BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Burlington restaurants and shops are gearing up for tens of thousands of people to visit over the next several days for the eclipse and many have prepared special ways they are commemorating the once-in-a-lifetime event.
Merchandise and special items abound at stores around Burlington to commemorate Monday’s eclipse.
At Common Deer, a retail gift and home decor shop on College Street, officials say the trinkets have been popular among people who live locally, and they’re hoping they have enough for the tourist demand as well.
“A lot of people want something to remember it by and that can be anything from you know, an ornament that says you know, the exact date or even just a little dish that has a moon on it. Just something that like reminds you of that experience that you had whether it was you just happen to see it looking up in the sky or you made a special day of it with your family or your friends,” said the store’s Sarah Beale. She says this is normally a very slow time of year so the eclipse is a great economic boost. “This is our opportunity to kind of show off how cool Burlington really is and the chance that these people might want to come back again.”
Over at Homeport on Church Street, the store’s Mark Bouchett says they’ve stocked up on eclipse gear and are also highlighting their maple syrup and other locally made products. “We love our state and we love our town, so we want to share that with everybody else who wants to learn about us and come back, ” he said. “We want to be good hosts.”
American Flatbread on Monday is getting in on the action with their aptly named “Total Eclipse of the Hearth” celebration. They are already busy smoking meat and mushrooms, unveiling a Totality Black IPA and planning for a jam-packed day hosting patrons on their upper deck. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a lot of these people for us for sure, so why not make it… we’ll have a little party for it. We have one of the coolest places to see these kinds of things — a little upper deck space — why not take advantage of it,” said the restaurant’s Andrew Gennison.
Visitors are urged to call ahead to make sure restaurants and other businesses are open for business Monday.
Click here for all our eclipse coverage to help you get ready for the big day.