Brattleboro’s Youth-Led Company Opens Its Doors: Screen Printing Orders Sought from Area Businesses and Organizations

DemoGraphix, a youth-led business-to-business screen-printing company in Brattleboro, Vermont, established by Youth Services earlier this year, has opened its doors for sales, after a six-month start-up period.

The employees, ages 12-24, have selected a name, designed a logo, trained on the screen printing equipment and establishing policies and a pricing structure during that time, in addition to being paired with volunteer mentors with professional skills such as design, running a small business, and marketing.


Brattleboro Shop Offers New West River Poster

west river 91 bridge

We have a new poster in the Brattleboro Shop – a stylized view of the West River and I-91 bridge. It’s the latest addition to our original art series of Brattleboro travel posters and postcards, and the Brattleboro Shop is the only place you’ll find them.


Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce Cannabis Forum

BRATTLEBORO, Vermont, August 15, 2019 – Cannabis!  The Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce invites the public to attend The Growing Business of Cannabis:  A panel discussion on the ins and outs of the cannabis industry.  This Chamber Breakfast Series event will take place in Brattleboro on Thursday, September 5; 7:30am-9:30am at the American Legion, 32 Linden Street.  Tickets are $20 and include a full buffet breakfast.  RSVP is required.


Old News Questions Answered: Yes, BMH Closed ICU in 2018

BMH Brattleboro VT

Recently, the question has been posed to iBrattleboro: Has the Intensive Care Unit at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital closed or is it going to be closed? Not knowing ourselves, we called Brattleboro Memorial Hospital to ask. The answer is yes, the ICU is closed and has been for almost a year.

According to Gina Pattison, a BMH public affairs representative, the ICU at Brattleboro Memorial closed officially in June 2018 when the unit was physically removed. In its place is what is called a PCU or Progressive Care Unit, which provides a notch lower level of care than an ICU but makes more efficient use of nursing staff. The Hospital reps we spoke to made clear, however, that this change has not affected patient care.


Brattleboro One-Day and Annual Passes Available

Brattleboro Admission Ticket

Welcome to a new way to explore Brattleboro and Downtown Brattleboro. 

The office of tourism revenue is introducing new one day and annual passes in an effort to encourage people to come to Brattleboro.

The One Day Fun Pass, $46.00 (plus tax) admits one, age 10+, to Brattleboro and Downtown Brattleboro for a full day.


It Pays To Shop Around

I blew a tail light bulb and sought to replace it. I’ve bought them before. They’re not expensive.

I went into Advance Auto Parts up on Putney Road, because it was convenient – I was already in that part of town. The clerk asked me about the car it came from, make, model, year, and then looked it up on a computer. Then he went in back and came out with two bulbs, neatly packaged in plastic.


Uber “An Odyssey For Our Odyssey”

It is with great pleasure to be a new member of the ibrattleboro community. Recently I relocated to Dummerston from Miami Beach, where I was driving for Uber full time. I now have almost 1,000 rides provided with Uber and over 1,200 rides with Lyft. I take pride in all I do, so I’m conscientious about your transportation needs. It will be a pleasurable experience and I am proud to say, I hold a 5 star rating. I have elected to assist other Uber drivers full time at providing transportation throughout the month of September.


Avenue Grocery Changing Hands

We will be selling the store to new owners on October 1. We have loved being a part of this community and getting to know all of you, having conversations at the counter, sharing soup, listening to live music, making art on grocery bags. We are proud to be part of the long history of neighborhood grocers on Western Avenue, and look forward to watching as the new owners carry on this tradition. As locally-owned businesses struggle to compete with the corporate chain stores, the decisions we all make about where to shop will shape the future of Brattleboro.


Winter Farmers’ Market – Call for Vendors

Vendor applications are now being accepted for the thirteenth season of the Winter Farmers’ Market which will be held at a new location starting this season – the C. F. Church Building at 80 Flat St. in downtown Brattleboro, VT. Interested vendors are encouraged to submit an application prior to the September 15 deadline.


Eating Crow?

Anyone have updates on a possible date for the opening of a new restaurant which might be called The Fat Crow in Newfane? It’s being built by the owners of the eatery on that site on Route 30, just south of the village, where their former place was lost in a fire. The new building looks close to being ready.


BDCC Offers Squarespace Workshop

A workshop, sponsored by the Brattleboro Development and Credit Corporation, will help small businesses and nonprofits launch their own websites. This six-hour workshop, presented by Putney-based Sustainable Digital founder Bob Lawson, will be held in Brattleboro on June 5 and 12 from 5:30 to 8:30 each evening.


2018 Coworking Space in Brattleboro

We’re interested in forming a small coworking space in Brattleboro for the rest of us who live in or near Brattleboro. Coffee shops have become too loud for us and we’d like to have our own space that is quiet and dependable for working.


Seeking Local Wedding and Party Businesses… For VFW

The Brattleboro VFW located at 40 Black Mountain Road sometimes hosts weddings and parties in their facility. I would like to start a binder of local businesses that are into the wedding or parties business…..do you make cakes, take professional photos, DJ, do flower arrangements, make decoarations, etc? Please mail your contact information to the VFW at 40 Black Mountain Road, PO Box 8233 Brattleboro VT 05304. Some photos of your work would be perfect too, along with contact information of satisfied customers.


Adapting Corporate Apologies For Use By Children

Corporate America seems to have a new formula for “apologizing” when they’ve done something bad and need to improve their PR.  We’ve seen it recently with Facebook and Starbucks.

“Even though we’ve done wrong,” they say, “trust us to make it better. You should expect more.” Note that this only comes after being caught.

It sounds great, doesn’t it? They realize the error and will make sure it never happens again.

If it works for CEO’s, then it should work for children.


Brattleboro Company Named VT Woman-Owned Business of the Year

MONTPELIER, Vt. – A construction management and consulting company has been named the 2018 Vermont Woman-Owned Business of the Year. Mel Baiser and Kate Stephenson, owners of HELM Construction Solutions, are being recognized by the U.S. Small Business Administration for employment growth, financial success, expansion and community involvement.

HELM Construction Solutions offers a wide range of services, but primarily works to help small business owners develop their companies and manage the construction of green buildings. With offices in Montpelier and Brattleboro, HELM Construction Solutions has over 50 clients throughout the country that include contractors, designers, institutions, homeowners and business owners.


Canadians Got To Start Growing Recreational Marijuana This Weekend – It Won’t Be Legal Until Summer Under Their Law!

Last night on AM talk radio I heard that Canadians had built a huge marijuana grow operation the size of 23 football fields. Today, I checked the internet news. Well, God Bless our relatives and neighbors to the north, they have gone all out! This gave me another idea: why don’t we, the Americans, apply ahead of time for Federal Farm Subsidies, because naturally marijuana will be legal soon under federal laws in the United States of America.


Spinout Startup from Bankrupt Business

was spun out of a bankrupt business. Many schools for the deaf have closed their doors—partly due to the development of cochlear implant surgery and partly due to mainstreaming of students with special needs in public schools resulting from the IDEA Act of 1975 (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). One of them, the 100 year-old Austine School in Brattleboro, Vermont, went bust and closed it doors in 2014. However, the audiology department was still vibrant and had many adult clients in the community.