PROFILES IN BUSINESS: Stanley 'PAL' Borofsky and the success of Sam's

Vermont Business Magazine, Sep 01, 2004 by Marcel, Joyce

"BABB secured some matching funds for businesses to fix up their facades," Borofsky said. "Some funding was made available to improve sprinkler systems and other things. Our executive director visited with prospective new ventures coming to the community and helped them to find space to locate, and at the same time help our landlords fill space. She also helped with promoting events. Gallery walk (a successful tour of downtown art galleries and crafts shops on the first Friday evening of every month) was a part of this promotional activity."

Two of the biggest areas of blight in downtown were the old Rite Aid building on Main Street, and across from it, the Dunkin Donuts building on the corner of High and Main, Through BABB, the Rite Aid building was torn down and the elegant Robert H Gibson River Garden was constructed on the site. It was intended to give the town access to the Connecticut River and serve as an incubator for small businesses, which would eventually fill vacant storefronts. This has not worked out, and the future of the building is up in the air.

But the Dunkin Donuts site is now a popular Thai restaurant; the area in front, which used to be a parking lot, will soon be a park. According to Greg Worden, BABB "brought in millions of dollars in grant money for the town and continues to help the town. It's that kind of thing Pal is instrumental in. He's got a lot of dedication to his business and the town. He wants the town to do well so his business can do well. It works both way."

Both Baker and Worden call Borofsky "a real spark plug in downtown."

"When they made Pal, they threw away the mold," Baker said. "He has all kinds of energy. He's a very hardworking individual."

Semi-Retired

Apart from some downtown traffic flow problems and a running dispute over some parking spaces Sam's lost to the new garage, Borofsky is satisfied with the way things are going downtown.

He is less easy, at 70, about settling into retirement.

"I take a lot of time off," Borofsky said. "But when I'm not away, I'm kind of in the store. It keeps me busy and out of my wife's hair. I keep a good handle on the store. I don't do anywhere near as much buying as I used to. I try to buy a little bit here and there so I can, keep the pulse of the inventory. But my son really does most all of it now." Currently, there are no immediate plans to expand as

"There are always possible expansion plans," Borofsky said. "But we have not really been on the prowl for a new site recently. In the past we have, at one time or another investigated Manchester, Bennington, Rutland, and several other areas."

Borofsky's business philosophy has remained unchanged since the 1950s. Basically, he is still lifting the calf.

"You can't win them all," he said. "Just keep trying. Get up the next morning and think 'What's in store for me today?' In this business, I come to work and I never know what's going to happen. I go home tonight and say, 'Gee what did I accomplish today?"'