Ripe with farmer’s markets and organic products, it can be difficult to stand out among competitive farming businesses. Farmers Timothy and Brooke Hughes-Muse learned this first-hand while they were selling eggs, vegetables, and meat birds as a side-business years ago. Realizing there were many other farms in the area already selling such products, the married couple decided they needed to produce a crop that was missing from the Rutland County area: Sweet potatoes.
Stories
Happy Belly Deli
Ron and Laurel Cameron, residents of Winooski, saw a need in their town for a place where people could meet while enjoying tasty, freshly prepared food in a casual setting. Within such a pedestrian-friendly area, they envisioned a little shop that could offer room to relax along with a unique menu, fresh offerings, and great service. This was how the Happy Belly Deli you know and love came to be.
Wildflowers Studio
Energetic ladies Lyndsy Blais and Samantha Spisiak are the two early-childhood educators who saw a need in the community for a hands-on playspace for children and wanted to fulfill it. With the help of Opportunities Credit Union, Vermonters now have access to a new multi-sensory creative play space for their youngsters at Wildflowers Studio, situated at 1 Executive Dr., Suite 103, in South Burlington, VT.
Sugarsnap Vermont Catering
For many business owners, turning your passion into a viable, sustainable business is a challenging adventure. Abbey Duke, owner of Sugarsnap Vermont Catering, was faced with finding a financing solution for her rapidly growing business. With a recommendation from the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA), she turned to Opportunities Credit Union for help with her unique small-business lending needs.
New-Aged Spirits
Sas Stewart and Sivan Cotel, owners of Stonecutter Spirits, are passionate about gin and whiskey. With the help Opportunities Credit Union, they received the support and funding to renovate a 12,000 square foot warehouse into a space that accommodates offices, tastings, events, and a distillery for their unique barrel-aging spirits operation.
Barrio Bakery
Barrio Bakery’s exterior bright colors of yellow, red, and blue are both eye-catching and inviting to passersby, but it’s the quality pastries and warm atmosphere that keep people coming back for more. Located in the Old North End of Burlington, VT, Barrio has become known as the neighborhood bakery, which is fitting, as Barrio translates […]
The Vermont Comedy Club
The last thing you think about when tying the knot is laughter, but it was the first thing on Natalie Miller and Nathan Hartswick’s minds. The couple exchanged their vows and launched their business, Spark Arts, on the same day in 2011. Their comedic timing has been the driving force behind building a good marriage […]
Butch + Babe’s
Burlington is home not only to Opportunities Credit Union, but also to a myriad of cultures due to its large immigrant and refugee population. Opportunities has helped many new Vermonters with its “Coming to America” loan, but rarely does it get such a perfect chance to promote culture while helping a small business owner secure […]
Infinity Dance Studio
Family, connection, and community are all words that embody Opportunities Credit Union. They are also qualities in which Brea McBride, owner and artistic director of Infinity Dance Studio, swears by. As a child beginning her dance career in Ohio, Brea recalls how her instructor, Yvonne Dekay, was like a mom to her, and the studio […]
Qi Vet
The opportunity to follow your ambition sometimes first takes the courage to believe in yourself and your dream. When you take those first steps to achieving your goal – Opportunities will help see you the rest of the way. Opportunities Credit Union wasn’t there at the start of Dr. Nathan Heilman and Therese Fafard’s dream […]
