This commentary is by Cindra Conison, who owns The Quirky Pet, a 700-square-foot “Emporium Of Way Cool Pet Stuff” a few blocks east of the Statehouse in Montpelier. It is by far the smallest pet shop ever to win Retailer of the Year in a national publication, and in the smallest city, and in the smallest state.
I am on the front line of Vermont retail. Many have been curious about what retail is actually like these days. From firsthand experience, I can report that business is back in downtown Montpelier and very likely the other downtowns in Vermont.
My shop depends on walk-in traffic for its success. People are again walking the sidewalks. A healthy number are stopping in at the Quirky with dogs in tow. It seems like every other day or so, an out-of-stater pops in after a year’s absence and tells me how thrilled they are that my shop survived.
I can’t really express the feeling of personal satisfaction to meet those who have cared about my small shop enough to make a point of going out of their way to check. They are thrilled that my shop survived while others didn’t.
The truth of the matter is that my shop wouldn’t have had a chance of surviving had it not been for the significant help I received from my state and from the federal government. The Quirky Pet had been successful for coming on a decade before the pandemic. For doggers, it was a destination site. A small pet shop in the smallest state capital (the only one without a McDonald’s) had more reviews on Tripadvisor than any other small indie pet shop in the country. It had tons of good Yelp and Google Business reviews.
Then the pandemic hit and my shop closed down along with the others. Nothing was coming in and then for a long time very little.
We survived only because, when the chips were down for small businesses on and near Main Street in every city and town, Congress quickly stepped forward and rescued us and then stepped forward again. The Quirky Pet survived because for a period of time I accepted the unemployment compensation that helped my household to stay afloat. This kept my pet shop going during some extremely low commerce months.
We are open for business today because the Vermont Legislature allocated significant recovery funds to our state’s small family owned businesses. The Department of Commerce helped walk me through the process. My local bank helped me. My hard-core customers were with me.
My business is doing well today because, in the darkest days, I was never alone. Others had my back. I am eternally grateful for the help I received from the federal government, from my state government and for my hard-core customers. Everyone who runs a small business in Vermont can probably say the same. In an era when it is easy for many to trash-talk government, look at your downtown and imagine what it would look like with vacancies like a checkerboard.
In Montpelier, not only are the masks off, the smiles are on the faces again. There is a feeling of revival. I am absolutely thrilled to be seeing people from all over Vermont visiting my shop for the first time. Experiencing their state anew.
If you’ve read this far, I strongly urge you to do the same. Get out of your town on day trips. Take the family to other Vermont towns. Do some window shopping. Drop in and look around.
Vermont family-owned small businesses have long been the unique fabric of our state’s commerce. Unique enough that tourists actually come in to experience it. Set aside some time to experience it for yourselves. You won’t at all be sorry that you did. See your state with fresh eyes. Become a tourist for the day.
