Community Investment Model Brings New Life to Vermont Town

Though a good indie bookstore is a fantastic anchor for a vibrant Main Street, the bottom line is that a successful bookstore's happy customers will be happier still if their downtown offers other unique experiences.

It was with this in mind that several years ago Linda Ramsdell, owner of The Galaxy Bookshop, began to mobilize residents in an effort to create a restaurant in Hardwick, Vermont. On Saturday, May 24, those efforts came to fruition when Claire's Restaurant & Bar opened for business. Moreover, the restaurant business model brings the idea of community to a new level, with residents banding together to provide the financial support that made Claire's possible.

Hardwick -- population 3,000 -- was a booming granite town at the turn of the last century, but it fell on hard times in the 1960s. "They called Hardwick 'Little Chicago' due to the crime," Ramsdell explained. But today, the rural town, with a curvy Main Street, covers the spectrum: there's poverty, wealth, and everything in between.

Before Claire's, downtown Hardwick had a pizza place and a diner, but no proper restaurant. It also had a building damaged by fire that Ramsdell called "this big black hole in town." Eventually, that hole would become Claire's.

"We wanted to know why we couldn't get a good restaurant in Hardwick," said Ramsdell, who is a partner in the business along with chef and restaurant operator Steven Obranovich and Hardwick residents Kristina Michelsen and Mike Bosia. "We wanted a restaurant that would have a symbiotic relationship with the bookstore, especially when we get questions from people about where they can go out for dinner or dessert following one of our events.... When a great restaurant comes into town, things come to life."

The genesis for Claire's, named after artist and locally renowned hostess Claire Fern, occurred in September 2003. "I sent a letter to customers that said, if you are interested in having a restaurant in Hardwick come to a meeting at the bookstore," said Ramsdell. When 55 people turned up, "that told me there was interest!"

From the very beginning, Ramsdell had in mind for Claire's to follow the business model of Bobcat Caf in Bristol, Vermont. On Ramsdell's restaurant blog, New Vermont Cooking, she describes how, in 2002, Bristol residents asked restaurateur Robert Fuller to open a local establishment. He agreed to proceed with the project if 12 local people came forward to demonstrate their commitment to the restaurant by lending $5,000 each. "In a week, Fuller had 18 commitments and he soon had to cap the number at 32. Those 32 people, plus their families, friends, and neighbors, are a vital part of the Bobcat Caf's success," wrote Ramsdell. "We've visited the Bobcat Caf and met with Robert Fuller, and his approach has inspired both our community investment model and fueled our desire to create a 'third place' in downtown Hardwick."

There were a number of hurdles to be jumped, however, before Claire's got off the ground. "At first, we had the real estate for the restaurant, but we had no one to operate it," Ramsdell said. "The restaurant idea lay dormant for a while, but it was always in the background for me."

As luck would have it, by 2005 chef Obranovich had moved to Hardwick and was interested in operating the restaurant. But at that point, she explained, "we had an operator but now we didn't have any real estate." In 2006, Ramsdell and her restaurant partners negotiated a lease for the "big black hole" in downtown Hardwick. "At this time, the Preservation Trust of Vermont heard about what we were doing and became interested," she said. The Preservation Trust granted the restaurant the money for the first year of its lease and helped Ramsdell and her partners further develop and adapt the Bobcat model for Claire's Restaurant & Bar.

The model has been a remarkable success: 52 Community Supported Restaurant Coupons (each coupon is $1,000, and provides a discount of $25 one time per month, for 10 months per year, during the first four years of the restaurant's operations) were sold to raise $52,000 in operating capital for Claire's. Another $45,000 came from loans from people in the community. And thus far an additional $265,000 in grants and angel investments for the Hardwick Restaurant Group, LLC, has prepaid a 12-year-lease and has furnished, equipped, and built out the space. "The concept is that the community owns the restaurant space, and if the operator leaves, another can come in with minimal investment," explained Ramsdell.

The restaurant, whose menu features fare made from locally grown ingredients, had a May 24 grand opening, which drew a big crowd and a great review from the Barre Montpelier Times Argus.

Claire's will be a boon to Galaxy Bookshop, too, Ramsdell said. "It really goes hand-in-hand with the new IndieBound concept. There is a lot of crossover. Usually, after readings we provided cider and cookies." Now, after an event at Galaxy Bookshop, "customers go over to the restaurant and have dessert or a drink. It will bring a higher interest and entertainment value to our events. It makes for a bigger night out. I see it as a big draw." --David Grogan