There’s a Maple Syrup Museum in Vermont, and It Could Be Yours
Ready to make a sweet life change? The New England Maple Museum in Pittsford, Vermont, is for sale, and it could be yours.
By Ian Aldrich|Jan 17 2019|
Young visitors to the New England Maple Museum. | Maple Syrup Museum for Sale
Credit: Courtesy New England Maple MuseumYoung visitors to the New England Maple Museum. | Maple Syrup Museum for Sale
Credit: Courtesy New England Maple MuseumCredit: Courtesy New England Maple Museum The story of the New England Maple Museum begins in 1977, when Tom Olson, a native Vermonter and an engineer at Grimes Manufacturing, one of the leading makers of sugaring equipment, decided the industry deserved a proper place to showcase its history and technology. He erected a small building on a five-acre spot on Route 7, bought the artifacts from a much smaller maple museum that had recently shuttered its doors, and opened for business. Olson also commissioned several murals by a local artist to illustrate the history of making maple syrup, from the days when Native Americans first experimented with sugaring to modern times (including an explanation of the science behind reverse osmosis). As business boomed, so did the museum’s offerings. In 1985, Olsen added on to the building, doubling its size. Today, visitors have nearly 7,000 square feet to peruse.
New England’s maple sugaring roots run deep. | Maple Syrup Museum for Sale
Credit: Courtesy New England Maple MuseumCredit: Courtesy New England Maple Museum A visit to the museum begins with a greeting by “Mr. Doolittle,” a talking mannequin dressed like a Vermont farmer (think flannel and more flannel), who explains the work of sugaring on his farm. There are hand-carved dioramas, exhibits of old equipment, and something called the “Wall of Shame,” in which faux maple products are humorously showcased. (Spoiler alert: Aunt Jemima does not get a lot of love.)
Sugaring artifacts | Maple Syrup Museum for Sale
Credit: Courtesy New England Maple MuseumCredit: Courtesy New England Maple Museum There’s also a large evaporator that simulates the maple process. Push a button, and sap drains from a fake tree into a holding tank, then runs through the evaporator, and emerges as maple syrup. Nearby, there’s a tasting room in which visitors can sample the four grades of syrup and try other maple-related products, like locally made cookies, jams, and jellies. The museum store also offers those items for sale, along with T-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats. Mike Blanchard, a retired used-car dealer who grew up in nearby Rutland with Tom Olson, was fascinated by what his old friend had started. “I’d go to the diner across the street and watch the buses roll in and think, I’d love to own something like that someday,” he says. “I even told Tom, ‘If you decide to ever sell, let me know. I’m your buyer.’” In 2012, Olson was ready for a change, and early the following year, Mike and his wife, Mary, became the museum’s new owners. For the next five-plus years the Blanchards poured their hearts into their new business. They loved interacting with the visitors and leading tours. It was a hobby — albeit a busy one — that gave the couple an opportunity to work together, along with their two sons, J.J. and Todd.
Store inventory | Maple museum for sale
Credit: Courtesy New England Maple Museum
