Via Community News Service, in partnership with Vermont State University Castleton for The Rutland Herald.
It is not very often you come across the likes of a sibling duo making a huge impact in the small town they were raised in. Maybe it runs in the family, or maybe the timing and circumstances were just right.
In either case, Whitney VanBuren, owner of Poultney Pub, and Martin VanBuren, professional photographer and owner of Pine Fox Photo, have made quite a footprint in the small town of Poultney.
The VanBuren siblings grew up in Poultney, both with entrepreneurial ambitions, much like their parents.
“Both of our parents are business owners,” Martin said. “So, I think that heavily influenced our entrepreneurial spirit, because we grew up with our parents having businesses.”
Whitney purchased the small but cozy pub, located at 158 Main St. in Poultney, about three years ago, as the pandemic was waning.
“The timing of taking on the restaurant toward the tail-end of the pandemic definitely made things interesting,” she said. “At that time, there were still some dining restrictions in place.”
Whitney had been familiar with the pub for some time before purchasing it in April 2021.
“I actually used to work at the restaurant before I bought it a few different times back in 2012,” she said.
Since taking it over, Whitney has maintained a fun and friendly atmosphere that offers a lot for locals and visitors outside Poultney as well. Aside from serving a simple but appealing variety of food and drinks, the pub also offers live music and special events.
“Every Tuesday night, seven o’clock, there is a bluegrass jam with Poultney Bluegrass Society, and that is something I was lucky to inherit. Really, that has been a Tuesday tradition at the pub for over a decade and multiple owners,” Whitney said.
Owning a business is something Whitney and her brother strived for.
“I’ve always wanted to have my own business, and be somebody that people would want to work for,” she said.
Martin pointed out a section of the wall on one side of the bar, a space decorated with awards of praise for the pub.
“Do you want to mention the Lakes Region awards side of that?” Martin asked.
“Oh goodness, yeah!” Whitney exclaimed. “We won Best of the Best this year for four different things. That feels really great just to have that recognition from the community. … We got Best Place to Work for the third year in a row.”
Town Manager Paul Donaldson weighed in on the restaurant’s success.
“It’s one of the few restaurants in town,” he said. “The bluegrass night is pretty popular for local musicians.”
The pub receives a lot of praise for the great food.
“I manage a high-end restaurant in Charlotte, and the banh mi at the pub is one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth,” Andrew Shook said in a Facebook post. “I thought not having a TV at the bar was a bad thing, but the staff is so engaging and knowledgeable, I didn’t miss it.”
The staff who work at the pub can vouch for the pleasant atmosphere and pleasurable working experience. Server Macaela Lewis is one employee who enjoys working at the pub and has worked there since before Whitney took over.
“I love working here. This year will be year seven,” she said.
But Whitney is not alone with her ambitious success in town. Martin’s Pine Fox Photo has a space on Main Street, but he travels much of the time.
“I cover pretty much as far as people are interested in having me,” he said. “I try to stick to … a 90-minute radius from Poultney.”
Martin started his career long before he ever graduated from college when he was hired his freshman year in 2015 by then Castleton University.
“I got hired as the only student photographer on campus at the time,” he said.
Martin does a little of everything when it comes to his subjects.
“So, I do weddings and couples and portraits, like literally everything,” he said.
Martin also does photography for the Poultney Pub, especially the website www.poultneypub.com online, in which he provides food photography and staff pictures.
“I’ll come in and do photos for Whitney. So, I’ll do some staff photos and food photos for the website,” he said.
Although Martin prefers to take a “one-man band” approach to his business model, he does consider the possibility of hiring someone to control the social media aspect of it, despite his discontentment with social media.
“On one hand, social media can be so great for business, but I hate social media so much. My social presence is so bad for the business. I don’t do reels. I hardly post enough, but I know that I should,” Martin admitted.
Martin prefers the simplicity of keeping things a bit more remote and less stressful, but this has not affected his ability to attract customers, local and not so local.
“People are traveling 30, 40 (miles), or I’m traveling an hour to get to people. I have a couple that I work with twice a year. They drive all the way up from Massachusetts,” he said.
He stated that the couple travels four to five hours to have their photos taken, rather than having them done in their own state, “which is always a huge compliment,” he said, pridefully.
Customer Sara Miles praised Martin’s business for her engagement photos.
“Thank you Pine Fox Photo for capturing these moments for us!” she stated in an online testimonial. “Highly recommend for all your photo needs!”
Given so much success and praise, it comes as no surprise that the siblings’ parents are proud of their son and daughter.
“We are very proud of the people our children have become,” she said. “We couldn’t be prouder of the impact they have on this community.”
Marcie, who owns a hair salon in East Poultney and her husband, Marty, who owns a sporting goods store there, did not know right away that their children were aspiring business owners.
“To our knowledge, they didn’t express any desire to be self-employed, like their father and I,” Marcie claimed.
However, both parents said they love to see both siblings doing what they love and excelling at it.
“As parents, we all want our children to be happy and enjoy the career they have chosen in life. It could be a tough life if you don’t enjoy what you are doing,” Marcie said.
At the end of the day, the siblings are proud to be a part of the Poultney community and want to continue to keep the community growing and thriving.
“Sometimes, I’ll get asked why we’re still here because Poultney is a really small town and the answer that I give is, ‘Well, someone has to. We want to keep a community going. Someone has to be here,’” Martin said.