Carol. Watch a treasured holiday clas-sic on the big screen and experience the magic all overagain. Reintroduce your family to the original versionsof these two holiday classics. is is a digital projec-tion. Te Savoy Teater, 26 Main Street, Montpelier. 10a.m. both days. Free for the movie; concessions available to

purchase. Donations accepted .

12.31 New Years EveMontpeliers celebrations include a spaghetti dinnerhosted by Trinity Methodist Church, live musicalperformances and special dinner menus throughoutdowntown Montpelier. DJ music and dancing on theVermont College green, finishing off with the lanternlaunch at about 8:30 p.m., weather permitting.

All day into evening. Free for most events; varies by venue.

Dear Neighbors,

Montpelier Alive is pleased to offer youmany reasons to come downtown for theholidays and throughout the year. Weare grateful for the generous support ofour community. Id like to especiallythank everyone who contributed to this

summers match challenge offered byNational Life Group. You have helpedus exceed our expectationswe raisedover $8,000! ank you so very much!

Best,

Phayvanh LuekhamhanExecutive Director

Producers of:Green Up Day

July 3rd

Brown Bag Concerts

Montpelier Art Walk

MontPolar Frostival

First Night 2012

and . . . Capital Cit y Cash, the Back Offi ce Series,Business Mentor Team, City Hall Plaza art contest,

street pole banners, flower plantings, street weed-

ing, flood notification, Montpelier Business Associa-

tion, Montpelier Information Booth, metal trash bins,

metal recycling bins, downtown benches, coordi-

nated retail events, Moonlight Madness, Flannel

Friday, free horse drawn wagon rides, Santa s Arrival,

holiday garlands and lighting, business workshops,

Skip Around Montpelier, Sculptcycle, flood recovery

coordination, free holiday movies, Christmas tree

lighting, downtown Trick or Treat, August Sidewalk

Sales, holiday window contest, cooperative advertis-

ing, Montpelier Minute, brochure design and distribu-

tion, pumpkin carving contest, tourism and market-

ing, business recruitment, fiscal agent for Voices of

Montpelier, Montpelier Fashion Show, Montpelier

Movement Collective, 24 Hour Comics, and other

independent projects

Co-Producers of:

State Street Slam

PoemCity

Montpelier Alive and our volunteers work in partnership with the City of Montpelier. We are

supported by a mix of city allocation, grants, membership and program fees, sponsorships,

and individual contributions from our community. Montpelier Alive is a 501(c)(3) organization.

Tax-deductible donations may be sent to: Montpelier Alive, 39 Main Street, Montpelier, VT

05602, or made online at MontpelierAlive.org or via the Just Give mobile app.

Montpelier Alive

proudly serving downtown Montpelier since 1999A Vermont Downtown Program nationally accredited by the National Main Street Center

Holiday EventsSchedule subject to change. For more information:

229-9604, facebook.com/MontpelierAlive or MontpelierAlive.org


8/32


The Corner of State andMain: A Love Story

by David Kelley

In 1978, I had been out of law school fortwo years and decided to run for Wash-ington County states attorney. I lost the

election. The day after the election, I had toconfront the fact that I was broke and unem-ployed. In fact, I had sold my car to pay for anewspaper ad in the last week of the election.With no income or a set of wheels, I hitch-hiked to Sugarbushand got a job runninga chairlift.

That winter, Istarted picking up afew clients and beganpracticing law outof my living room.Sometimes, in theevening, I would walk down to the corner of

State and Main and just stand there dream-ing and admiring the old Hubbard Block.I thought the building had a simple, classicelegancesort of like Audrey Hepburn.

The Cody family owned the building atthat time, and for months, I wondered ifthere was some way I could buy it. My wifeat the time, Candy Moot, was earning littlemore than minimum wage as a secretary at

Norwich, and I was just barely eking outa living doing title searches. But I finallyworked up the courage to go down to CodyChevrolet and tell them I wanted to buy 2-6State Street. That morning, I met with DonCody, Bob Cody and Fred Bashara. I thoughtthere was a chance they might laugh me rightout of the dealership. Instead, they were someof the nicest people I ever met. They listenedto me with genuine politeness.

Don, Bob andFred said they hadbeen thinking aboutselling the build-ing, but they ownedfour other adjoiningbuildings and theparking lot out back.There was a central

heating system that served all the buildings at

the time, and they wanted to sell everythingtogether. They said they would finance 75percent of the price if I could come up with25 percent in cash. So I asked them to giveme a couple of weeks.

I then went to each of the businesses inthe four other buildings and asked the pro-prietors if they wanted to own their stores.Three businesses signed up to buy three

CELEBRATING

DOWNTOWN


9/32


buildings. The business owners in the fourthbuilding were close to retirement age andwanted no part of it. But fate intervenedwhen one of my clients told me his brotherhad inherited some money and was lookingfor an investment. We sat down with eachother and worked out a partnership.

I still didnt have enough cash for myshare, so I then went to see a wealthy fellowwho lived in town and laid out the proposal

to buy the buildings, with the understandingthat if he became a third partner, I could buyhim out in five years. To make a long story alittle shorter, I thus began to move my officeto the corner of State and Main.

The attic was empty, so I decided thatwould be my of fice. As I began f ixing it up,I discovered that the attic was a repositoryfor 150 years of Montpelier history. Noneof the beams had been sawed. They were allhand hewn. In the center of the attic was ahuge bull wheel that had been used to hoistsupplies up and down to the old dry goodsstore on the corner. There were two woodensigns painted black with gold lettering thatbore testimony to the age of the buildingbecause they read The Old Corner Store.

The signs themselves were obviously veryold. There was a huge wooden tank thatlooked like it had been used to hold thebuildings water supply. Underneath all the

dust and debris, there were two old, framedrailroad posters trumpeting cheap land inthe American West. Then there were boxesand boxes of ledgers that had belonged toTimothy J. Hubbard and boxes full of filesthat belonged to an attorney named HarryShurtleff. There were old gas stoves, sometools and 150 years worth of odds and ends.

From the land records and the old files inthe building, we pieced together a history

of the building. In 1800, three brothers,Timothy, Roger and Chester Hubbard, cameto Montpelier from Connecticut. Chestermarried a woman named Julia Jewett, andin 1823, they had a son they named TimothyJ. In 1825, Julia gave birth to a daughter,Emma, who later married a man namedAnderson Dieter. Emma and Anderson hada son named Frederick, of whom Timothyapparently became fond.

About the time Emma was born, Chesterbuilt the building that now sits on the cornerof State and Main, and for about six years,he operated the old corner store. His son,Timothy, or TJ, inherited the building whenChester died in 1832.

After Chester died, TJs mother, Julia,

remarried a man named Clark, and shecontinued to run the corner store. TJ nevermarried, but he appears to have been devotedto his sister Emma and her son Frederick. In

one of the letters that survives, TJ thankssomeone who tended his sister during herrecovery from an epidemic in 1858. Anotherletter, written by Emma to TJ in 1870, isfull of endearments like My Dear Brotherand indicates that they cared deeply foreach other. After TJ died in 1880, Frederickbegan helping to manage some of his prop-erty. Frederick died in 1944, and a few yearslater, the Codys bought the property.

The Hubbard Block has seen the bestof times and the worst of times. The firstwinter I owned the building , I got behind inthe oil bills, and the oil company not onlyrefused to deliver oil but called every otheroil company in Washington County andtold them not to deliver oil to me. So eachnight, I had to figure out how much oil itwould take to get through the next 24 hours,and then go down to the old Shell station onthe corner of Barre and Main and buy dieselfuel in a five-gallon gas can to get the build-ing and tenants through the night.

One morning in the early spring of 1992,I was having breakfast at the Coffee Corner,when suddenly we watched the waters ofthe Winooski come pouring into downtown

Montpelier. For some of the businesses, thelosses were devastating, but everybody pulledtogether, and we not only survived, we alsoacquired a deeper appreciation of each other

as well.An even more diff icult time came on the

bitter cold evening of January 13, 1998.An outpatient from the Waterbury StateHospital left Charlie Os after it closed. Shewent into the Hubbard Block to get warmand tossed a cigarette into a recycling bina law office had left in the hallway. Thefire was horrific. It roared up the stairs tothe third floor where there were four apart-

ments. Without the help and courage of theMontpelier Fire Department, I believe liveswould have been lost.

I looked at the ashes that morning and felttotal despair. I knew the insurance policywouldnt cover the cost of rebuilding. As Istood there, Maureen Burgess drove by andsaid, Youll land on your feet Dave. I knowyou will. And I believed her.

A few days later, the Vermont Division ofHistoric Preservation came and explainedthat, since the building was on the NationalHistoric Register, there would be investmenttax credits that would help make up someof the shortfall. Chris Turley, my bankerat the time, said the Howard Bank wouldwork with me if I was willing to go ahead

with restoring the building. To do it, I hadto cut back on my hours at work and actas the general contractor, but my principalclient at that time, the Vermont Ski AreasAssociat ion, said they would keep me on thesame retainer.

So we decided the building would be re-stored. The building was not only restored,but it was renovated with a sprinkler system,a central alarm, Thermopane windows and ahost of other modern amenities. That was 15years ago. It has survived for 200 years now.

The Hubbard Block survived the fire in1998 and is an even better building today.Just like Audrey Hepburn in films likeRoman Holiday or Breakfast at Tiffanys, it,too, has been preserved, and hopefully, it,

too, will be there for years to come, to charmmore people who stand there on the corneron quiet evenings with empty pockets andlots of dreams.

David Kelley is a former longtime Montpe-lier resident and attorney. He currently lives inEnnis, Montana.

Sarah Brock shows off the warmth of Brock & Brock PLLCscomfortable second-floor law offices at 4 State Street, pointingout the buildings history writ in the mysteries of its brick wallsand pitched wooden floors, noting that she can usually identifywhos coming by the sounds of their footfalls on the sta irs and re-membering the sounds of legions of children on the sidewalk belowswelling as Halloween afternoon wore on. Theyve been there onlysince early October, having moved from offices farther down StateStreet. The firm was drawn to the buildings character and centrallocation. It makes it easier for acquaintances to drop by and sayhello, which is an enjoyable feature of the space.

The corner office of that corner buildings suite is held by attor-ney Thomas Brock, son of Richard and Sarah. He says he instantlyliked the feel of his office: As you can see, its an interesting per-spective. The ambient noise doesnt bother me. A lot of people sayHow can you get any work done here? For me what bothers meis not the ambient noise . . . Its almost like the ocean. Its in thebackground and kind of soothing in a way. Theres kind of an ebb

and flow. It doesnt bother me . . . Its not like being entombed ina perfectly quiet library. When youre doing very focused readingand writing, its kind of nice to have some activity going on aroundyou, because you feel a little less like youre studying and youreisolated; theres less of a monastic feel.

There are idiosyncrasies to the office. He notes: For somereason, the sound at the corner of State and Main, even with thewindows closed, when people are standing at that light, I can hearthe sound of their conversations.

Asked about parking for clients, Thomas Brock says, We wereworried about that; not jus t for the clients but for ourselves . . .What weve found so far: Montpeliers not Brooklyn. You can usu-ally park. Usually people can find parking. There are a few publicparking spaces nearby that really are convenient, so it hasnt beena problem. Brock himself lives downtown on East State Street, sohe walks to work, but he does concede, More parking would be agood thing, definitely.

Bob Nuner

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10/32


Jewels in Plain Sightby Robert Nuner

Nearly two years ago, JeannemarieSchinhofen went from bench jew-elerworking for other jewelers

to jewelry retailer. As owner of Katies Jewels,at 4 State Street, Montpelier, shes alive to thechallenges that retail presents. A first-timeretailer, shes learned theres no control overwho comes in the door and jokes that, as asmall business owner, she needs a trailer onmy car to carry allmy hats right now.She adds, You haveto be flexible whenyoure doing it, andresilient. Im in itfor the long haul.

In her transitionto store owner, what hasnt changed is theimportance of service. Like other downtownbusinesses (see story on Boisverts shoe repair

on page 17), service is primary.If I had to live off of the retail here, itwould be very slim . . . and Id love to up theretail. I have all price ranges, so everybodycan get something here, but the service isreally it, Jeannemarie says. For seven anda half hours a day, Im providing a service,foremost, as well as retail . . . I dont know ifthat limits me or not, but I fee l like people aregrateful that Im here.

Jeannemarie jokes that she once scaredcustomers when an employee put a sign inthe window that said Everything Must Go,referring to just one of her displays. Peopleflocked in, worried she was closing. I real-ized, its important for someone to be hereand do this, she says.

Of Boisverts shoe repair business, towhom she supplied metal repairs when sheworked in Barre, Jeannemarie says, I rel atevery directly with him, as far as being one of

the few skilled workersthat actually provides aservice.

Of the repairs shesays, This is one onone. You have to doone piece, and then thenext piece, and then

the next piece . . . I do watch batteries andjewelry repair. Thats really a large part ofmy business, even though I have plenty of

stuff . . . I try to get the watch batteriesback as quickly as I can. People come inon their lunch hours; theyre very generousabout leaving things for an hour so I canget them back to them. Theres a generosityhere . . . Its very human. Its community,camaraderie.

Customers have followed JeannemarieSchinhofen to her current location. In thejewelry business, trust is profoundly impor-

tant, she says. Im very concerned about myreputation.

Jeannemarie likes her stores location andappreciates the buildings dcor. I love beingin an old building. I enjoy that the storefronthas been kept quaint and original. There arevery few disadvantages. The windows arenot drafty, but he [the landlord] kept thetin ceiling. Weve got wooden doors. Wevegot little touches that are charming. Alongwith the building, she expresses satisfact ionwith David Kelley, her landlord: Hes atten-tive. Hes one of the best landlords Ive everhad. He calls up to ask, What can I do foryou?

She acknowledges parking is a problem,but voices puzzlement: People are alwayscomplaining about the parking, but Im notsure what theyre expecting exactly . . . I haveso many customers that say to me that I cantfind parking, or Im not coming in because Inever find parking; I dont go to Montpelier.

Thats really kind of discouraging to hearand yet I dont know if people expect to finda place right out front or if they object towalking a block.

When talk turns to competition frombig-box and department-store jewelry sales,Jeannemarie observes that repairing cheapgoods from discount retailers can be chal-lenging for craftspeople: When I work ona cheap piece of jewelry from the big-box

stores, it takes a third more time. Repairstake longer and are less satisfactory becausestones are of poor quality (what she callsfrozen spit or crackle glass), and settingsare weak, so operations like cleaning andresetting carry increased risk of an unsatisfac-tory outcome.

Asked how downtown Montpelier mightdiffer from a mall, Jeannemarie says, Thekinds of customers that I get here are interest-ing and inspiring, and I can have one-on-onecontact with them in a way that, if I had mybench behind a glass wall or in a separateroom, I probably would have no contact withthe customers. I think in this case, especially,in building trust, its really vitally important. . . I would imagine, working in a mall wouldbe much more sterile.

Jeannemarie also enjoys the Montpeliercommunity of retailers: Having worked inother places, I find the camaraderie here[among retailers] to be heartwarming. We

share information; we share, to a degree,our lives. Theyre colleagues and peers inways Ive never experienced somewhere else. . . We have a theft phone-tree. Whenevertheres someone were suspicious of, we calleach other. We alert each other what theylook like, what their techniques are, how theywork. We work with each other; we help eachother out. Were a community.

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HELP WANTED:Production Editor

The Bridge seeks an all-around production editor to shepherd our stories through all stages

of production, including liaison with writers, copyediting and final proofreading prior to

printing. Position typically requires three days per production cycle. For more information,

contact Bob, 223-5112, ext . 14, or [email protected], or Nat, 223-5112, ext. 10, or

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11/32


by Margaret Blanchard

Plainfield plans an array of activitiesto celebrate the holidays, from a craftbazaar and art exhibits to poetry read-

ings, concerts, book and wreath sales.

Starting the day after Thanksgiving, andcontinuing for two weeks, the CountryBookshop will hold a 50 percent off sale onall their books. This is an annual event. OnSaturday, December 8, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.,the 2012 Holiday Craft Bazaarwill be held atthe Twinfield Union School cafeteria. Thisevent is sponsored by the Twinfield Partnersin Educationa group of Twinfield parents,community members, school staff and ad-ministrators. If you are interested in reserv-ing a table at the Holiday Craft Bazaar, or ifyou have any questions, please contact BetsyBlackshaw at 454-1556 or [email protected]. On Sunday, December 9,from 3 to 4:30 p.m., the Cutler Librarywill feature a poetr y reading with the theme

of Bloom in Winter with poets Sherry Olsonand Francette Cerulli.

From November 23 to January 27, theBlinking Light Gallerywill show photo-graphs by award-winning international pho-tographer Theodore Teo Kaye. Teo spe-cializes in capturing parts of Central Asianculture still little understood by many West-erners. His work has been featured in theNew York Times, the International HeraldTribune, the Associated Press and elsewhere.Teo is married to Leah Jamele, daughter ofSue and Jim Jamele of Plainfield. He andLeah currently call Tajikistan home, but willsoon be in Plainfield for an extended visit. Areception for Teo willbe held at the gallery,

Sunday, December 2,1 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Also at the BlinkingLight Gallery will bethe annual membersshow in December,with a variety of mediaand extended holiday hours during the weekbefore Christmas. This cooperatively owned

gallery and gift show promotes the creativework of area artist s, craft speople, authors

and musicians andseeks to engage the

wider communityin the enjoyment ofthe arts.

In the musicalsphere, the SaturnPeoples Sound Col-lective, a 20-person

band under the direction of Brian Boyes, willplay Friday, December 7, at 7 p.m., as part of

the Goddard Concert Series in the Hay-barn Theatre at the college. Boyess ambitiousnew project draws on the creative influencesof the Mingus, Ellington and Sun Ra big-

band traditions to realize a 21st-century new-world sound that combines jazz, minimal istmusic, postrock long-form melodic sensibili-ties and global music. The group includessome of Vermonts most notable musiciansfrom diverse backgrounds. The instrumenta-tion includes five reeds (doubling on saxes,clarinets and flutes), four trombones, threetrumpets/flugelhorns, three cellos, one vio-

lin, mallet percussion, guitar, bass, modi-fied drum kit and percussion (Indian tabla,South American cajon, Middle Eastern framedrums).

Throughout the month of December,Jacqueline Dobrowski will be sellinghandcrafted wreathes at the park in the vil-lage center.And if anyone would like to joina caroling group, call librarian Loona Broganat 454-8504, and she can connect you withany groups spontaneously arising.

The Holidays in Plainfield

CELEBRATING

DOWNTOWN

A holiday-themed grouping of pieces for sale by member artists of the Bl inking Light Gallery, a nonprof it art ist cooperative with a storefront at16 Main Street in Plainfield. Photo by Ricka McNaughton.

BLINKING LIGHT GALLERYFine Art and Finely Crafted Gifts,All by Local Artists, Musicians and Authors

16 Main Street in the Historic Village of Plainfield, VT

blinkinglightgallery.com ~ 802-454-0141

Normal Hours: T 26pm, FriSun 10am6pm

Extended Holiday Hours: Dec. 1719, 58pm; Dec. 20,28pm; Dec. 2123, 10am8pm; Dec. 24, 10am2pm


12/32

PAGE 12 NOVEMBER 1528 , 2012 THE BRIDGE

Grace Greene, Leda Schubert and

KHL Trustees invite you to join them for

AN EVENING AT THE LIBRARYTo Honor Mary Azarian

Saturday, December 1, at 7 p.m.Tickets are $50 per person on sale

at the Kellogg-Hubbard Library

Our generous business sponsors are:

LIBRARY SUSTAINERSThe Times Argus

Vermont College of Fine Arts

LIBRARY PATRONSCommunity National Bank

Denis, Ricker & Brown

Montpelier Pharmacy

National Life Group

NorthCountry Federal Credit UnionNorthfield Savings Bank

Washington Electric Co-op

Union Mutual Fire Insurance

Vermont State Employees Credit Union

LIBRARY FRIENDSArtisans Hand Craft Gal lery Bear Pond Books

Ben & Jerrys Foundation Bon Temps Gourmet

Carol Vassar Internal Medicine Concept2

Cheney, Brock & Saudek Connor Contracting

Edward Jones Eley Financial Management

Fothergill, Segale & Valley Gossens Bachman

Architects Jar vis, McAr thur & Williams

Main Street Family Dentistry Onion River

Animal Hospital Pri mmer Piper Eggleston

& Cramer S-R Janitorial Services

Tarrant Gillies Merriman & Richardson

Zallinger Cameron & Lambek

For more information, call the library at 223-3338.

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223-3447clarconstruction.com


13/32


Hands-On Gardenerby Miriam Hansen

This year like last year, we are enjoyingan exceptionally balmy November.The winter rye is thick and green,

but even though the garden continues topercolate along with kohlrabi, kale, cabbage,parsnips and celeriac, the season is definitelywinding down. Carrots, beets and parsnipswill soon be tucked under tarps full ofleaves. The garlic is sleeping under its carpetof leaves, and weve weeded the raspberries,blueberries, currants and asparagus one lasttime. We threw some pretty fibrous com-post on the asparagus patch. It will breakdown and give the shoots a good start in thespring.

Ive done the same side dressing aroundmy perennials, followed by a thick applica-tion of hardwood bark mulch in betweenand around (not on) the plants. As the sea-son of gift giving approaches, I find myselfthinking about some of the tools that havemade my gardening life easier this year.

The first is called a cobra weeder, a multi-purpose hand tool whose blade resembles aclaw or fingernail. Its a bit like that machinefrom the 60s whose advertisers proclaimed,It slices, it dices! The cobra weeds! It cul-tivates, scalps! Edges and removes thatch!The only improvement Id suggest would beto daub some bright orange paint on its blueneoprene handle. But then a daub of brightorange on all my tool handles would help

when Ive f lung them down and cant locatethem. I bought my cobra weeder online forabout $20. If you do much hand weeding,Id recommend it.

After years of using pruning shears to cutback perennials, a friend introduced me to atraditional Japanese grass sickle or Japanese-style harvest knife. This tool gets the jobdone in a fraction of the time and is mucheasier on your hands. With an eight-inchcurved, serrated blade, this light little toolmakes short work of cutting back peren-nials or harvesting greens. Elmore Rootssells them for about $12. They also carry asmaller traditional grass sickle for removinglawn around trees and shrubs without overlydisturbing their roots, as well as a full line of

Japanese pruning tools .My favorite gardening tool and one that is

worth spending a little money on is a sturdygarden fork. Decades ago, we bought onefrom Smith and Hawken, paying top pricefor greater durability. Though weve had toreplace the handle a couple of times, the forkhas never broken. Look for a fork that is solidforged, meaning the socket is forged fromthe same piece of metal as the tool head. Agood fork can run as much as $75, but Idcomb the garage sales. Often the older thetool, the better it was made.

For many years, we used our garden forkfor everything from weeding to lifting peren-nials, turning compost and forking mulch.But when our daughter bought my husband

a pitchfork for his birthday, we discoveredhow much easier it is when you have the

right tool for the job. Longer handled, apitchfork has widely separated, curved andpointed tines, ideal for lifting and tossingloose, light materials like hay, straw, manureand compost.

We have many shovels, but the handiest ismy transplanting spade, a shovel with a long,narrow blade, perfect for getting in deeparound perennials when you are transplant-ing in the spring or fall. Another discoverythis year has been the garden variety tarp.Landscapers use them as catchalls for weed-ing and removing sod. Once youve got aload, the tarp is easy to drag and dump inthe appropriate spot. After years of usingfive-gallon pails and wheelbarrows for weed-ing perennial beds, Ive switched to a tarp. It

works much better.I dont want to give the impression thatany of these tools are essential. Except forthe gardening fork, Ive gardened for decadeswithout them. But if youre looking for agift or just want to indulge yourself, thinkabout getting a pair of inexpensive kneepads.I bought mine a year ago from Guys Farmand Yard, and they look like theyll be goodfor many seasons. These velcro around theshin and thigh and are reasonably comfort-able. They take the pain out of kneeling, andif youre a gardener, you are up and down onyour knees all day long!

Im hoping someone wants to put gardengloves in my stocking this year. Mine arebeat, and a couple of my friends swear by

nitrile gloves, whose palms and fingers arecoated with nitrile, a tough, thin, flexiblematerial that can withstand punctures andthorns. You can find them for about $5 atlocal stores, in a range of colors that includespink, purple, coral and, my personal favorite,orange!

Row covers like Agribon from JohnnysSelected Seeds will make a gardeners heartbeat faster and so will a propagating mat forstarting seedlings, seeds or a gift certificateto a local gardening center. The possibilitiesare endless. And if all else fails and you wanta really inexpensive gift, look no further thansending away for garden catalogs. Johnnysand Fedco Co-op Garden Supplies are twoof my favorites, but High Mowing Organic

Seeds is right in our backyard with a fullselection of organic seeds, the Park Seedcatalog is a fund of information and thecatalog for Cadys Falls Nursery will makeany perennial lovers heart soar.

The winter break is just beginning, butseed catalogs will be arriving before theNew Year. So happy dreaming about happygardening!

Miriam Hansen and her husband Davidlive in East Montpelier where they grow mostof their own food. The hands-on gardener willtake a break in December and resume in Janu-ary with a column on choosing and orderingseeds. Enjoy the brief slumber before it all starts

up again, and have a wonderful harvest feaston Thanksgiving!

The Way to a Gardeners Heart . . .

What would you try now if you knew you could not fail?

Personal and Professional Coaching2 Young 2 Retire whats next?

Co-active Coaching Classesgo to innercoachingcircle.com to learn more

Serving the needs of management who care about their own people and the workplace environment


14/32

PAGE 14 NOVEMBER 1528 , 2012 THE BRIDGE

Tiny BitesT

he Montpelier holiday season begins with the Thanksgiving farmers market, heldeach year on the Saturday before Thanksgiving at Montpelier High School. This year,

the market features 49 vendors and a wide variety of produce, cheese, milk, meats, maplesyrup, holiday wreathes, baked goods and crafts. Gaylord Farm in Waitsfield will be takingturkey orders for on-farm pickup. Door prizes will be awarded every half hour. The mar-ket runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but smart shoppers arrive early at this always busy event(montpelierfarmersmarket.com).

The Thrush is back! Just in time for election day, the Vermont Thrush Restaurantopened in the historic tavern space on State Street on November 5. The eatery will beopen for lunch Monday through Friday, dinner Monday through Sunday and brunch on theweekends. Chef Cameron Moorby was a sous chef at the Single Pebble restaurant, and themenu bears an Asian flair. Visit vermontthrush.com for menus and hours.

Its not too soon to start thinking about holiday gifts for the cook in your life. Chef LeeDuberman ofAriels Restaurant in Brookfield will host a series of cooking classes atGreen Mountain Girls Farm in neighboring Northfield. Class topics include pastas,

gnocchi and risotto; Spanish tapas; a Valentines Day feast for your sweetheart; northernItalian cuisine; Thai curries, noodles and salads; and chocolate. Classes begin in January andcontinue through March on Sunday afternoons from 12:30 to 3:30. Each class costs $85and includes a sit-down meal and beverage pairing. E-mail [email protected] forinformation or to purchase classes.

The Institute for Applied Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Technical College(VTC) is sponsoring a conference series focused on agriculture, education, innovationand the future of the regional economy. The second conference in the series, EnactingSustainable Practices That Reduce Food Processing Waste, will be copresentedwith the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources on December 4 at VTCs Randolph campus.Visit vtc.edu/groundwork for registration details.

On election day, Californias much-watched Proposition 37, which would have re-quired labeling of genetically modified foods (GMOs), was narrowly defeated byvoters. Right-to-know organizations, includingRural Vermont, continue to advocate forGMO labeling. Visit ruralvermont.org to learn about how their Vermont Right to Know

GMO campaign will progress at the State House this legislative season.

compiled by Sylvia Fagin; send food news to [email protected]

Central Vermont Food News

Fun-Raisin Wednesdaysare back!

Every Wednesday, 68 pm.

10% of sales from 5 p.m. to close will be donated

to a rotating environmental nonprofit.

City Center building, 89 Main Street, MontpelierHours: 8 am9 pm, seven days a week262-CAKE | www.skinnypancake.com


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ThanksgivingFarmers

Market

November 17,10 am 2 pm

MontpelierHigh School

Food tastes best when its fresh from

the farmshop localvore for your

Thanksgiving meal. Farm products, baked

goods, crafts, prize drawings, and more.

Indoor Farmers Market starts Saturday,

December 1, at Vermont College of Fine Arts

montpelierfarmersmarket.com

this

satu

rday

!

by Sylvia Fagin

As the temperature drops, holiday stress

looms and immune systems kick intooverdrive, a hot cup of tea and nour-

ishing meal seem to be just what the healerordered. Tulsi Tea Room is just the place tosavor a warming beverage or tasty meal.

Cozy and colorful, the tea room invitesguests to slow down. The space is peacefulbut not overly quiet. Kids tumble and play onthe cushions on the floor, while their parentsenjoy a solo lunch or conversation with afriend. A rack of brightly hued Indian scarvesfor sale provide a burst of color in one cor-ner, and intriguing photography of intricateplants graces the walls.

Solenne Thompson, owner and cook, isbilling Tulsi as a Tea Lounge and HealingFoods Cafe.

Our mission is to have foods that nourishthe body, without so much salt, that makeyou feel good when you eat it, Thompsonexplains. Most of the menu offerings arevegan or macrobiotic,which is largely ourclientele, she adds.

The recently ex-panded menu of-fers Indian and EastAsian meals andsnacks to eat in ortake out, along with a huge selection of teasand tea blends and Thompsons raw foodsweet treats.

At lunchtime, Thompson prepares Indianand East Asian cuisine. Each day, she cre-ates a different daily meal, such as curry ordal served with rice with a salad of seasonalvegetables.

On a recent Friday, the Indian-inspireddaily meal was composed of mung beandal with raisins and almonds, served overbrown rice, with a salad of shredded carrotsand beets sweetened with dates and flavoredwith turmeric . Also offered was a roti of cur-ried potatoes and carrots rolled into a flourchapati and garnished with yogurt and dillraita and pungent chutney.

The East Asian version of the daily meal issteamed local seasonal vegetables served withnutty brown rice and tahini-miso dressing ina sheet of nori, a dried seaweed.

Vegetarian sushi made with brown rice

and filled with veggies or spicy tempeh is alsooffered on the East Asian menu, along withudon noodle salad tossed with sesame-orange

dressing, red cabbage and black sesame seeds.Tea leaf eggshard-boiled eggs marinatedin black tea, soy sauce and spicesmakea uniquely flavored snack or addition to ameal.

Thompson moves about the recently reno-vated kitchen with a deft grace. Her back-ground is in therapeutic nutrition, and herknowledge of both ingredients and prepara-tions brings maximum nutritional benefit tothe dishes that emerge from her kitchen.

For example, kitcheree, a rice and lentildish, is cooked and cooked, so its a goodmeal for people with not great digestion,she says. Almonds are soaked to remove theskins, which contain tannic acids and caninhibit digestion. She frequently sprouts le-

gumes like lentils and mung beans because,as she explains, sprouts have the most con-centrated availability of nutrients, since theycontain the potential to be a whole plant.

Many of Tulsisteas and beveragesare also health sup-porting. In additionto green, white andblack teas, a varietyof herbal tea blendsare offered to en-

hance the body. Tulsi shares space with GrianHerbs Apothecary, and herbalist-owner IrisGage concocts blends like the invigoratingWinter Brew, which contains eucalyptus,cinnamon, clove and ginger. Jasmine Retreatcombines green tea with jasmine flowers, lav-ender and the shops namesake, tulsi.

The tulsi plant, often known as holy basil,is a great plant for mediating stress, Thomp-son says. Plus, its really tasty. It has a sweet,cinnamon-bubblegum taste, she says.

Thompson should know about sweet tastes.For several years, shes created tiny sweetgoodies from nuts, seeds, dried fruits andraw chocolate. One such treat is the PowerCookie, a protein-full combination of hazel-nuts, cashew butter, blueberries, cranberries,raisins and sunflower, pumpkin, and flaxseeds. The natural sugars in the fruit, andsome honey, sweeten the dense and satisfyingcookies.

For customers with special diets, these

sweet creations are a treasure. A lot of peopleare very thankful to find something that fitstheir special diet, she says, noting that manyof her creations are gluten free and virtuallyall are raw, meaning they havent been bakedat a high temperature.

For the past several years, Thompson hascreated these treats under the auspices of herbusiness named Amai Bijoux. In August,Thompson became the sole proprietor ofTulsi Tea Room, which was founded as acooperatively owned enterprise in 2009. Shewas one of the original cooperative membersand the only one with an interest in continu-ing the enterprise as a restaurant, she says.

Working in a restaurant is what Iwanted to do, she says, and the 28-year-old Thompson has found three part-timeemployees who help out enough that she canwork five days a week and still spend timewith her partner, Patrick, and their one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Miel.

As Tulsis sole owner, shes made some

changeslike purchasing an espresso ma-chine and adding coffee to the drink menu.This was a huge debate, she laughs, addingcaffeine, because this is a healing cafe. But Idecided to do it because people always ask forcoffee, and its nice to have it.

The cafe brews cold-press coffee, which issteeped in cold water for 16 hours for fewertannins than hot-brewed coffee. The shinyespresso machine makes traditional latts aswell as the ca fes signature mokk, a latt likecombination of chicory, dandelion root andcarob topped with steamed milk.

Its a nice alternative for those who dontdrink coffee because you still get the hot,steamy milk, Thompson says. Its been abig hit.

Sylvia Fagin writes about local food and ag-riculture from her home in Montpelier. Contacther via her blog Aar, Naam ~ Come, Eat,at sylviafagin.wordpress.com, or follow her onTwitter @sylviafagin.

Slow Down and Savor at the Tulsi Tea RoomA Tea Lounge and Healing Foods Cafe

Solenne Thompson behind the counter at Tulsi Tea Room. Photo by Sylvia Fagin.Food


16/32


by Nat Frothingham

Call it a renewal, a renaissance, or aresurgence. However its described,whats clear on the ground is that big

things are happening or will soon happen in

downtown Barre.For shoppers, motorists and the generalpublic, the most obvious recent sign that bigthings are stirring in Barre is the mostly com-pleted $17 million Vermont Agency of Trans-portation Main Street reconstruction project,with its new underground pipes and utilityconduits, repaved streets, new street lightsand wider, safer and friendlier sidewalks.

As a highly visible public works projectthats been on the transportation agencyslong list of projects for about 20 or so years,the Big Digas its called in street lan-guageis an impressive step forward. Butits only one of a number of big changesunderway or soon to be underway in theGranite City.

In a recent conversation with The Bridge,Bob Nelson and Dan Jones, two key players

Have a Barre Merry Holiday!

Big Changes Coming to Downtown Barre

see BARRE, page 19

The intersection of North and South Main Street in Barre. North Main has recently reopened following the Big Dig, heralding a number of changes for the city including the redevelopment of the Blanchard Block and new construction at Depot Square. Photo by Bob Nuner.


17/32


Have a Barre Merry Holiday!

by Robert Nuner

For Karl Boisvert, proprietor of Bois-verts Motorcycle Apparel & Shoe Re-pair, service is key. The importance of

service is a lesson he thoroughly absorbedfrom Earnest Boisvert, his father, who com-peted with five other shoe repair shops inBarre when he began. Just as Karl learnedthe business from his father, Earnest, inturn, learned it from his father, a cobbler inNorthfield.

The leather shop at 200 North MainStreet, Barre, is staffed by four busy people,who have additional help from two more partof the time. Among the shops employees areDennis Banta, Gwen Lacount and MirsadMick Husarevic, an affable Bosnian whosworked with the family business for fiveyears. At the counter is Judith Prib, whosbeen with the Boisverts for seven years. Karldoes the finishing and sanding.

Earnest still comes into the store hefounded in 1950 for a couple of hours eachmorning, to get me out of the house.Karl notes his fathersskills as an assembler,someone good withhis hands.

Karl passes on thestory that, to com-pete, Earnest set upchairs in the front ofthe store, where people could wait whiletheir shoes were repaired, providing an edgein waiting time that customers valued. ForKarl, retail is secondary to service. He seesservice as central to the health of Barresdowntown, noting that people come in fordoctor and dental appointments, then availthemselves of other services while theyre intown.

To support his point, he notes that Barreused to have JC Penney, Montgomery Wardand Homer Fittsbut theyve all disap-peared.

If it was a retail town, theyd sti ll be here,says Karl. Whi le people are in town for otherservices [eye doctor, dentist], they come [intoBoisverts] because they see the store . . . Weget people from Brookfield, Plainfield, Cal-ais, so you can see about [route] 302 beingthe lifeblood of Barre. . . My dad says youcan beat everybody on service.

To illustrate the importance of servicein the context of quality goods, Boisverttells of customers who purchase boots fromWalmart, then immediately bring them intothe shop for reinforcing (sewing, etc.) tomake their purchases last.

When a sked about the apparel side of thebusiness, Boisvert says it has grown incre-mentally over the years, but that they focusmore now on small, rather than big-ticket,items, given peoples response to the econ-omy. The niche is repairable quality.

People are smart with their money, saysKarl. Theyre buying used stuff thats goodand getting it repaired. People buy qualitythat can be rebuilt. Some people just goto yard sales and then bring them [leathergoods] in to be rebuilt.

He produces a set of rebuilt Birkenstockswith new soles and a resewn strap. If theoriginal materials are good enough, cobblerscan then extend the life of products signifi-cantly.

Both Karl and Earnest mention changesin materials that have had an effect on thebusiness. New materials, like nylon threadinstead of linen thread, and new cements andnew sole materials, enable the business to addlife to products, as long as the originals arentcracked in the first place.

And Karl emphasizes that hes workedto offer American-made products: belts,shoes, laces, polishes.Boisvert is alive to

differences in qual-ity between Ameri-can-made and otherproducts. American-

made eyelets, for example, dont cut the laces,he says, offering that, in his opinion, Chinesemanufacturers should stick to assembly.

Asked if availability of the web helps hisbusiness, Karl acknowledges he doesnt giveit much attention. People check their web-site for store hours and to see what shoesthey carry (Boisverts, for example, carriesChipewa and Red Wing), but he acknowl-edges that he needs his son to attend to thewebsite, which doesnt yet reflect that theyreopen Saturdays from 9 to 5 and until 6 dur-ing the weekin part, he says, to better serveMontpelier customers.

For now, Boisverts is plenty busy, focusedon repairs and service. A religious man, Karlties it together this way: I want people to gettheir moneys worth. Theres something spe-cial about this place. Its kind of a ministrytoo. In all honesty, my dad, the first thinghed do before he came in the store, hed askGod for a blessing so he could do the workand help people out, every day. He put Godfirst. You cant fail.

Then he digs out from under a pile of clut-ter his Bible from which his dog took a bite.A pagan, he jokes.

A Story of Service in Barre

CELEBRATING

DOWNTOWN

Mirsad Mick Husarevic, a f ive-year employee at Boisverts, repairs a customers boot. Photoby Bob Nuner.


18/32


19/32


at the Barre Partnership (Nelson is president,Jones is executive director) spoke about theBig Dig as just

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