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Tuesday November 23, 2010 Edition
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Kennedy Brothers Set To Close: The End Of An Era

Owner of Kennedy Brothers Win Grant greets the holiday sale season for the 41st year of his career with a bittersweet mixture of celebration and memories, as Kennedy Brothers is set to close after the New Year.
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Owner of Kennedy Brothers Win Grant greets the holiday sale season for the 41st year of his career with a bittersweet mixture of celebration and memories, as Kennedy Brothers is set to close after the New Year.

Tuesday November 23, 2010

By Cookie Steponaitis

    In a small town or community businesses are often more than places to go. They are anchor points in the community that have been a part of the fabric of life for so long, that people use them in reference for giving directions and talking about years of memories with the people and the business. When Kennedy Brothers opens its doors on Black Friday for its annual Day after Thanksgiving sale, it will be the beginning of a bittersweet combination of celebration and marking of the passing of an institution.  For Kennedy Brothers owner and community member Win Grant, it is the final run on a commitment to both business and family that for him began 41 years ago. Kennedy Brothers is closing its doors permanently on January 8, 2011.

   While the structure has always seemed to have been Kennedy Brothers, the building in fact dates back to 1918 and was built by Sheffield Farms as a milk plant. Over the years additions to the building were added and Hoods Dairy bought out the plant in the 1930’s. While the factory was geared for large milk cans, the business of agriculture in Vermont changed leaving the facility obsolete. Sitting empty for about ten years, it was purchased by Paul & Jack Kennedy in 1960 and became the home for the family wood ware business that originally began in Charlotte in 1937 and had over the years moved to Bristol and then to the new Vergennes location. “You have to understand,” shared Win Grant. “When Paul and Jack arrived, the building was in a sorry state. There were broken windows, pigeons in residence and tons of old milk cans littering the floor.  From 1960-1987 the family wooden ware business and manufacturing was active and the facility housed not only the sales portion of the business, but the factory as well. People could walk through and see phases of production.”

   In 1987, with changes in the economy signaling the need for again reinventing not only the Kennedy Brothers building but the business, Win devised the market place concept and basically gutted the structure adding a new roof, plumbing, electricity, painting, sandblasting the walls, new windows and sold all the machinery from the woodenware business and brought in the booths used to showcase local products from artisans and craftsmen. “I remember standing in the middle of that building, in the midst of renovation,” recollected Win Grant. “We were in the process of replacing the roof and the floor. It was raining both outside and inside and I remember thinking to myself, what am I doing? It was a leap of faith, but a solid one for the business.”

   The first and most obvious question posed to Win Grant in the past week by customers, reporters and locals alike is why now? When posed this question Win simply smiled and said, “It’s not one thing, but its just time. The economy is a factor and I have been doing this job for forty-one years. I am interested in other things and need the time to focus on those as well. One project involves Windy Hill Vineyard on our property in Waltham and the presence of a ten month old grandchild. It is time for new projects and interests.” While Win Grant will greet this coming holiday week with a mixture of sadness and celebration, he shared with delight the commitment of the wonderful people who have shared this journey with him along the way and sited Office Manager, Vicky Rao for her 27 years of dedicated service, and others with decades including buyer Kathy English, and staff Kathy Douglas, Iona Smith, Joan Panton, Turtle Panton, Nancy Labrake and others. Another testimonial to the importance of the business in the community is the involvement of these talented people over so long a time.

   Kennedy Brothers will be closed from Monday- Thanksgiving, but will open the doors on Black Friday from 9:30-5:30 pm. Besides the reality of the fact that everything is on sale, right down to the fixtures in the building itself, Win explained that there are some special events planned and to watch for them. Over five thousand letters will be sent out to customers in Addison County thanking them for their years of patronage and highlighting the events and special sales.

   While the decision to close was wrenching, Win Grant was quick to point out that this is just another reinvention for the building and that it will continue to be a vibrant part of life in the Little City. “All of the businesses on the second floor are going to still be here and open,” Win remarked. “The building is up for sale, but the city is also talking about rezoning the site for mixed use.” When asked to share his 41 years of experience with the next generation of young business owners just getting started, Win paused a moment and then shared what he termed some of the best advice he ever got from an old gentleman banker he knew. “The most successful farms,” the banker remarked, “were those where the shadow of the farmer is on the farm.” and, “Find people to work for you who are smarter than you in their area.” There is no doubt that from installing the boiler and fixing just about every system in the plant to traveling the world buying and selling, Win Grant has left his mark on the family business in each and every page of its journey for the past forty-one years.

   “Life changes,” stated Win at the conclusion of the interview and indeed it does. But before the page turns on this holiday season and the end of the latest Kennedy Brothers era and chapter in the building, the Valley Voice wanted to salute the energy, diligence and civic commitment of this business owner and to celebrate the Kennedy Brothers Family, employees and facility for being so much a part of the daily life in Addison County.  

 


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