By Amanda Kuhnert
Curtis Larrabee’s entrepreneurial journey is a classic example of “one thing led to another.” Growing up in West Danville, Vermont, Curtis was surrounded by the spirit of small-town entrepreneurship. His parents owned a general store, where his mother also served as a justice of the peace and his father was a notary. “My mother helped with local government matters and could marry people, and Dad was the go-to for anything that needed notarizing.”
Business ownership was always in the back of Curtis’s mind, but it took time for the right idea to come along. After he and his wife, Cristin, got married, they both became notaries as a side gig while working full-time. But once they became parents, the desire for more flexibility pushed them to take the leap into business ownership.
“I knew that if I ever started a business, I’d want something with relatively low overhead,” Curtis said. A Pack ‘n’ Ship store—paired with their notary services—seemed like a perfect fit. It also filled a local gap. St. Johnsbury lacked a one-stop shop for shipping and business services, with just a post office, a part-time UPS counter, and a Fed-Ex counter on the outskirts of town,
Getting Expert Advice
With a clear concept in mind, Curtis and Cristin reached out to Rick Daniell, an advisor with the Vermont Small Business Development Center (VtSBDC), to help bring their vision to life.
“I sought out VtSBDC to give our business the best footing,” Curtis said. “We had a good idea of what we wanted to create, and Rick helped us connect all the dots and explore every option.”
Even six months after opening their doors, Daniell remains an active supporter. “Just recently, Rick took an hour out of his Saturday to help me apply our window decals,” Curtis said. “He’s been a great resource and definitely goes above and beyond for the clients he serves.”
Off and Running
Curtis is happy with how steadily the business has grown over the past six months. While shipping services take up most of their day-to-day operations, it’s the add-on offerings that are driving revenue. “It’s an even split between notarizations, secure document shredding, and Fieldprint fingerprinting—one of our newest services, which is quickly becoming a regular request,” he said.
Curtis is always thinking ahead. “I’m constantly asking myself, ‘What would be beneficial for our local customers?’” So far, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. “Just yesterday, several customers told us how wonderful it is to have a place like this in town.”
For more info: packnship.802notarize.com.