Sun, 05/02/2021 - 1:38pm tim
In Shrewsbury, Pierce s Store, reopened as a cooperative in 2009, is thriving. Manager Elana Levin was too busy for an interview. Photos by C.B. Hall
by C.B. Hall, Vermont Business Magazine If you don t have a store, you can t really have a town, Ripton resident and prominent environmentalist Bill McKibben wrote in a
New York Times op-ed three years ago.
It s a thought that haunts many Vermont towns, as general stores, long a sine qua non of village economies – and the Vermont brand – contend with today s economic forces. From Albany in the state s northeast to West Rupert in the southwest, dozens of communities have confronted what it means to see their local stores endangered, or closed.
Mon, 02/08/2021 - 2:57pm tim
Vermont Business Magazine Governor Phil Scott today announced the allocation of just over $770,000 in state tax credits for nine projects, which will support over $47.5 million in downtown and village center rehabilitation projects. Additional funding proposed by the Administration and allocated by the General Assembly during the 2020 legislative session provided a boost to the program, allowing this additional round of awards focused on recovery coming out of the COVID-19 crisis.
“The downtown and village center tax credits are proven methods for spurring private investment and economic growth,” said Governor Scott. “These projects will help communities and businesses bounce back from challenges caused by the pandemic. That’s why my budget recommends increases to this program to help Vermont’s historic downtowns continue to build back stronger than ever.”