Business Notes: May 3, 2015
Hanover — Clay’s, the woman’s clothing store that specialized in comfortable and casual attire, closed without fanfare last week after 24 years in business, the third downtown retail business to close in recent months.
Kurt Reichelt, president of the Essex Junction, Vt.-based chain of nine Clay’s stores in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts, said the lease with the Lebanon Street building’s owner was expiring and, with a another Clay’s outlet in the Powerhouse Mall in West Lebanon, “it was just a matter of too much in the same area.”
The West Lebanon outlet has been in business since the Powerhouse Mall first opened in the 1980s.
Earlier this year, the office supply, gift shop and toy store College Supplies closed, as did the Hanover outlet of Amidon Jewelers.
Two other Hanover stores, The Lemon Tree and Indigo, relocated to new locations on Main Street.
Company News
Bob’s Service Center, of White River Junction, has been named Vermont’s Approved Auto Repair Facility of the Year in the Independent Shop Division by AAA Northern New England.
This is the eighth time Bob’s Service Center has been so recognized.
The award is given to one dealership and one independent repair facility in each of the three northern New England states and recognizes service facilities that have met AAA’s criteria for technician certification and customer satisfaction. Bob’s Service Center, which is owned by Bob Perkins, received an overall rating of 99 percent from its customers, with 100 percent saying they would return for service and recommend Bob’s to others.
Springfield Printing Corp. earned three awards at the Printing Industries of New England Awards of Excellence Competition for 2015, held April 16 at the Boston Newton Marriott. The awards included a Pinnacle Award (best in category) for art books for Shadows & Light: Tadao Ando at the Clark; an Award of Recognition for hard cover books for The Bodies of Mothers: A Beautiful Body Project; and an Award of Recognition for a color catalogue for the Brooklyn Historical Society. The competition attracted more than 300 entries from 40 different printing and imaging companies from throughout the region, the company said in a news release.
Upcoming Events
Carolyn Meub, executive director of Pure Water for the World Inc., will be guest speaker at the 16th annual Women Who Make a Difference Luncheon at Colby-Sawyer College on May 13. The luncheon honors the service of area women and raises funds for the Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice’s Pediatric Program. Meub is a longtime member of the Rutland South Rotary Club, and she has served as district governor from 2001-2002, water, health and hunger task force coordinator for Zone 31, and faculty member at Rotary Leadership Institutes. She has facilitated sessions at two Rotary Conventions and was on the executive committee of the Water and Sanitation Rotary Action Group. Pure Water for the World Inc. is a not-for-profit organization started by the Brattleboro, Vt., Rotary Club in 1999 and now serves as a non-governmental organization working in Haiti and Central America. Meub was recognized by the White House in April 2012 as one of 10 Rotary Champions of Change for her work. Tickets are $40. For more information, call 603-526- 4077 or eamil craymond@lakesunapeevna.org.
Upper Valley chapter of SCORE is offering a workshop on QuickBooks on May 14, from 6-9 p.m., at 20 West Park St., Lebanon, Suite 316, in the Citizens Bank Building. The workshop focuses on using QuickBooks financial software to help plan and run a business. No previous knowledge of Quickbooks is required, although a basic understanding of bookkeeping would be helpful. Quickbooks examples are shown and discussed, though there is no need to bring a laptop to the session. The workshop will be presented by Will Hepworth, a professional bookkeeper and a certified Quickbooks ProAdvisor who operates Shining Light Bookkeeping LLC, in Springfield, Vt. Cost is $30, two for $45. Veterans free. For more information and to reserve a spot, visit http://www.uppervalley.score.org or call 603-448-3491.
Items of interest to the local business community are published every Sunday. Submissions may be mailed to: Business Notes, c/o Sunday Valley News, P.O. Box 877, White River Junction, Vt. 05001. You may also send your items by fax to 603-298-0212, or by e-mail to biznotes@vnews.com. All items are subject to editing.
