touRism
Lee KroHn
m oB i le m aKe s sense F oR a m a n cH e ste R mom-and-pop tecHnoLogy Partners
roUte 802
Williston
sUmmit tecHnoLogies
Williston
8
H
einel’s Clothiers on Main Street in Manchester is a classic Vermont family-owned retailer. Locals and tourists alike shop here for socks, boots and casual wear including items from the Johnson Woolen Mills. Owner Harlan “Hal” Levey claims that Heinel’s is the mill’s oldest customer. Founded in 1879, Heinel’s has changed hands a few times — most recently in 1989, when Levey and his wife Carol bought the store. A former elementary school music teacher who moved to Vermont from Manhattan in the 1970s, Levey is not a high-tech guy. “We’re just not into it,” he says of technology. “We still operate without cellphones and without whatever.” Until recently, he still rang up purchases on the store’s original brass cash register. But although Levey doesn’t use a smartphone, he understands that an increasing number of his customers do — especially those from his old hometown. That’s why he’s among a growing number of merchants who are embracing Experience Manchester, a new mobile application aimed at travelers searching for stuff to see and do.
ta p p i n g t e c h : t r a n s fo r m i n g v e r m o n t ’ s e c o n o m y
When tourists arrive in Manchester and check their phones, they can now connect to the town’s free Wi-Fi network. And when they do, they’ll land on the webapp Experience Manchester, a directory of local shopping, dining, lodging and entertainment options that launched in January. Experience Manchester is also available as a downloadable iPhone app from Apple’s App Store. Experience Manchester’s listings are optimized using photos, descriptions, one-touch dialing, mapping, a website link, menus and current discounts and deals. Users can also build an itinerary and share it via Facebook and Twitter. Not surprisingly, the app’s “anchor tenant” is Manchester Designer Outlets, which attracts thousands of visitors with disposable income from the socalled “Golden Triangle” — New York City, Albany and Connecticut. Levey, who doesn’t advertise in the local newspaper, plans to buy an ad in this online directory in June, in time to take advantage of increased tourist traffic. “People who use this technology, unlike those who browse through a daily newspaper, are more directly focused on shopping and dining and what businesses