The company has leased the 3,000-square-foot commercial space on the first floor of Redstone’s building at 316 Flynn Avenue in Burlington. Small Dog will vacate its current location at 100 Dorset Street by month’s end and open up shop in Burlington in October, according to general manager Emily Dolloff.
“The space is being completely fit up for our needs, so it’s a brand new space, a brand new design,” she said. “We’re really excited we’re going to be better able to serve retail and customers.”
The space is comparable in size to Small Dog’s existing SoBu showroom. The company’s landlord informed Small Dog in May that its lease, which expires September 30, would not be renewed “for reasons that were not disclosed to us,” Dolloff said. The landlord offered to rent them the former Eastern Mountain Sports storefront, but “we figured it was time” to move, Dolloff said.
Small Dog has been a destination for Mac-hounds since 1994, when CEO Don Mayer opened the first store in Waitsfield. Small Dog also has a store in Key West, Fla. The company itself is currently for sale as Mayer looks toward retirement, Dolloff said.
The new store will have separate entrances for customers seeking retail or tech service. It will also include a space for trainings and workshops, Dolloff said. Parking is available off-street.
Redstone managing partner Erik Hoekstra said he is thrilled with his new tenant. Small Dog will fit well in Burlington’s South End, an arts and technology hub, he said. His crew has been “cranking” to get the space operational before October, and “so far, we seem to be on track,” Hoekstra said.
The commercial space has been vacant since last summer, when Redstone began leasing the 30 apartments upstairs to some controversy. After moving in, multiple tenants lodged complaints about the building’s construction, from poorly installed windows to inconsistent hot water service. A few broke leases to get out, Seven Days reported earlier this year.
“We’ve had a really great relationship with Redstone and really give them a lot of credit, because … time has been very crucial for this,” she added. “There’s always going to be some challenges with spaces, but we have not encountered any issues, and from what we see, they are working on resolving any of the concerns with the building.”
By this point, Redstone has addressed nearly all of the tenants’ complaints, according to Hoekstra. Last week, crews were finishing up a project to better insulate the apartments directly above the parking area that Hoekstra said were “colder than they should be.” All of the units are rented, he added.
Small Dog will remain open in South Burlington through late September but may close for a few days during the move, according to Dolloff.
“Our goal is to make that as minimal a disruption as possible,” she said.
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They weren’t aware of the issues but they’re not concerned? Probably because Redstone won’t screw them over like they screwed over the regular tenants.
So long small dogs, it was nice having you here while it lasted. I predict the business will go under with this terrible new location. No parking other than the abysmal Flynn ave, are you joking?
1. I thought it was just new building syndrome and did not require extra work.
2. Small dog has abysmal customer service. At least customers will be treated poorly in a poorly designed new building.
3. Erik Hoekstra donates large amounts of money to the Weinberger campaign.
Wow . What a bunch of bitter people . Did Small Dog hump your dog ?
Can you please say what Erik Hoekstras campaign donations to Miro Weinbergers campaigns have to do with Small Dog moving into Hoekstras building? Hint: nothing.
Can you explain whats illegal or improper about Hoekstras donations? Hint: nothing.
Can you explain what is meant by large amounts?
Is it ok that Bernie showered his stepdaughters mayoral campaign you know, the campaign with no theme except that she is Bernies stepdaughter and is therefore entitled to be Mayor with money, laundered through an organization called Our Revolution?
That corner was better when Red Robert’s store was there.
I drove by on Sunday. There were no open parking spaces. Where can I take my Mac if it needs servicing?
It does seem like a strange location for a business that relies on customers to drive to it. I also wonder what Erik Hoekstra did disclose to the tenants when showing the building. They new tenants were completely unaware of any problems with the building even though the problems have been well documented by Hoekstra and seem to make at least some of the rental units unlivable.
Small Dog Electronics is among Vermont’s best businesses. Treats its employees right, attends to community, provides great products and superior service. That’s why Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility gave Small Dog’s founder Don Mayer its lifetime achievement award. With SmallDog’s blessings, I’ve hired great people who got their chops there and went on to spread their wings. I wish them well in their new digs.
I rent from Redstone and it can sometimes take the maintenance guys quite a while to get a minor problem fixed.
I don’t see this move as a good thing, unless customers have alot of extra time on their hands. Navigating is miserable in that neighborhood
I drove by the new building, yesterday.
What were they thinking?
Terrible location, ridiculous traffic, and no parking.
What?….
I have no need for their service but I pity those who do…