David Hiler, and Tim and Amy Brady, owners of Whetstone Brands, including Whetstone Craft Beers, Whetstone Station Brewery and Taproom, and River Garden Marketplace in Brattleboro, and Kampfires Campground, Inn & Entertainment in Dummerston, were named Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce 2021 Entrepreneurs of the Year at the organization’s annual meeting Jan 25.
Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce Director Greg Lesch said the trio was honored “for their amazing foresight and ability to look well beyond what is possible, for their risk-taking and for their heartfelt love of our town.”
“Having grown up in and around Brattleboro, this is a special honor for me,” said Hiler. “When we started Whetstone Station 10 years ago, it just seemed like a great business opportunity. But as we pursued other avenues in the following years, we just kept coming back to Brattleboro as an ideal place to continue to invest. It has a strong supportive community, appreciative visitors and a conscientious business environment. But most of all, people talk to each other here.”
“I’m so humbled and flattered to be recognized,” added Tim Brady. “When Amy and I moved to Vermont in 2006 to open our small inn and beer bar, we could never have foreseen the incredible path we would end up on. We’re proud to have called Brattleboro our home and we look forward to continuing to contribute to the culture and community of this amazing corner of Vermont.”
A chance meeting at a Vermont innkeepers conference in 2011 provided an opportunity for the Brattleboro hospitality trio to lift a pint and explore shared passions for craft beers and Brattleboro’s vibrant beauty. Within a year, the neglected River View Café site on the Connecticut River in downtown Brattleboro was transformed by them into the bright, modern Whetstone Station Brewery and Taproom.
Three years later, the team seized an opportunity to purchase the 18-acre Hidden Acres Campground site on Route 5 north of Brattleboro in Dummerston, on which they built Kampfires Campground, Inn & Entertainment.
At capacity for brewing at Whetstone Station and facing growing demand, in 2018 the team redeveloped a site on Frost Street in Brattleboro for a new brewery that accommodates supply to Whetstone Station, Kampfires and Rollin’ Stone. The space has also allowed Whetstone to distribute canned and draft beer to fine pubs and retail outlets across New England.
Most recently, in 2021, the team purchased and renovated the former Strolling of the Heifers’ River Garden space on Main Street in Brattleboro. Partnering with Handbuilt Market to join a traditional craft market with a long, bright bar, upgraded kitchen, emphasized glass vaulted ceilings, river views and event spaces, River Garden Marketplace has quickly become an anchor destination in downtown Brattleboro.