Guare and Sons has served my family for generations. They provide nothing but the best service…read more They are top-notch, Jon and Paul always did a fantastic job, and now Jon and Jasmine are continuing that legacy.

This is NOT the Guare and Sons Funeral Home my family has used for generations; and after my most…read morerecent experience, I would not entrust this funeral home with the porcelain flush of a goldfish, let alone the services provided to a human being and those left behind. I am going to be very frank here and for those of you who have had a difficult, or destructive and painful relationship with the recently deceased person in your life hopefully you will now be better prepared than I was. First off, I will acknowledge that it is the deceased persons right to plan their funeral/lack thereof/viewing-if any- and even burial plans. They can even write their own obit themselves with the intention of continuing to cause pain to those who are left behind with omissions and falsehoods. I certainly didn't like it, it naturally caused further pain, but I can at least accept it as it was par for the course. I will also acknowledge that it is also a funeral homes "duty" if you will, to follow the deceased persons wishes as it is the deceased person who is their "customer" if pre-arrangements were made. So when I recently called to inquire about the death of my mother whom I had been necessarily estranged from for many years, I was actually not surprised when I was told that I was "on the list" of people they were instructed not to give out any information to. HOWEVER, what DID surprise me and thus after much contemplation prompted this review, was they WAY and MANNER this information was delivered. It was harsh, disrespectful, hurtful and downright inhumane for a grieving person. Again, it was not the specific information given, but the manner in which it was done. The tone of voice, the tension in the voice, the harshness in the way this information was conveyed, the annoyance and hint of anger as if my calling was a bother and finally that it contained not an ounce of respect or sympathy is what I found so utterly deplorable. Can a person actually pay extra for a funeral home to treat people this way after they are gone?! And admittedly, after years of compassionate care when family members have died, I am also struggling to believe that this was an actual Guare on the other end of the phone. Guare and Sons has serviced generations of my family: Scotts, McKennas, DuBois, and Hoyts and numerous family friends. Whomever this man was on the other end of the phone was exceptionally rude, disrespectful and totally unprofessional. The flood of confusion, sadness, and pain I was already feeling over the death of my mother was further traumatizing by this truly shameful display of communication. The exact same information could, and should have been delivered in a professional manner and it was not. So if you are making pre arrangements ahead of your own death and you wish to "stick it to" your family one last time, this IS the funeral home for you to use and you can be assured they will indeed be most unprofessional and rude to those you leave behind if those are indeed your wishes. (just remember to write- ahead of time- your five star review) But for me, after many funerals of many generations in my family with Guare and Sons, I find myself shockingly disrespected by this business. So besides sharing my experience with others that I can no longer recommend this once respected family for such a difficult time in ones life, I can assure you they will not have my business in the future.

I was taken to Hope Cemetery because i love the granite artistry…read more This cemetery is HUGE and each headstone tells a story in the way they're carved. Truly a beautiful eternal garden

this cemetery had been on my "to go to" list for years now, and i'm glad i finally made it to see…read morethe grand statues and headstones filled with rich history. due to the size, we drove slowly around the cemetery to do our own little tour, and i would definitely go again when the snow is gone

Camp Meade is quirky and colorful, a beautiful outdoor community space where you can stroll with a…read morepup while waiting for an order at Red Hen Bakery. (It's right behind the Red Hen building.) There's a small children's playground, a few sculptures, a few brightly painted huts housing art galleries, a performance space (where the famous Bread and Puppet Theater regularly performs in warmer months) and spaces for food stalls. I can only imagine how lively and fun it must be in the summer! In the winter, it's a tranquil place for walking. You can find the entrance to the Winooski River Walk at the back of the community space. It's brief -- at least what I could walk of it in winter -- but beautiful, winding along the river, across a wooden bridge, and then up a steep incline to an overlook where there is a view of the Winooski One Hydroelectric Dam. I found the dam half frozen on the day I went, but still roaring on. Spectacular! (If only my extremely amateur photography skills were up to the job of capturing the view.)

My friends and I had an amazing time touring the farm. Katie was so friendly and kind and we loved…read moremeeting all the animals. We got to meet and feed the Alpacas, pet the horses, and hold the baby bunnies. It was such an amazing and unique experience if you have the opportunity when visiting the area definitely worth it. Also the views on her property were breathtaking.

We had the most amazing experience here. Katie, the farm owner, spent a good hour with us showing…read moreus all around the farm, introducing us to all of their animals. My boys adored the alpacas. The friendliest alpacas we've ever met, so sweet and curious! The boys got to pet the pony, hold/cuddle the rabbits, and play with the dogs. We had an incredible adventure and we are so grateful we got to come.

A beautiful granite quarry that offers a guided tour with a gentleman who is now retired but…read moreactually worked there too! Of course that was years ago and a lot has changed so it's very interesting to get the history from a man who witnessed it first hand and has the knowledge of what has changed over the years as well! Something different and something you don't get to see everyday!

Rock of Ages is a memorial-stone company that mines their own granite. . . you can take a bus tour…read moreto the top of mountain, which overlooks the 600ft. quarry and has a wicked view of the landscape, from which you can see how the cut rock from the earth. They don't work as urgently as Saruman's Orcs, but the depth and scale of this hole has the same feel and intensity. There is a cool one-lane granite bowling alley on the grounds, made in the 1950's when bowling was always on everyone's mind (bring your own pinboy, though). There is a visitors center and gift shop. There are two local cemeteries in Barre, as well, where you can see Rock of Ages' finished products: Monuments and stones as historical reminders of Vermont's past and passed.

I am not sure if this is a case of how much the deceased invested in the product or not. I…read moreexperienced one at the Catholic church near there twelve years ago, and I felt it was a good experience. She did not have enough for a marker, though. Her sibling, who died just two years later, had been a long-term resident of a nursing home due to a stroke, so was indigent. He had a service at the home I did not feel good about but maybe this was the bottom-rung State version. He did not have funds to be buried. I had no idea it would be so brief, and it really felt timed. On the half hour, was rushed out a side door to my dismay. I remember something about snow being in the way, not sure their walkway or if from huge banks on the side street.

Shout out to Tom in the Tech repair/sales department. He quickly identified a problem with my…read morelaptop, thereby saving the day! I highly recommend this place.

I got scammed I bought arctic air fan and they said it worked. I plugged it in and it did nothing.read more

Absolutely thrilled with the brothers' work. We took in a ~100(?)-year-old stacked pair of chests,…read moremade from (camphor?) wood. The back was buckled, drawers moved poorly, veneer on the sides was cracking and buckling off. They did such a beautiful restoration job. The chests gleam, the drawers move smoothly, the wood is a joy to touch, the veneer carefully bolstered. They kept to the original wood as much as possible, adding small pieces where there were gaps in drawer bottoms or where shims were needed. They made the right choice in choosing not to refinish the hidden face of the bottom chest, protecting records inked into the wood by and about the original purchaser. We'll definitely bring other antiques we inherited to the brothers, and highly recommend their work to others.

I had a cherry table made by my father in law which was very dear to us but was in desperate need…read moreof repairs. We brought our table in to Brothers Furniture and within a few weeks it was repaired and looked like new. The service was pleasant and efficient and would use them again for furniture repair.