MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermonters are getting a head start on their holiday shopping.

“I am preparing a little bit, I have grabbed some stuff once in a while at the co-op. There is some nice hand crafted knitted stuff,” said Jamie Montague of Montpelier.

Montague is a regular shopper in downtown Montpelier and says he loves buying local. And after the 2023 July floods, he wasn’t sure how shopping would look a year and a half later.

“A lot of businesses kind of, went under a bit. That was sad to see, but a lot of people made a come back. Which was surprising, a lot of places that I did not think were going to come back did,” said Montague.

And Montague is not the only one celebrating many storefronts returning. According to Montpelier Alive, many businesses had not made a full recovery until this fall foliage season. About 10 businesses closed after the floods, but now many have returned and about two or three are new, like Magpie & Tiger.

“Oh is is going to be very busy. I am very very new for the retail business. So, for me it is basically just getting all the product in. Everything looking festive. Making sure customers are being taken care of when they walk through the door,” said Elena Gustavson of Magpie & Tiger.

And now that some of downtowns bridges have been lit, Montpelier Alive is hoping for more foot traffic.

“The way I see it is this is a beginning of a new chapter for Montpelier. As I said with some new businesses, some turnover,” said Katie Trautz of Montpelier Alive.

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