Perkinsville
Wyman, 35, and her fiancé, Robert Westney, bought the restaurant at Downers Four Corners on Route 106 last December. It is a location Wyman is familiar with, and not just because it was her first job at age 15.
“We both grew up just a couple of miles from here,” said Wyman, who has held a number of jobs the last 20 years, including working in the family insurance business and at different restaurants. She also earned a college degree in family and consumer science education.
“It seems like everything I have done gave me some experience I can use running the restaurant,” Wyman said.
The opportunity to buy the restaurant came up last June when the owner mentioned it to Wyman’s father, who has an insurance office nearby as well as one in Ascutney. “He brought me over and that just started the wheels in motion” to buy it, she said.
They closed on the property Dec. 20.
Wyman has worked the last 13 years in the family insurance business and Westney, who works in the same business, will stay in insurance while helping out at the restaurant.
As for the name, Wyman said it fits the notion that people often identify with the village in which they live, such as Ascutney or Perkinsville, and not their town.
Villagers will be serving much of the same fare as the Country Creemee, including hot dogs and hamburgers, ice cream and milk shakes with a few additions such as sweet potato tots. It will be open Tuesday to Sunday at least until Columbus Day, Wyman said. Staying open beyond then will depend on the weather. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. until Memorial Day, and then 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. through August.
Wyman said they didn’t make any renovations to the property, which also includes outdoor seating at picnic tables for about 40, but have added a few fun touches, including a giant Adirondack chair.
She is excited about finally opening, given the support from the community.
“The response from everyone has been just outstanding.”
The Hartford Chamber of Commerce will host a breakfast program next month, Women in Business: Confronting the Challenges and Defining Success, that focuses on women entrepreneurs and business leaders and their success stories. Change the Story, an organization that works to align public policy, programs and philanthropy to improve women’s economic status in Vermont, and five Hartford-area business leaders will share their insights. Participants will include Peggy Allen of Savage Heart Farm, Sheila Armen of Strong House Spa, Tiffany Bluemie of Change The Story VT, Michelle Ollie of the Center for Cartoon Studies, and Kim Souza of Revolution. Tammy Latvis, owner of Curves in White River Junction and board chair of the Hartford Area Chamber of Commerce, will serve as moderator. The breakfast will be held May 3, from 8-9:30 a.m., at The Engine Room, 188 South Main St., White River Junction. Cost is $15 for chamber members, $20 for non-members. Advance reservations are required by calling 802-295-7900 or emailing info@hartfordvtchamber.com.
The Windsor County Board of Realtors will present a daylong workshop on Landlord Tenant Law on May 3, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Killington Resort in Killington, Vt. Presented by Angela Zaikowski of the law office of Bennett & Zaikowski P.C., this workshop will discuss prevalent housing myths and cover screening potential tenants, what to have in a lease, what the obligations of landlords and tenants really are, how to collect rent and what the eviction process looks like. Cost is $40 and includes lunch and the newest Vermont Renters Handbook from the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development. Cost is $80 for professionals interested in obtaining four continuing education credits.To reserve a spot, call 802-888-3873 or email info@windsorcountyrealtors.com.
The Vermont Woodlands Association and the University of Vermont Extension are sponsoring a workshop for landowners on succession planning called Ties to the Land, on May 4, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Marsh Billings Rockefeller National Historical Park, 54 Elm St., Woodstock. This workshop is a mix of presentation and practical exercises designed to help landowners learn the steps to successful planning by clarifying values and goals, discussing legal options and providing tools and technical assistance. Cost is $35; each additional family member is $20. The fee includes morning coffee and lunch plus one copy per family of the Ties to the Land succession planning workbook and planning binder with worksheets. Registration forms are available at www.vermontwoodlands.org. Completed form and payment due by Thursday to Vermont Woodlands Association, P.O. Box 6004, Rutland, VT 05702-6004. For more information, 802-747-7900, email info@vermontwoodlands.org.
The Upper Valley chapter of SCORE is offering a new workshop, Business Strategy, on May 4, from 6-9 p.m., at 20 W. Park St., Lebanon, Suite 316, in the Citizens Bank Building. This three-hour seminar will discuss how to analyze a company’s strengths and weaknesses, and how to think about creative ways to capitalize on strengths and correct weaknesses. Participants will be introduced to a framework by which to analyze a company’s environment — its suppliers, customers, competitors, potential partners and the politics of the industry. Morris McInnes will be the presenter. He served as a professor for many years at Harvard Business School, MIT Sloan School, Sawyer Business School and Manchester Business School in the U.K., and as academic dean of Sawyer Business School. He also worked as assistant controller at a Fortune 200 companyand finance director of a company listed on the London Stock Exchange. He has been a consultant to many international clients, addressing business strategy, finance and human resources. Cost is $40, two for $60. Veterans free. For more information or to reserve a spot, visit www.uppervalley.score.org, email score@valley.net or call 603-448-3491.
Items of interest to the local business community are published in the Business & Money section of the Sunday Valley News. Submissions may be sent by email to: biznotes@vnews.com (high-resolution photographs may be attached in .jpg format), or by mail to: Business Notes, c/o Sunday Valley News, P.O. Box 877, White River Junction, Vt. 05001. (Photographs cannot be returned unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope.) All items are subject to editing for clarity or space.
