Brattleboro chamber to sell Main Street headquarters and shift to smaller office

The chamber plans to remain open to the public in its next office.

The Brattleboro Regional Chamber of Commerce is preparing to put its downtown property on the market and relocate to a smaller office in town as it expands its work across Windham County and beyond.

The chamber’s building at 178-180 Main St. is expected to be listed for sale on Friday, while the organization waits to choose a new location until after the property is sold. Rachel Shields Ebersole, the chamber’s executive director, said the move reflects a long-running board discussion that reached a decision this summer.

She said the organization wants to spend more time meeting members where they are rather than maintaining a fixed headquarters, and believes funds tied up in ownership and upkeep can be better directed toward regional outreach. The chamber plans to remain open to the public in its next office, which will have a smaller footprint.

The new home will be announced later, and chamber leaders said they do not yet know how long the sale process will take. They also said they want the building to be taken over by someone committed to keeping an active presence downtown.

Windham Flowers, which leases half of the property, will stay in place during the transition. The chamber also said staff, programming and member services will continue without interruption, and it has posted a question-and-answer page on brattleborochamber.org for members seeking details.

According to the chamber, about 250 member businesses are served across Windham County, including Brattleboro, Putney, Dummerston, Guilford, Vernon, Marlboro, Newfane, Townshend and the West River Valley, as well as Hinsdale and Chesterfield in New Hampshire.

The organization said the change will allow its team to be more visible at businesses and community events throughout the region. Community responses have been limited so far, though one person had already reached out Thursday morning to say the plan was disappointing.

Supporters of the shift said the chamber’s presence outside a single office could strengthen connections with local businesses. Anthony Toscano of Community Bank said he welcomes the broader outreach. Victoria Roberts of Southern Vermont Solar said it is important for the chamber to build relationships across the business community and help members connect with one another.