Home Care In Burlington, ON

A new food kiosk will be feeding hungry visitors in City Hall Park this summer. Himalayan D'lite, owned by Sherpa Foods, will open this weekend, offering momos and other Nepalese dishes year-round in the park.

The kiosk was initially part of the original City Hall Park redesign in 2020, but funds couldn't support its building. The Burlington City Council approved moving forward with the project in May 2023 with the help of American Rescue Plan Act Infrastructure investments. After a series of requests for proposals, Himalayan D'lite was chosen, along with Brooklyn-based design studio REINZ + OEI as the designer of the kiosk.

Samantha McGinnis, assistant director of downtown projects and events for the Department of Business and Workforce Development, said that this kiosk is an exciting step for Burlington, creating an "immersive experience" in City Hall Park. Hydrangeas are in full bloom, the splash pad is ready for kids, and live music fills the greenery weekly − the kiosk is another addition to that lively lineup.

Himalayan D'lite

Nurbu Sherpa, owner of Himalayan D'lite, said this is a full-circle moment for his business.

His company, Sherpa Foods, began as a food stand at the Burlington Farmers Market back when it was in City Hall Park. Along with chow mein and fried rice, momos are the crowning jewel of Himalayan D'lite. A version of a dumpling, it is filled with minced meats and vegetables and served warm.

Since then, he and his wife, Phura, grew their business to become a staple wholesaler in New England. They expanded to catering events in and around Burlington and through word of mouth continued to grow their business.

In 2015, Sherpa Foods began selling their momos in local stores like City Market and Healthy Living. Recently, their line of Himalayan Style Hot Sauce called Momo Sauce, which comes in mild, hot, sesame and maple flavors, has become available in Whole Foods throughout New England and in Home Goods nationwide.

Sherpa said one of his goals was to have a brick-and-mortar store. In 2023, they opened their first fast casual cafe in South Burlington. It's been successful, and this kiosk will be one of many locations he hopes are to come.

Sherpa hopes to take some of his ideas from the cafe, like a momo eating contest they had in May, and apply it to the kiosk.

Giving back to the community

Along with good food and fun events, Sherpa wants to give back to the community. Every month, a percentage of proceeds − or food − will be donated to various nonprofits. The organizations will vary, and the community will have a say in who they want to donate the money to when they order.

The bright blue-and-green kiosk was designed by artists Wade Jeffree and Leta Sobierajski, The Cloud, as people have taken to calling it, brings a splash of color and creativity to downtown.

The kiosk will be open year-round, with hours for the moment being 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is subject to change depending on the time of year and flow of business.

Sherpa referred to it as an "experiment" while he and his staff gauge how business is run in City Hall Park and adjust accordingly. The kiosk will be credit and debit card only.

Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at [email protected].

Burlington’s greenhouse gas emissions are down 19% as of 2024 compared to 2018, but the work is not done, as the city and Burlington Electric Department announce more electrification programs.

Burlington’s Net Zero Energy Roadmap 2024 update was presented by Mayor Emma Mulvaney-Stanak and BED April 9, along with new initiatives that will be kicking off this year.

First pitched in 2019, the NZE Roadmap offers incentives to reduce fossil fuel consumption in the city, including switching to electric or hybrid vehicles and installing heat pumps. Those proved to have panned out positively and the plan has been executed and updated every year since.

Positive progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

The roadmap update shows that Burlington’s greenhouse gas emissions in the ground transportation and thermal and buildings sectors are down 19% compared to the 2018 baseline. The reduction from the previous year, 2023, is 2.8%, something Mulvaney-Stanak said demonstrates continued climate progress in the two largest emissions sectors in the state.

“Climate action is among the top priorities for my administration, and I appreciate that the Net Zero Energy Roadmap update shows continued reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in 2024,” Mulvaney-Stanak said.

Last year also represented the lowest natural gas consumption for Burlington since tracking began in 2018. Darren Springer, General Manager of BED, said that is likely due to warmer winter weather, energy efficiency and continued deployment of heat pumps and other electrification technologies.

The city also say progress with continued vehicle electrification, with nearly 1,300 electric vehicles and hybrids registered as of 2024. That number represents nearly 6% of all vehicles registered in Burlington.

Springer also stated that it's important to note that Burlington is "outpacing state and national trends in our emissions reduction progress."

He compared Burlington's natural gas consumption to the rest of Vermont, stating that the city had a "nearly double" reduction of 18.1% compared to 9.4% statewide over the same timeframe.

Burlington also saw larger reductions in ground transportation emissions and fossil fuel consumption than was seen statewide.

New and expanded electrification incentives

In January, BED previewed upcoming pilot programs for both residential battery storage and a heat pump bill credit rate. BED has officially announced next steps regarding those pilot programs, plus introduced a new option under its home EV charging rate and a new pilot to offer certain rebates as on-bill credits.

Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at [email protected].

In an era where consumer confidence is being tested by inflation and rising living costs, off-price retailers like Burlington Stores and Ross Stores are doubling down on strategies that emphasize value and flexibility. Both companies have adapted to increased demand for discounts by balancing quality, strategic assortments, pricing and store growth.

Read more: Trade and Tariffs Worries Drive Decline in Consumer Confidence

Burlington Elevates Product Assortments

For Burlington Stores, the strategy of “elevating” its product offering has been pivotal in maintaining its competitive edge. In 2024, the company introduced a higher mix of national brands and better-quality products across key categories. During the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call, CEO Michael O’Sullivan said the focus was not just on higher-end brands but on improving the overall value proposition across different price points.

This included offering higher-quality fabrics, more up-to-date fashion, and enhanced embellishments to meet the needs of both price-sensitive and style-conscious customers. This move paid off, with Burlington reporting a 6% increase in comparable store sales in the fourth quarter, signaling strong customer approval of its refined product assortment.

“We went after opportunities to elevate the assortment at all price points, paying close attention to the Need a Deal as well as the Want a Deal shopper,” O’Sullivan told analysts. “We drove this elevation strategy throughout last year, but it was most evident and powerful in the fourth quarter. I interpret our 6% comp sales growth in Q4 (and grew 4% for the full year) as just the customer telling us that they approved of this strategy and really loved our assortment.”

This emphasis on value-driven assortment is crucial as Burlington continues its expansion strategy, O’Sullivan added.

In 2024, the company opened 101 new stores. It plans to maintain this pace with an anticipated 100 net new stores in both 2025 and 2026. With long-term projections calling for mid-single-digit comparable sales growth through 2028, Burlington’s growth trajectory looks strong, underpinned by its ability to attract a broad range of consumers with varying needs and spending habits.

Burlington’s ability to cater to both lower-income and middle-income shoppers has been a key driver of its success, O’Sullivan said.

“Our stores that are in lower-income trade areas were the strongest performing stores in the chain,” he said. “But we also saw a very healthy mid-single-digit comp store sales growth in moderate- and higher-income trade areas. We believe comp growth in those stores was driven by the trade-down customer. The strongest comp sales growth rates in Q4 were in price buckets well above $10. That’s the trade-down customer. We are very pleased with the strength of our business with our core Need a Deal shoppers and we’re also very pleased with our success in attracting the want to deal or the trade-down shopper.”

See also: How Consumers Shop: Five Insights From This Year’s PYMNTS Intelligence Reports

Ross Stores Leverages Branded Discounts

Ross Stores, similarly, has benefited from offering branded goods at discounted prices, though its performance has been somewhat more volatile. In fiscal 2024, Ross reported total sales of $21.1 billion, marking a 3.4% increase over the previous year. Comparable store sales rose by 3% in the fourth quarter, following a robust 7% gain in the same period in 2023.

The company’s ability to attract customers with its improved assortments of quality branded bargains during the holiday season was a major factor in these positive results, as noted by CEO James Conroy. But company officials have seen softer performance as it entered the first quarter of 2025, driven largely by macroeconomic pressures that have dampened consumer spending.

“We have seen softer business as we transitioned out of the fourth quarter and into the first quarter,” Conroy said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call. “While there are always opportunities for us to improve our execution, we believe the softness we are currently seeing is primarily due to macro pressures, impacting consumer confidence, resulting in a pullback in discretionary spending.

“That said, we believe that some of the recent challenges we are seeing could be transitory in nature,” he added. “Additionally, we anticipate that the volatile external environment will result in more opportunities for closeout merchandise and could set us up well to deliver even greater values on branded goods in future quarters.”

Looking ahead, Ross has adopted a cautious approach, forecasting comparable store sales growth for 2025 to be in the range of -1% to +2%. While the company acknowledges the challenges posed by the external environment, Conroy noted that Ross’s flexible business model and ability to source closeout merchandise could help mitigate these pressures.

Both companies are adjusting to a challenging retail environment marked by rising inflation and shifting consumer priorities. The recent PYMNTS Intelligence report, “Struggling Consumers Go to Short-Term Strategies to Manage Higher Expenses,” revealed that rising costs, including higher bills, were pushing consumers to adapt their financial habits.

On average, individuals living paycheck to paycheck took 5.9 steps to cope with rising bills, nearly twice as many as the 3.2 steps taken by those who are financially stable. These actions often included emergency measures like skipping or partially paying bills (33%), while fewer opted for solutions like negotiating rates (12%). Many also reported canceling services (22%) or seeking financial assistance programs (24%).

Financial pressure has led many consumers to live paycheck-to-paycheck, prompting retailers to adapt their strategies to cater to cost-conscious shoppers. With inflation continuing to surpass income growth, PYMNTS Intelligence data shows 67% of U.S. consumers are living paycheck-to-paycheck.

The Old North End Arts Community School will be expanding this summer, taking over the lease at the former Sara Holbrook Community Center.

The Sara Holbrook Community Center served the area for 87 years, but had to close its doors in 2024, primarily due to financial challenges, like the loss of pandemic relief funds and lack of grant money. However, a few years prior in 2020, the North Avenue property was gifted about $4 million for renovations, so the updated space had community draw even after the community center had to step back.

The Burlington School District has been renting the space since for the past few months. BSD has been using the space for a variety of classes as the Integrated Arts Academy has been closed for renovations. When they decided to not renew, ONE Arts chose to pick up the lease.

ONE Arts Community Schools offer daytime and evening arts programming for both children and adults of all levels of ability. They curate art shows, offer monthly critique times for artists and sell the work of local artists.

They currently have a location on North Winooski Street in Burlington, and on West Lakeshore Drive in Colchester. The Burlington location has three classrooms and serves 28 children, aged between six months to five years old, five days a week.

ONE Arts co-founder and co-president Becca McHale said they had been hoping to move the Burlington school to a larger facility with its own playground for some time. She said they responded quickly when the Request for Proposals was released recently, and were selected a month later.

They plan to keep the space on North Winooski Ave and expand the after school and camp programs for elementary students there. The new space will likely serve 80 to 90 children, infants and toddlers specifically, on a full-time basis.

McHale said there is a "desperate need" for childcare in the community. While the Sara Holbrook Community Center had to close its doors, Champlain Housing Trust - the owners of the building - have made sure to rent the space to businesses who are serving those communities.

Sydney P. Hakes is the Burlington city reporter. Contact her at [email protected].