Burlington, Vermont - May 13, 2011
The latest addition to Burlington's Church Street got all dressed up for its first day of business.
"We say a handsome potato is a dressed up spud," said Mike Beaulieu of the Handsome Potato.
Beaulieu and his fiancée Katie took a homemade favorite and turned it in to a full-time business.
"My mom taught me how to make mashed potatoes when I was younger. So it is coming from her, but I put a little twist on it," Beaulieu explained.
His twist is a little griddle heat which adds some crunch to the mashed potatoes and a handful of your favorite condiments.
Beaulieu says he thinks they have a recipe for success. And while he got the idea studying for his business degree, he credits his work ethic to his time spent serving overseas.
"Being able to work on my own, be my own boss and everything. It sounds counterintuitive with the military, but there are a lot of things in the military you have to do on your own and take care of yourself," he said.
Beaulieu is finishing up his bachelor's degree in business at Champlain College after returning home from the Middle East in December.
"This was my first tour in Afghanistan. I did two tours in Iraq as well," he said.
He decided to focus on his education full time when he got home because the job market was not looking good.
"A lot of my friends are having a hard time coming home," he said. "I mean it is just like everyone else. The only downside is we have all been gone for a year. It is hard to network while you are away."
But his project became a reality when a cart space opened up on the marketplace.
"In school I was just kind of joking around with it. After I went and talked to the marketplace and they said they would have one spot open and we went for it," he said.
Church Street officials say demand is way up for these spots.
"We are getting more this year. Actually we added three new ones to our section," said Mimi Gutchell of the Church Street Marketplace. "A lot of it is based on the economy. How the economy is going."
It costs $1,500 a year for retail carts to set up shop on Church Street and up to $2,400 for food carts. Gutchell says small businesses see these costs as more realistic when trying to start a business in this economy.
"Look at Teddy Bear, they started out here on the street as a vendor cart and they grew. Skinny Pancake started out here. We have had quite a few that started out small just to kind of test the waters and see how it goes. When they feel comfortable they go off and on to a business," Gutchell said.
Beaulieu says they have similar dreams.
"We want to start a restaurant," he said.
For now, they are focused on keeping their cart open 5 days a week.
Molly Smith - WCAX News
