VERMONT BUTCHERBLOCK COMPANY
ENDURING QUALITY
I P
C R A F T S M A N S H
STRONG and SHARP
in New Hampshire . At the time , she was working three jobs to support herself and her daughter , Bailey . “ I started working on the deck of my apartment with old-school tools . I used an angle grinder , because I couldn ’ t afford an actual grinding machine , and I used locally-sourced wood , because I couldn ’ t afford fancy wood either .”
Bring the natural beauty of Vermont into your home
Butcherblock Countertops • Islands • Charcuterie & Cutting Boards
Custom crafted with Vermont grown Maple & other species to fit your specific needs
Business Smart
Terrific business bankers — personable , smart , helpful . And they even have great pens . What ’ s not to love ?!
Jeff Sanborn Sound Barrier Rutland
If you want bankers ( and pens ) you can work with , switch today !
Manchester 802-362-4760
Arlington 802-375-2319
Bennington 802-442-8121
Rutland 802-774-5085
TheBankofBennington . com
1891 Williston Rd South Burlington , VT
802-497-3524
www . vermontbutcherblock . com
Your Money Stays Here , Works Here , and That Makes a Difference . TM
TM
In 2012 , Cumings began working in a small shed on her parents ’ property in Troy . As her home knifemaking operation continued to progress , Cumings organically grew her social media platform and began using it as a powerful marketing tool . Althrough Cumings currently has over 100,000 followers on Instagram ®, she does not consider herself to be an “ influencer ” in any sense . “ I don ’ t gravitate towards influencer culture , because I always think of people trying to push advertisements on their followers , which I never do . I think the key to being successful is to just be yourself and support other people .”
In the process of building her business , Cumings formed relationships with established knifemaking companies , such as Columbia River Knife & Tool , Inc . ( CRKT ) “ They played a huge part in getting me to where I am today ,” says Cumings . “ They were very supportive , and they sent me free products early-on .” From there , Cumings got introduced to a lot of different makers , including Alan Folts , who lives in Florida , and Ken Onion , who is based in Hawaii . “ They ’ ve both been huge mentors of mine , and they are both designers for CRKT . One of my biggest goals is to get my own design in with CRKT one day , as well .”
In 2015 , Cumings ’ blossoming social media following attracted the attention of Discovery Channel ’ s recruiters , who offered her the opportunity to participate as a contestant in Naked and Afraid .
According to Cumings , she didn ’ t believe that the offer was legitimate at
8 VERMONT MAGAZINE