For Community News Service, a VTSU-Castleton internship, for Rutland Herald
CASTLETON — Ever since her high school job in the ’90s at The Main Course, a kitchen store in downtown Rutland, Jillian Fucci has always wanted to be involved with that line of work. In June, Fucci’s dream entered the community of Castleton.
“We drove by one day and said, ‘Let’s do it,’ and here we are,” Fucci said.
Three years ago, Fucci and her husband, Greg Fucci, bought a farm on Pond Hill Road, moving from Rutland, where they closed their previous business, Mindful Monkey, a children’s yoga and mindfulness studio.
Now, the couple has taken over what used to be the Castleton Fire District building and has opened The Gourmet Goat, as well as Flying Goat Yoga, which she holds right at the farm.
“My field hockey team went to Flying Goat Yoga as a fun bonding experience,” Maggie Schwartz, Vermont State University Castleton graduate said. “It gave us the opportunity to laugh, relax and play with goats while strengthening our team relationship.”
“I wanted to be able to open a business in town and make it a really fun community of ours,” she said.
Fucci said so far the business has been great and the community has really taken to it, especially at the first two events held at the store.
“I plan on doing a new event every month to help get the word out,” she said.
The last event, held in August, was called “End of Summer.” It featured local musician George Nostrand, a pop-up store by Max + Dot, of Rutland, and a “flower bar” by North Clarendon’s Blume Farm. Vermont Mobile Spritz was also on hand, serving up cocktails and mocktails.
Maryjo Collaghan, owner of Blume Vermont, said Fucci was in need of last-minute flowers so she helped provide some. Collaghan said they do bulk cut flower sales and pick-your-own, with each season catered around a different flower. For Fucci’s event, Collaghan said she provided a variety of dahlias and lisianthus.
Fucci is also in a business partnership with a close friend of 30 years, Kara Wevurski, at the Max + Dot, a female athletic and leisure apparel shop on Center Street in Rutland.
“The love and pride they take in their business is evident in everything they do,” Wevurski said. “She and her husband have impeccable taste in kitchen products and home decor, so it’s always a feast for the eyes every time I enter their store.”
Fucci said everything in the store is something she and her family use regularly, specifically pointing out the pillows.
“If you come into my home, you will see them all over the place,” she said.
A particularly unique aspect of the store that Fucci said has caught the eye of many shoppers is the olive oil and balsamic bar, which she refers to as being “kind of my baby right now.”
Wevurski agreed, adding, “They are seriously delicious.”
Fucci said she had visited a lot of similar olive oil and balsamic bars herself and thought it was a cool idea, and since there wasn’t anything like it in the region, she wanted to bring something like it to the community.
The next big thing for Gourmet Goat is their “Cheese Society” subscription box that will be launching in the middle of September after the Cheesemakers Festival in Shelburne. Every month, a box is sent with three different cheeses inside, as well as a condiment and a fun kitchen gadget.
The Gourmet Goat offers so many one-of-a-kind items like animal-shaped mugs, carefully curated candle scents, and more.
“I can’t wait to pick up some adorably unique gifts for the holiday season,” Wevurski said.
With a full-time job as a partnership director connecting software companies with other software companies, Fucci said she is excited to share her corporate experience more locally, creating something that is not around in the area.
“Opening Gourmet Goat has definitely brought a creative side out of me that I haven’t been able to get in touch with for a while,” she said.
Gourmet Goat, located at 614 Main St. Castleton is open Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.