By Lauren Dorsey, Staff Writer
From 1 The Green to the old pharmacy building, a number of the storefronts in and around Woodstock Village are currently closed to the public. However, that could soon be changing. “There is a lot happening that we just haven’t seen the end result of yet,” Seton McIlroy, the chair of the Village Trustees, told the Standard this week. “It makes me very excited about the next year or so of the life of the Woodstock Village.”
Collected below are updates on just some of the operations that are planning to open or expand in the area.
Woodstock Village
Woodstock Home: Tara Layne plans to open Woodstock Home, a new home and garden store at 1 The Green, on April 10. “Whether it’s clothing, home decor, or garden accessories, we’re going to have a really eclectic collection of interesting and functional products,” Layne told the Standard. Before moving to South Woodstock, Layne, who has significant experience in retail and has owned a clothing store in the past, lived in Florida. “Woodstock has such a strong sense of community, and we really wanted to be a part of that,” she said. She also mentioned that she plans to update some features of 1 The Green. “This building that we’re in has historically been a little tired, so with the landlord’s help, we’re really sprucing it up.”
Dreamscape: In the old home of Soulfully Good at 67 Central Street, the new cafe Dreamscape will be holding an official opening on May 3. The cafe, which is owned by James and Rachel Williams, and Brieanna and Austin Perez, had a soft opening several weeks ago to great success. “The town has really shown up for us. We feel so welcomed, and it’s so encouraging to be hearing every single person that comes and says, ‘Wow, we love what you’ve done with the place,’” James Williams told the Standard. As of Tuesday, March 25 all of their online reviews are 5 stars, with most making special note of the coffee, a particular focus for James and Rachel. “Our goal is to bring the best coffee to Woodstock and to Vermont at large,” said Rachel Williams. Ultimately, James Williams said that they hope to become a community space for local people in town to spend time. “There is a concept in Europe called the ‘third place,’ and it’s not your work space, and it’s not your home. It’s where you go to spend time with friends or have a chat or have a work meeting or work on a project. We really want to bring that space to Woodstock,” said James.
Pizza with a Purpose: Eliza Laffin, a fourth-generation Vermonter, is planning to open a pizzeria called Pizza with a Purpose at 33 Central Street in 2026. Laffin said she hopes to begin construction on the new restaurant next week. Laffin, who owns the building where the shop will be housed, is also currently in talks with several businesses that may rent out the basement level of the building, and she said a business may be ready to open there as early as later this year. Once the pizza shop is off the ground, Laffin has big dreams for the ways it may help shape the community.
“After the pizzeria has been in operation for a year, my mission — ‘pizza with a purpose’ — is to bring in at-risk youth, teens from low-income families, and individuals in the foster care system,” Laffin told the Standard. “I plan to teach them how to cook, providing them with valuable skills they can use anywhere.” Her idea for the operation came from her own experience as a kid in Vermont. “Growing up poor, I learned the importance of hard work and have a deep appreciation for it,” said Laffin. “I have a special connection to teenagers, having been an English teacher, and to the foster system, as it is how I adopted my son.”
Shambhala Farm: On March 1, Nicole Lee opened a second studio for her yoga teaching business, Shambhala Farm, at 4 The Green. Lee has been teaching her specialty, Ashtanga Yoga, in the Woodstock Village since 2020, in a studio in her home. “This new space is unbelievable,” said Lee. “It’s in an old historic Woodstock building, and we feel super lucky to be here.” Before Lee moved in, the office was occupied by local physician Hugh Hermann, who retired at 95 earlier this year. “We gave the office a little refresh, and now I’m teaching five public classes there a week,” said Lee. She emphasized that she wants to increase the number of classes and private clients she hosts in the new space over the course of the summer. “One of the biggest misconceptions about yoga is that yoga is only for fit, flexible young people, but we have every kind of human walk through our doors,” said Lee. “I had a woman who was almost 80 years old on Sunday in my restorative yoga class. We want to welcome everybody into our studio, and we’re excited to grow in this new space.”
Mangalista: Construction continues at 61 Central Street as the renovations to local restaurant Mangalista, and the four-unit townhouses just behind at 26 Mount Peg Road continue. The project has had some hangups with getting water and electric utilities to the site, but the construction of the sewer work finally wrapped up in the spring of last year. While it was originally estimated to be completed last fall, local restauranteer Matt Lombard told the Standard last fall that Mangalista’s opening would be delayed until sometime later this year while construction on the townhouses wraps up.
East End
Ranch Camp: The owners of Ranch Camp, a hybrid restaurant and bike shop in Stowe, are considering opening a second location at 431 Woodstock Road, formerly the home of Citizens Bank. The bike shop would include repairs, rentals, and product demonstrations, while the restaurant would serve handmade burritos, tacos, and salads. During a meeting with the Village Trustees about the proposed operation on Feb. 25, Nate Freund, one of its owners, said that if everything with construction goes as planned, the business could be open as soon as this July. Currently, they are planning to leave much of the existing structure untouched. “Where the vault was would be a kitchen. Where the tellers worked inside, would be a bar, and [we would put a] bike shop downstairs,” said Freund during the Trustee meeting. Should the project go forward, they are planning to be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week.
Farmer and the Bell: At 67 Pleasant Street, construction for a new breakfast and lunch restaurant Farmer and the Bell is in full swing. If everything goes as planned, the Standard reported last week that the eatery could be open late fall. Owners April and Ben Pauly are planning for the restaurant, which grew out of a popular pop-up donut operation, to be open five days a week from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The shop will seat 96 and have both takeout options and sit-down dining.
Surrounding area
Jackson House Inn: Oakes & Evelyn, a restaurant in Montpelier operated by Chef Justin Dain, who is also the executive chef of the Hanover Inn’s Pine restaurant, will be opening a new location at The Jackson House Inn, 43 Senior Lane in Woodstock. According to Saxton Sharad, one of the Inn’s owners, the target opening day for Oakes & Evelyn, which has developed a reputation for its raw bar and crudo, is June 1. The restaurant’s space, which is currently undergoing significant renovations, will seat around 50 and be open 7 days a week for breakfast and 5 days a week for dinner. Sharad said that he hopes that the new spot at the Inn will become a gathering place both for tourists and the local community, and their renovations, which include reclaimed hardwood floors, all new furniture, and creating more public space in the Inn, have that in mind. “We want to be the living room of the community to have our local neighbors come in and be able to have a vacation without going away,” said Sharad. The restaurant will also cater any events and weddings at the hotel.
Bohan’s Bakery and Cafe: Bohan’s Bakery and Cafe in Reading has been open for about five months. At the moment, the bakery is open three days a week from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m., but owner Matt Mullock is hoping to expand operations in the summer. “There’s a vacuum in this area. Outside of the Brownsville Butcher & Pantry, people in my immediate vicinity need to go 20 minutes in one direction or the other for a cup of coffee,” said Mullock. “A lot of my neighbors have expressed gratitude that I’m actually open and that they have someplace close to have a breakfast sandwich or just take something to go.” Bohan’s currently has a small food menu, but Mullock is hoping to expand that this summer as well. “I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about some of my baked goods because some of the recipes that I use, with a few tweaks, go back five generations in my family,” said Mullock. “I’m a little bit of a perfectionist. I want to get things right.”
While plans can change and operating a business in Woodstock comes with a significant number of challenges, McIlroy said she is optimistic about so many of the planned operations. “We have a challenging place to do business because we have times with lots of people and times with very few people,” McIlroy told the Standard. “I know that being a small business owner in Woodstock is not for the faint of heart. Still, I’m very excited and have a lot of admiration for the businesses planning to come to Woodstock and on the government side, we want to do what we can to be helpful to them so that everyone can be successful.”