BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – A longtime Burlington retailer is reversing course, recommitting to its Church Street anchor store. Outdoor Gear Exchange on Wednesday said that after concerns about crime prompted them to open an outlet in Essex 15 months ago, they are now closing that branch and refocusing efforts in the Queen City.
“It affirms my kind of belief in our community — to show up for one another, whether it’s when you own a small business or you’re patronizing a small business,” said Vanessa Compton of Burlington, on hearing the OGE news.
“All of our energy can be placed here. We can start to bring in more in-person events and community outreach and all the things that got us to where we are that we really did have to put on pause for a few years as we struggled through some of the difficult times post-pandemic,” said store owner Marc Sherman.
On top of persistent shoplifting, Sherman says coming out of 2022 they saw a shift in shopping patterns and a loss of foot traffic in downtown Burlington that prompted the Essex expansion in 2023. “While our customers there were happy we were there, we didn’t feel they were getting the full experience. And it was also distracting our energies and resources in a way that made it hard to see Burlington grow the way it can,” he said.
Despite continued crime downtown, Sherman says he’s seeing a positive shift and wants OGE to be a part of the solution. “We’d like to see more businesses make statements like this and really commit — I think the city needs that. We need people to come downtown and we need to provide more opportunity,” he said.
Across the street, at longtime shoe boutique Dear Lucy, owner Melissa Desautels — who has also raised concerns on problems downtown — says her shop is also here to stay on Church Street and that OGE’s commitment is a win for everyone. “I’m excited. I think it’s very telling to have Marc as being such a good business owner deciding to put all his cards in Burlington. I think that’s very telling,” she said.
Other Church Street business owners we spoke to — some in the middle of lease negotiations — said OGE’s recommitment also makes them more excited for the future.
Entering this 30th year of business, Sherman hopes they can celebrate many more anniversaries on Church Street. “We are here to stay. We are committed and we want to see the next 30 years be equally, if not more, successful than the last 30,” he said.
Employees at the Essex location will all be offered jobs in Burlington.