Lucian Avery loves what he does, and he's good at it too. Lucian is the first one in his family to become a blacksmith, but self-employment runs in the family as the craftsmanship spirit has been instilled in him at a young age. Every piece he creates is custom designed, and he does business all over the United States. Although he is often overwhelmed with orders he doesn't complain, he can live and work at home in the beautiful mountains of Vermont with his family-and that is where his heart is. Our next stop was Egress Restaurant, also in Hardwick, where we talked with David Manchester and David Houriet, the co-owners.
Egress means to go out, go forth, a means of escape.
That is just what Dave and Dave did when they joined with two other co-owners to start their own business. The two Dave's were laid back and fun, as well as innovative and hardworking, often times putting in 80-90 hours a week. Dave and Dave grew up close by in Vermont and although they always dreamed of starting their own business they never could have foreseen the type of success that they are enjoying now. Houriet points out that he never knew exactly what he wanted to do, but owning and operating his own restaurant is one of many, many goals that he set for himself early on. However, Dave and Dave's success hasn't happened overnight, as Manchester points out, as he gives advice to future entrepreneurs.