Ed Moore, former Executive Director of the Downtown Burlington Business Association

In the summer of 1968 in a 1962 Chevy II, my wife and I, our two young boys, and my mother-in-law made the ten hour trip from New Jersey to Essex Junction to visit family. It was our first foray into Vermont. For most of the time while we were “on vacation,” one thought remained constant in my mind: “Never again!” For someone born and raised in the city, and who still worked in a major metropolitan area, Vermont seemed like the kind of place where it took an hour and a half to watch “60 Minutes.”

We did all the obligatory tourist activities: riding the alpine slide at Smugglers Notch and a ferry trip across Lake Champlain to North Pole, New York. Eventually, there was some talk about heading “downtown,” but the very thought seemed to strike fear in the heart of our hostess. The wishes of her guests prevailed, however, and we had our very first exposure to downtown Burlington, Vermont. My reaction: What’s the big deal?

In the ensuing years, even though I had vowed “never again,” we did visit Vermont occasionally, but Burlington was rarely on the itinerary. Then, almost twenty years after our first visit, we ventured on our own back to “the big city.” First, we parked in the Burlington Square Mall parking garage and strolled the mall. Except for a few locally owned businesses, it might as well have been “Anyplace, USA.” And then we came to an exit sign that read “Church Street.”

Lewis Carroll did not propel Alice into Wonderland as magically as we were transformed into another world. What was this place? Where were we?

On a four-block red-bricked pedestrian mall that looked European: diversity in retail stores, restaurants, architecture, street entertainers and most importantly, people. Suddenly, Vermont seemed like the only place to be.

In 1988, fate stepped in. My employer was deploying staff from the headquarters in New Jersey to locations around the country. Being part of the task force managing the project, I knew of a need for personnel in Burlington. After consultation with the family, the decision was made to move to Burlington. Several years later, I accepted the position of Executive Director with the Downtown Burlington Development Association.

For more than eight years, I have been working toward promoting the economic vitality of downtown Burlington, the charter of the Burlington Business Association (the name was changed in 1998). To successfully accomplish our objective, we collaborate on a regular basis with the team that manages the Church Street Marketplace. In view of the competition from suburban malls, we must project an image of safety, cleanliness, and fun. We must promote what we have that the competition doesn’t: vibrant arts, a dynamic waterfront, diverse and high-quality restaurants, and the character, charm and rich history that makes Burlington and the Church Street Marketplace the special places they are today.

Burlington has been named America’s most livable city, a top-ten place to raise a family, a top-five most enlightened city, and a Great American Main Street. This last award, given by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, recognizes communities for exceptional accomplishments in revitalizing their downtowns. In doing so, Burlington effectively demonstrated active public and private participation, broad-based community support, success in boosting the downtown economy, and adaptive use and preservation of key historic buildings.

Community leaders recognized the potential for a pedestrian mall as a means to revitalizing the downtown. They were visionaries. Twenty years later their vision continues to propel this city forward. The Marketplace thrives with more than three million visitors a year. To those of us who live here, it is an everyday place to assemble, work, shop, and live. We’ve all developed a love affair with Burlington… even those of who once swore “Never again!”
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