Albans as a “quiet backwater
near the Canadian border.”
In 1980, Mayor Janet Smith
was shot to death by a
handyman who lived with
her, less than a week after
she took office. By the mid-
2000s, St. Albans police,
politicians, and medical
officials made loud public
cries for help in combating
the opioid addiction that
wracked the area. The
public acknowledgment
of that problem served as
another body blow to the
community’s image.
“I can remember standing
outside in 2011 like a carnival
barker trying to get people
to come into my restaurant,”
said Tom Murphy, owner of
Twiggs American Gastropub,
located smack-dab in the
middle of St. Albans. “It was
a dead, small-town main
street with absolutely nothing
going for it.”
For a glimpse of just how far St. Albans has come, consider
this anecdote: Tim Smith
is the executive director
of the Franklin County
Industrial Development
Corp., a private, nonprofit
organization that helps
spearhead business growth
in northwestern Vermont.
Smith is a deeply rooted
St. Albans native. A 1978
graduate of BFA-St. Albans,
his family once owned
a popular restaurant in
the city, and today, his
other family members are
prominent business leaders
in the area. He also became
St. Albans’ mayor in March
— a part-time position with
no salary. Smith tells the
story of a recent economic
development seminar he
attended. “Here I am in a
room with 250 bankers and
ABOVE Julie Thommes has a snack with her daughter
Aubri Richards at a coffeehouse on Main Street.
OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Twiggs American
Gastropub owner Tom Murphy (right) rode out tough
times before the turnaround; family and friends enjoy
their backyard at a new housing development; inside
Catalyst Coffee Bar; more affordable home prices offer
a step up; cruising through the farmers market.
