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AUGUST 4, 2022
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Subs, suits and sweets for Finney Crossing Three new businesses set to open next to L.L. Bean BY KARSON PETTY Community News Service
Summer keeps rolling along Nothing says summer like fresh air, green grass and a leisurely scoot along Williston’s bike path on Tuesday. OBSERVER PHOTO BY AL FREY
Dozens apply for Catamount leadership role
Family Center seeks executive director BY JASON STARR Observer staff
About 50 candidates have applied to be the next executive director of the Catamount Outdoor Family Center, which operates biking, skiing and running programs on Williston’s Catamount Community Forest. The organization’s first executive director, Kim Stinson, who held the job for roughly three years, is transitioning to a new job with the North Country Animal League of Morristown, where she will lead the equine center. Stin-
‘There is never a good time for an executive director to leave, but I feel really good about where the organization is.’ Kim Stinson COFC executive director
son plans to step away from Catamount gradually in the coming months, helping her successor get up to speed. The Catamount board of directors’ deadline for applications passed Monday. A hiring commit-
tee of three board members plans to do initial applicant screening this week, said board vice president Alan Cote. “We received many resumes,” he said. “We really only need one person, but having more people to look at is a good thing … We will interview a number of finalists, then make a decision from there.” The executive director’s job is to generally further the center’s mission of creating “outdoor experiences … that build active lifestyles, friendships and environmental awareness” and further the board’s vision “of a community in which playing in nature is everyone’s first choice.”
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Jersey Mike’s Subs, Men’s Wearhouse and Crumbl Cookies will be opening in the Finney Crossing building anchored by L.L. Bean over the next several months. This will be the first Vermont location for both Jersey Mike’s and Crumbl Cookies. The New Jersey-based sandwich chain will be the first of the three new businesses to open, welcoming customers by the end of this month. “We are excited to bring Jersey Mike’s to Vermont. There will be more to come …,” Jersey Mike’s Area Director Chad Faulkner said, hinting at other future locations in the Burlington area. The franchise has hundreds of locations nationwide. The Williston store will be owned and operated by New Jersey native Tom King, who has Vermont connections as a graduate of UVM and as a frequent winter visitor to Waitsfield, where his family owns a home. “My wife and I moved back to Vermont six months ago to open (the restaurant),” King said. “I feel like I’m coming home.” Men’s Wearhouse is planning to move into the L.L. Bean-anchored building from its current location in Maple Tree Place. Finney Crossing developer Scott Rieley estimates the apparel store will open in its new home in October. This will be the second move for the Williston Men’s Wearhouse store, which was originally located on Route 2. “I think they’re relocating be-
cause they’re having a brand new, custom, state-of-the-art store built for them, as opposed to an old legacy location,” Rieley said. Crumbl Cookies, which has employed an active social media strategy to gain popularity — including 5.6 million followers on TikTok — is early in its planning for the Williston store, according to company spokesperson Rachel Fabbi. There is no estimated opening date yet.
A Jersey Mike’s sandwich shop is set to open at Finney Crossing by the end of the month. OBSERVER PHOTO BY KARSON PETTY
“The (Williston) store is still in the very early stages, but we’re really excited for our franchise partners to open the first store in Vermont,” Fabbi said. With Jersey Mike’s, Men’s Wearhouse and Crumbl Cookies, the entire L.L. Bean-anchored building will be occupied. L.L. Bean opened in June. “We’re very very pleased with the progress (the property has) made,” Rieley said.
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