"Make It on Main Street" winners announced

WILMINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Twenty thousand dollars was awarded to help two business willing to move to the downtown Wilmington area. It was part of a contest over the Summer called, "Make it on Main Street."

The idea to revitalize the area came from the group, Wilmington Works. The money was provided by executive producer of the Dan Patrick Show, Paul Pabst, who has a second home in Wilmington. Pabst won the money on a celebrity game show.

Nineteen businesses submitted ideas. A panel of judges trimmed the applicants down to three.

Recently, those three businesses gave one final presentation to the judges, including Pabst.

"This is exactly what we wanted. We wanted to show off what a great area Wilmington, Vermont is and in the process get a good new business," Pabst said.

After a long deliberation, the judges called for a tie.

Two of the three companies, 802 Fitness and Therapy and Beurremont Bakery will split the prize.

"I'd say it's game changing because it allows me to not have to have that overhead capital struggle or lack of capital in the beginning of a business," 802 Fitness and Therapy owner, Paul Croutworst, said.

"I'm kind of at a level right now where I can only do so much in somebody else's space," Beurremont Bakery owner, Hannah Cofiell, said. "So, this would allow me to meet the demand that I'm already having and that I'm not able to do right now."

If the third company, Haystack Coffee Collaborative, decides to go forward and moves to downtown Wilmington, it will receive $10,000 from a fund set up by Wilmington Works.