In Bradford, Vt., a Mainstay on Main Street Calls It Quits
Bradford, Vt. — Hill’s 5 & 10 has been a Bradford institution since its founding in 1959. Around Labor Day weekend, however, the fabled five-and-dime store will shut its doors for the final time. Increased competition from chain stores, together with the economic troubles brought on by the Great Recession, prompted the decision to close, said Hill’s co-owner Mary Wendell. “When I saw the dollar store going up in Fairlee I just...
Rolling With the Changes: Segway Tours Are Quechee Gorge Village Owner’s Latest Business Reinvention
Quechee — On a whiteboard in Gary Neil’s cluttered office above the Cabot Quechee Store at the Quechee Gorge Village shopping mall on Route 4 is scrawled a reminder: “QGV is in reality part of a much larger natural attraction.” The sentence reflects how Neil views the 20-acre retail complex that caters to the swarm of tourists visiting the gorge every summer, a challenge that is forcing him to “recast” the assembly of gift shops,...
End of an Era for the Polka Dot
White River Junction — For sale: Small, cozy restaurant building in heart of White River Junction, fully equipped. Loyal clientele. In need of facelift, but great potential. Asking $130,000. See owner. Sound ideal? For the person who has always dreamed about owning a small eatery or cafe — only 1,088 square feet, kitchen included — purchase of the Polka Dot Restaurant at 7 N. Main St. could be just the ticket. The new owner likely...
Falling property value of Steeplegate Mall affects everyone in Concord
In February of last year, Steeplegate Mall was Concord’s second-largest taxpayer at an assessed value of $52 million. Now, the city’s assessing database values the Loudon Road mall at just $30 million. The property has slipped to the fifth spot on the list of Concord’s largest taxpayers. In the meantime, vacancies have continued to mount, the mall’s owner defaulted on the mortgage and one possible sale has fallen through. While some...
