What's arrived and what we've said goodbye to: 72 openings, 26 closings.
Bowl & Roll opened Thursday at 200 St. Paul Street, the former Magic Chopsticks space, with poke bowls, fire grilled rice bowls, build your own bowls and kati roll style wraps, plus boba tea on the way. Chef Santosh Bhattarai moved from California to open it with his longtime friend Neeraj Tiwari…
Lyric Theatre sold out all six performances of Frozen at the 1,400 seat Flynn, and now the community theater company wants people in those seats who could not otherwise afford one. Lyric for All launches this fall with 200 to 300 free tickets to the November show, Elf, distributed through partner…
The Somali American restaurant at 505 Riverside Avenue has closed, and the little red building is headed for demolition, most likely next year, under a FEMA hazard mitigation buyout after a geotechnical assessment found the slope behind it unstable, with the lot becoming green space. Founder Ahme…
We ran the closing news last month, and the last day is now here. Ray's Seafood Market & Restaurant closes its Pine Crest Drive location in Essex Junction for good on Saturday at 7 PM after 74 years, so this weekend is the last chance for a lap. Compass Vermont's piece from August explains the pa…
The Post Apartments, a 5 story building from Champlain Housing Trust and Evernorth on the old veterans' hall and shelter site near Main Street and South Winooski Avenue, cut the ribbon Friday with all 38 units already full and subsidized in perpetuity. Rents start at $1,160, 9 units are set aside…
President Marlene Tromp used her first State of the University address to announce the projected $12 million deficit is fully closed, done through eliminating vacant positions and operational inefficiencies rather than layoffs. Enrollment is still the headwind, with about 2,600 first years agains…
Burlington High School's new building on the former New North End campus is ready for students, closing the saga that started when PCB contamination surfaced in 2020 and pushed classes into a hastily renovated downtown Macy's. The rebuild came in around $206 million, most of it covered by the $16…
The latest Stuck in Vermont rides along with Michael "Spike" Hendrickson, who grew up sailing and scuba diving on Lake Champlain and started Burlington Harbor Launch and Tow in 2019 after decades in restaurants and bars, with paramedic work still filling his winters. His five boats, all ladies, B…
The Burlington Business Association, which started in 1978 as the Downtown Burlington Development Association and helped turn Church Street into a pedestrian mall, announced August 10 in an unsigned email that it is closing after nearly half a century. It had run without a full time director sinc…
Five years after PCBs pushed BHS students into the old downtown Macy's, the new building is ready, with a gym, an auditorium, soundproof music rooms, and an accessible balcony added from public feedback. It holds 1,100 students, comfortably ahead of the 960 currently enrolled across the high scho…
The Chamber's new advocacy division is meant to give downtown businesses a dedicated voice with city and state leaders as the core wrestles with public safety and economic uncertainty. It wants an advisory board seated by October 1 and is hiring a Downtown Advocacy Manager to track ordinances and…
Ray's Seafood in Essex Junction announced this weekend it will close after 74 years, with the last day of service set for September 12. The family business started as a wholesale seafood provider 74 years ago and gave no reason for the decision. There is a month left to get a final basket of frie…
['Burlington Forward' proposal leads to multiple hours of public comment](https://www.mychamplainvalley.com/news/local-news/burlington-forward-proposal-leads-to-multiple-hours-of-public-comment/)
Susan and Rick Cote opened Wild Meadows in late June at 27 Market Street in the Finney Crossing development, pairing a full bookstore with a café pouring espresso, housemade lemonade, wine and beer, plus pastries from Mirabelles and truffles from Birnn Chocolates. The Cotes have owned the weekly …
V-GAN is now open for business at OnLogic's South Burlington headquarters, giving regional companies access to prototyping and testing that is usually too expensive to pursue alone. The project survived a near death experience when federal funding was cut last year after being announced under the…
The foundation that has carried the ice cream brand's giving for 40 years says it will close at the end of the year after parent company Magnum cut off funding and ordered its three staffers out of their South Burlington office. About $600,000 a year goes to Vermont groups like Migrant Justice an…
The update lands as Vermont marks a third straight July shadowed by flood anniversaries. In Plainfield, which lost dozens of properties in 2023 and 2024, a community nonprofit is pushing the East Village Expansion Project that could add 20 housing units over the next few years, and Barre voters h…
The definitive history of how a 1960s four-lane highway dream became an 84 million dollar, 2.8 mile, 25 mile per hour parkway. Former public works director Steve Goodkind calls the finished road "a monument to ignorance" while the current administration frames six decades of redesigns as the publ…
A hangout spot run by and for young people is set to open later this summer at 4 Langdon Street, the former Bent Nails Bistro space. The idea grew out of a familiar problem, teens getting shuffled from coffee shop to coffee shop downtown with nowhere to simply exist. Montpelier's answer is worth …
After six decades of proposals, lawsuits, and downsizing, the final stretch linking Interstate 189 to Lakeside Avenue is finally open to cars and bikes. The roughly $85 million project, mostly federally funded, aims to pull traffic off Pine Street and ease congestion around the South End while su…
Montpelier lost its Langdon Street Tavern after nine years, reportedly over a rent dispute, the second nightlife spot to leave that block since last fall. Closer to home, Sweetwaters has revived a pandemic era collaboration so patrons at the Archives, Red Square, and Akes' Place can scan a QR cod…
After roughly six decades of planning, the outbound lanes toward I-189 open the morning of Monday, June 29, with inbound lanes following Tuesday, June 30. The timing dovetails with this Sunday's mile race on the new stretch, the one chance anyone gets to travel it on foot. Anyone routing through …
Twenty five people are retiring from Champlain Valley School District this year, among them a computer technician with 43 years in and special educator Karen Poulin, who spent three decades at Hinesburg Community School. Poulin's reflections double as a quiet case for the value of long tenure in …
Public Service VT, from the team behind Charlotte's beloved Old Brick Store, will take over the Maple Street café space this fall, while Kestrel Coffee Roasters closes that downtown location after seven years. It continues a season of churn for Kestrel, whose Pine Street spot already closed in Ap…
Burke opens its lift served bike park Saturday, running weekends only for two weeks before shifting to Thursday through Sunday on June 18. Riders get 24 trails across 25 miles plus a direct line into the Kingdom Trails network and its 100 plus miles of singletrack. New this year are a rebuilt Jes…
The counter service barbecue spot opened May 20 next to his taco place Caja Taqueria, taking over the space that had been his short lived ax throwing venue, which closed in part over high insurance costs. Opening week seemed to confirm his hunch about local demand, with close to 100 people showin…
The restaurant has been at the Five Corners since 2014 but plans to relocate somewhere in the Essex area, with the new spot to be announced July 1. Its locations in Jeffersonville and at Smugglers' Notch stay open, as does the food truck, though the Burlington location closed back in 2023. Seven …
This is the first food product to carry the Milk With Dignity logo on its label, the program that sets wage, housing, and safety standards for dairy workers. Made by Middlebury's Champlain Valley Creamery, the farmer cheese sold its first run fast and is already on shelves at both City Market loc…
The piece is a warm look back at Vermont's annual Open Studio Weekend, which sent visitors wandering through four artists' spaces near the Old Brick Store in Charlotte. Alongside Joyner, the story features abstract painter Jessica Scriver and the woodworkers of Vermont Handworks, a reminder of ho…
The former Hired Hand Brewing taproom at 35 Green Street in Vergennes, which has sat empty since Antidote closed in 2024, is getting new life as a café, bar, and coworking space. Lawrence plans morning hours with coffee and house-baked biscuit sandwiches, plus Friday and Saturday evening service …
This is a big deal for the Essex Junction campus and for Vermont's tech footprint broadly. GF is launching a new quantum computing manufacturing division backed by a $375 million grant from the Department of Commerce CHIPS R&D Office, with the U.S. government taking an approximately 1 percent equ…
[Shelburne Student Competes at National Neuroscience Competition](https://www.vtcng.com/shelburnenews/community/school_news/shelburne-student-competes-at-national-neuroscience-competition/article_462e422a-5a8f-4ed8-b5f6-f39c436c0883.html)
The Connecticut-founded chain will open its first Vermont outpost at 42 Church Street, though no date has been announced yet. PopUp focuses on bagels with creative cream cheese and butter spreads rather than traditional breakfast sandwiches, and they already have locations in 13 states. Church St…
[Williston Businesses Receive SBA Honors](https://www.willistonobserver.com/business_hub/business/williston-businesses-receive-sba-honors/article_7137391d-132c-41c4-9dd1-fc972eb015ee.html)
[Scott Doubles Down on Veto Threat Over Education Reforms](https://www.wcax.com/2026/04/08/scott-doubles-down-veto-threat-over-education-reforms/)
Richards, former CEO of the child care advocacy organization Let's Grow Kids, has entered the 2026 Democratic gubernatorial primary with a platform centered on affordability, housing, healthcare costs, and rural economic development. She's widely credited with helping mobilize support for Vermont…
After nearly a decade of planning, the airport's expanded terminal space opened to passengers last week, following a community open house on March 28. The project redesigned the terminal into a more linear layout with new gates, jet bridges, expanded vendor areas and modernized baggage systems. D…
Spater's renovation of a 19th century synagogue in the Old North End, which wrapped up last November, turned the long vacant building into a mixed use property with a vintage clothing market upstairs and apartments below. But the project also sparked something unexpected: a whole new business. Fl…
[Eye on the Scene: Experimental Music at Burlington's RIVEN](https://www.sevendaysvt.com/music/eye-on-the-scene/eye-on-the-scene-experimental-music-at-burlingtons/)
S.278, which passed the Senate late last week, would let the Cannabis Control Board issue up to 20 event permits per year for licensed cannabis businesses to host sampling events. The catch: no permits at venues that also serve alcohol, and local governing body approval is required. The bill has …
"Human Impact: Contemporary Art and Our Environment" opened March 20 and features work from eight artists responding to climate change, land use, and ecological disruption. The show runs through June 20 and is worth a visit if you're already wandering the Pine Street arts corridor this First Frid…
The Courtyard by Marriott at 25 Cherry Street is getting a full rebrand as the Harborvale, and the restaurant replacing Bleu Northeast Kitchen sounds ambitious. Executive chef Doug Paine is planning seven day a week service spanning breakfast through a late night bar, with a menu focused on Lake …
Stockbridge native Kevin Chap is the creator and host of "Wild Foods," a new PBS series premiering in April that blends documentary storytelling with environmental stewardship and food culture. The show argues for "rewilding" the American food system by visiting farmers, ranchers, fishers and che…
Homeport signed a five year lease for a 6,000 square foot space at the Essex Experience, the former outlet mall that's been reinventing itself as a hub of locally owned shops and eateries. The new store will focus on kitchen goods and housewares, with a soft opening planned for July and a grand o…
The popular outdoor sauna company is building an 8,000 square foot bathhouse at 208 Flynn Avenue, with construction expected to begin next month and a fall opening planned. Floor plans show multiple saunas, a steam room, warm pools, cold plunge, and lounge areas, with both day passes and membersh…
[Wintervale Brings Outdoor Recreation to the Intervale](https://www.vtcng.com/stowetoday/family_fun/wintervale-brings-outdoor-recreation-to-intervale/article_2a7f77a8-2599-4c77-9864-433041f02748.html)
The spot at 36 Thorsen Way, tucked behind the Church Street Marketplace, is back in business as Thai in the Alley, replacing BKK in the Alley which closed last fall. Henson, who also owns Stowe Thai Cuisine, teamed up with chef Tokyo Asissara, whose menu spans regions of Thailand and includes cre…
Longtime downtown barista Cole Thornton is heading back behind the espresso machine. After a decade at the Cosmic Grind on Church Street, Thornton and business partner Dante Seguino are opening Café Napoli at 163 Cherry Street, the cozy space that previously housed cannabis dispensary Lucky You a…
Head brewer Destiny Saxon and cofounder Paul Sayler separated the brewpub at 115 St. Paul Street from Zero Gravity back in 2022, though the two still collaborate in limited fashion. Mothership works more closely now with Stowe's Idletyme Brewing, and its rotating tap list is only available at Ame…
The three-pronged strategy aims to put Burlington on track to create 7,000 housing units by 2050. It includes modernizing the city's inclusionary zoning ordinance and housing trust fund, helping residents and small developers actually use the Neighborhood Code to build infill housing, and leverag…
Drink, the cocktail bar on Saint Paul Street across from City Hall Park, announced its closure Thursday evening. The spot was known for live music, comedy nights, and trivia. Originally founded in 1999 as Wine Works, it had rebranded several times over the years. Still, quite impressive being the…
Vermont Foundation of Recovery, partnering with Champlain Housing Trust, has opened six new recovery residence beds and four transitional apartment beds for women in Essex Junction. The expansion brings the organization's statewide network to 79 beds, a 40% increase since September 2024. Applicat…
The Residential Clean Energy Credit, which knocked 30% off home solar installation costs, expired with the new year as part of President Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill." Williston solar company Building Energy was fully booked by August as crews raced to finish projects before the deadline. The Verm…
[GMP earns top spot in JD Power residential customer satisfaction survey](https://vermontbiz.com/news/2025/december/18/gmp-earns-top-spot-customers-jd-power-residential-customer-satisfaction)
[Vermont Tourism Hits Record $4.2 Billion in Visitor Spending](https://www.wcax.com/2025/12/11/vermont-tourism-hits-record-42-billion-visitor-spending/)
Eight years after launching from the Radio Bean stage, the eight piece groove and soul outfit finally has an album. "For the World" is a hybrid of studio tracks and live recordings cut at Tank Recording Studio with a small audience wearing headphones. Saxophonist Jacob Deva Racusin says the band …
Starting Wednesday, the café at City Market's South Winooski Avenue location will shutter for the winter, the second year in a row safety concerns have forced the closure. The public restroom will also close, partly for a plumbing upgrade. When the café reopened last winter after a January closur…
Main Street will fully reopen to traffic by Thanksgiving as the Great Streets BTV project pauses for winter, marking a key milestone after 21 months of disruptions. The $30 million initiative, which will resume in April 2026, aims to shift 60% of the street's space from cars to pedestrians and pu…
The new "accountability court" targets 110 people with five or more pending cases who Burlington Police say account for 842 downtown incidents among just 20 individuals. Special prosecutor Zach Weight and retired Judge Martin Maley oversee the docket, part of Governor Scott's public safety push t…
Brett Yates and Michelle Sagalchik are transforming a former College Street yoga studio into Partizanfilm, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit micro-cinema with two screening rooms seating 19 and 31 people. The theater aims to fill Burlington's cinema void with curated programming and a cafe-hangout lobby spac…
The South Burlington electric aviation company could debut on the New York Stock Exchange with a $7.2 billion valuation if shares trade at top value, making it one of Vermont's few publicly traded companies. Despite reporting $276 million in losses last year and $159 million in the first half of …
Citizen Cider's Press House Pub finally opened Saturday at 180 Flynn Avenue after permitting delays pushed the reopening back several months from its targeted June date following April's Pine Street closure. The new location consolidates operations under one roof and features an indoor food truck…
Two years after the "Hey Bub" product line sparked allegations of workplace harassment, homophobia, and misogyny that led 180 businesses to drop their products, the hard cider maker prepares to open a new Burlington pub. While some establishments like The Mill in South Burlington remain firm in t…
The first phase of Burlington Square (formerly "the pit") is finally open with a 161-room AC Hotel, 53 apartments, a restaurant and cafe. Apartment rents range from $1,650 for a studio to $6,800 for a top floor two-bedroom. The developers are seeking an extension on their requirement to include a…
The $199,942 Leahy Institute grant establishes quality testing at UVM's Proctor Maple Research Center, addressing concerns that some retail syrup doesn't meet Vermont Grade A standards.
The Gryphon's weekend closure announcement adds another name to Burlington's growing list of shuttered businesses, following Nectar's recent bombshell closure after nearly 50 years just up the street. Both establishments cited similar struggles with public safety concerns and construction-related…
New York native Celine Eid will bring authentic NYC-style pizza to 294 North Winooski Avenue in mid-September, taking over the former Despacito space with seasonal pies featuring locally sourced toppings. After running a successful weekly pizza pop-up in New York City through 2023 and 2024 where …
Governor Phil Scott responded to Burlington's cry for help, though tensions are evident between state and city leadership. WCAX's data analysis shows Burlington's retail, restaurant and bar tax revenues have been declining when adjusted for inflation, suggesting the Queen City is losing business …
The Great Streets BTV project has hammered downtown businesses with months of orange cones and construction noise, prompting hundreds of merchants to plead for relief. The city's compromise opens Main Street to traffic after 5:30pm on weekdays and all weekend through Thanksgiving, though you stil…
Indiana-based Gardens Alive! completed its $9 million bankruptcy acquisition of the iconic Vermont company, promising to keep five of six retail locations open and retain all store workers. Only the seasonal Shelburne location gets the axe. The deal's darker side: 40 customer service and warehous…
The Connecticut-based tavern-style pizza chain lasted less than eight months at 83 Church Street, closing Sunday after opening with fanfare in late January. The 5,000-square-foot space that once housed Pascolo Ristorante now sits empty again, another casualty in Church Street's ongoing retail shu…
Andy O'Brien's Charlotte Sailing Center got the boot after 20 years when Lake Champlain Transportation declined to renew his lease at the end of July. The ferry company has given boat owners until September 1 to remove land-stored vessels and October 1 to vacate moorings. While the Pecor family, …
Drivers take note: the Maple and Pine intersection will be completely shut down 24/7 this week for traffic signal installation as part of the Champlain Parkway project. Pine Street access will be limited to local traffic only, with sections accessible from either north or south depending on your …
Burlington's iconic music venue Nectar's has played its final set after nearly 50 years of hosting local bands and touring acts. The Main Street club that helped launch Phish in the mid-1980s couldn't overcome the challenges of downtown construction, changing nightlife patterns, and ultimately, f…
The Boys and Girls Club unveiled its newly renovated pool Monday, a $600,000 project four years in the making that now serves 100 kids daily with swimming lessons and recreation. The surprise dedication to longtime staff member Joyce McEntee added an emotional touch to the ribbon-cutting ceremony…
Burlington Square's south tower opens in August, finally transforming the former mall site downtown after years as an eyesore nicknamed "the Pit." The $300 million two tower project features Vermont's first AC Hotel by Marriott occupying floors 2-7 with 161 rooms, while floors 8-11 house 53 apart…
This is a straightforward but important public service update as the heat advisory continues. The availability of places like the Fletcher Free Library, COTS Day Station, and the Old North End Senior Center as cooling centers highlights the city's response to extreme weather. More importantly, it…
If you've tried driving through Winooski lately, you know the Main Street project is a major undertaking. For the small businesses in the Onion City, it's been devastating, with some reporting revenue drops as high as 75%. In response, the city is urging residents to buy gift cards directly from …
Dorset Street is getting a couple of new options this weekend, with the return of Wings Over and the grand opening of Playa Bowls this Saturday. This new energy comes with some bittersweet news, as the beloved local ferment company Sobremesa announced it's ceasing wholesale distribution. Their mo…
This is an interesting move to address a common frustration in Vermont's job market: connecting the right people to the right opportunities in a state where networks are key. By creating a free, curated, and local-focused job board, VCET is trying to cut through the noise of huge national platfor…
In a heartening story of grassroots action, a group of five residents is bringing cinema back to downtown. By choosing a nonprofit, member-operated model, Partizanfilm is not only filling the void left by the Roxy; but also testing a more community-centric approach to keeping cultural venues aliv…
This is a perfect example of a smart, symbiotic local business partnership. The well established team from the Daily Planet is bringing a permanent food option to a popular South Burlington brewery. It’s a win-win, giving Weird Window’s customers a reason to stick around and offering a new ventur…
With heat index values soaring past 100 degrees, the city and local organizations have established several cooling centers to provide relief. These locations offer a vital service, especially for vulnerable residents without access to air conditioning. It’s a practical reminder of the public heal…
Drivers in the South End are navigating another round of closures this week as work on the Champlain Parkway continues. The intersection of King and Pine is currently temp closed, with more construction affecting Maple, Kilburn, and Howard streets. It's a tangible, if inconvenient, sign of progre…
Just when you thought the downtown construction was headache enough, one of Church Street's favorite restaurants, Honey Road, had to shut down because of a burst pipe. They're hoping to reopen by Friday, which is welcome news. The article also touches on the resilience of Nomad Coffee in the Sout…
Last week we reported on how just a few weeks after rebranding from its longtime identity as ArtsRiot, The District VT on Pine Street had abruptly closed. This article provides a bit more background on the venue's recent turbulent history, including multiple ownership changes and operational chal…
Plant shopping and taco feasting can now go hand in hand in Shelburne. The Mad Taco has rolled out its food truck at the new Gardener's Supply, offering their well loved menu of tacos, burritos, and quesadillas. They'll be serving Thursday through Sunday, making your weekend errands potentially m…
Despite a damp welcome this past Saturday, the Burlington Farmers Market still drew a respectable crowd. It’s a testament to Burlington’s hardy spirit and love for local goods that even a bit of rain couldn't entirely wash out opening day. Here’s to sunnier market Saturdays ahead for the rest of …
South Burlington’s newest storefront offers a second life for outdated gadgets—because somewhere, someone actually wants that drawer full of tangled chargers and retro consoles. It’s recycling, but with cash back and a bit more nostalgia.
Longtime patrons hope that these hurdles can be cleared soon. Until then, the downtown spot that once buzzed with late-night slices is dark while owners work toward compliance.
Applicants have until March 21 to apply, with winners announced April 17 in Burlington. It’s a key event for architects, developers, and property owners dedicated to sustainable design in Vermont.
Expect a boutique women’s clothing store, an independent bookstore and café, plus a casual Italian-American eatery among the new arrivals. Each locally owned shop hopes to enhance Williston’s bustling retail scene.
Ice in McNeil’s Cove forced the shutdown, leaving travelers to seek alternate routes across the lake. It’s a good reminder that winter crossing can be unpredictable, so check for updates before heading out.
Food lovers can add a new stop to their rotation. If you’re in the area, try a sub and know that a portion of each purchase supports public safety groups.
This new certificate promises real-world training for folks eyeing a career in hotels, resorts, and restaurants—great news for anyone looking to jump into Vermont’s bustling tourism scene (and hopefully snag some sweet industry perks).