SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – “That’s why I think it might have been meant to be,” said Lisa Young, owner of Great Northern Liquidation in Springfield.
Lisa, her husband Rick, and their son Ricky recently opened the thrift and consignment store in the Shaw’s Plaza, taking over the space formerly occupied by Young’s Furniture and Appliances, who were in business for more than 100 years.
Young was somewhat jokingly referring to the coincidence of sharing the same last name as the previous occupants. For the record, the two families are not related.
Great Northern Liquidation celebrated its grand opening in the new location on June 16, 2023, and in January 2024, the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce named them Business of the Year, an honor based on community nominations. Lisa was thrilled to be given the award. “We really want to be a good fit for the community.”
Lisa and Rick will be celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary this year, and Lisa shared that the couple has been in business together for the past 20 years buying and selling estate items, initially via yard sales and on eBay.
Their yard sales were huge, four-day events, Lisa recalled. “We called them a ‘pressure release’ to lower our ever-expanding inventory.” In the early days, during the time Lisa referred to as “the Wild West of eBay,” they started small, then kept growing, buying and selling in bulk, and expanding the business exponentially as they went along.
The Youngs started out storing inventory in their garage until moving to a large, rented warehouse in Proctorsville. Ultimately, they purchased a building on Clinton Street in Springfield, which they quickly filled, and where they still navigate their business from today.
Lisa said Ricky has quickly become the in-house audio expert, and oversees designing the layout of the selling floor. “Ricky is interested in taking over the business someday, and he’s really good at it.”
The staff is small, with only four full-time employees. Trystan and Lisa Simano are married, they both grew up in the area, and handle the deliveries.
When Rick told Lisa he felt they needed to be open on Sundays, Lisa was hesitant. “We need a day off,” she said at the time. She was grateful when Trystan and Lisa offered to manage the store on Sundays, and reports that the arrangement has been working out well.
The 15,500 square foot store is bright, organized, inviting, and full of everything from soup to nuts. Lisa said they are trying to consistently stock certain staple items, and want to expand their inventory of appliances to honor the previous Young’s intention.
“The Youngs built this plaza,” Lisa commented. “They were a huge part of growing and serving the Springfield community.” Lisa, Rick, and Ricky plan to continue those traditions. And they are keeping the original sign.