How did we end up starting this whole thing? First, we had to buy the building.

We own up to white column on my far right. The green door on the left leads to the tenants upstairs.

33 Central Street in Woodstock is prime retail heaven. For anyone who is out of town or has never been to Vermont, there are endless things to do here all season. Visit Vermont, which is a good place to start. Do some poking, and you will find things you never knew existed. Vermont Vacation is another good resource. Woodstock is full of shops, with gifts for everyone. (Get lost in Gillingham’s and you’ll never find your way out!)

The location for this property, in the heart of Woodstock Village, was a no-brainer: We'd get income from the four residential units on the second and third floors, then get my project going on the first floor, and then get a tenant for the commercial space in the basement (used to be an ice cream shop!). All we had to do was pool our resources and bite the bullet. My older brother Nathan assured us this would be a smashing success — our dreams would come true! My brothers, Nathan, Will, and I formed our Amos & Ginger LLC, then signed on the dotted line, and as of July 23, 2023, the place was ours. We were terrified and excited at the same time. It would be a considerable undertaking, but with the support of my brothers, we committed to the project. Two months later, Nathan passed away.

That devastated our family. It's been more than a year. I feel like I lost a limb. Nathan was the center, the core of our family. We were all extremely close. I still find it hard to believe that it even happened. It was a freak accident no one could have predicted. Our worlds have irrevocably changed. There is no hand to hold when I reach out for his.

But we promised each other to make the businesses successful, so we're still plugging away at things.

I can hear Nathan whispering in my ear: “You can do it, Lize. Of course, you can!”