Meet the Bosses of Broke In Burlington

It started as just a crazy idea, or perhaps an act of desperation. Some friends, penniless and directionless as to what was going on in Burlington, decided to make the most of what they didn’t have. “Something needed to be done,” said Leslie Merinoff, co-founder of Broke In Burlington, the premiere what’s-going-on organization in town. Merinoff, along with friend Brian Kwasnieski, have sparked a veritable inferno, letting college kids and locals alike know events are happening downtown, what kind of specials bars are having, and different ways people can have a great night on the town.
Merinoff and Kwasnieski, former students of UVM and Champlain, respectively , have mustered the ambition and gumption to not only shout out to the community but to start their own business. Working from their home, they built Broke In Burlington from the ground up. The name seems fitting for the office. “You can’t have everything when you’re just starting out,” said Kwasnieski. “We had to settle for what we already have, but it seems to work well.”
The project has been a year in the making, and when Kwasnieski introduced the idea to Merinoff, they knew they were running with something. “Leslie was the solidifier,” said Kwasnieski. “I just had the crazy idea, but she was the one who put it into the works. She was my motivator.” Broke In Burlington had its official launch party in August 2009, and word of the two’s collaboration and mission has run rampant throughout Burlington. Stickers on street signs and flamboyant tee-shirts representing Broke In Burlington can be seen all throughout the community, and the name is becoming a facet of the town. “I’ve heard people lie that they’re involved with us,” said Merinoff, “and that’s such a form of flattery. People are really into this thing.”
With an average 1,500 hits on the website every week (a new site is being developed), it seems that the Broke Team, as they call themselves, has their hands full throughout the week. “This thing we’re doing…has changed every aspect of our lives.” As students, they said they followed the normal routine that most students do. They never would have dreamed of extending into the business world. “We’re always running around, and it’s led to some pretty long nights,” said Kwasnieski. “But the end result is worth it. Seeing what comes of our work is awesome.”
So, what exactly does the Broke Team do? “Our goal is to align brand name with the name of Burlington,” said Merinoff. Several major liquor companies have signed up to work Broke In Burlington, among them Southern Comfort and Grey Goose. The duo uses their influence in the downtown scene to get companies’ advertised and exposed to the public. They’ve organized events to help promote new products, such as MONGOOSE, a combination of Grey Goose and Monster Energy Drink. “When we did that one, there was line out the door until about 1:45 (AM),” said Merinoff. The drinks sold for $6.50, and the venue, Club Metronome, made out well because of the collaboration of Monster and Grey Goose, with Kwasnieski and Merinoff acting as a prolific conduits.
Indeed, Kwasnieski and Mernioff are working to get people to have a good time. At the same time, they are also looking for the greater good, looking at Burlington as a whole. “It’s important to give back,” said Kwasnieski. “We’ve been given a lot of support from a lot of people, and we feel like we need to act on that as well.” In December, the Broke Team hosted an event called Feed Burlington, which benefited the Chittenden County Emergency Food Shelf. With the help of Nectar’s and DJs A-Dog and Nastee, the event managed to raise $1300 for the Food Shelf. “There’s a lot of collaboration involved in these things, a lot of networking that goes into making them go,” said Merinoff. “You meet a lot of really cool people, and you get to make some really cool things happen.”
What plans do the bosses have next? Other towns in Vermont have heard of the Broke Team’s success, communities such as St. Albans and Milton, and it seems that they want a piece of the action. They say that the bars in Burlington have been very receptive to them, and they expect a similar response from neighboring towns. “They know we bring a crowd, and I think they want to see what we can really do,” said Kwasnieski. “We’re thinking big—how about Broke In Boulder? We want to expand, but we want everyone to know this is where we got our start. Burlington’s home.”
Kwasnieski and Merinoff can be found at True School Hip-Hop at Nectar’s every Wednesday, as well as at any other event the Broke Team puts together. To find out more about Broke In Burlington, visit their website at http://brokeinburlington.com, or become a fan of them on Facebook.
Anthony Carace