Longtime Award and Engraving Company Shows Off New Vernon Location

VERNON, CT — A business that has been in Vernon for more than five decades has found a new home.

Wraith Engraving & Awards — formerly The Trophy Shop — is now at 538 Talcottville Road, the plaza that houses Vernon Poolman. Owners Adam and Kathy Armstrong have doubled their square footage to 1,600 square feet.

"Plus it's a better parking lot and, overall, a very welcoming location," Adam Armstrong said.

The business can be traced back to 1972, when Ed Dymon opened The Trophy Shop down at Vernon Circle, where route 30 and 83 converge. Dymon ran the business until 2007, when the Armstrongs bought it.

Adam Armstrong said a lease situation with the new owners at the Vernon Circle location prompted an exploratory lap around town. It didn't take long to find the plaza owned by Vernon Poolman.

"They essentially handed us the key and said welcome," Adam Armstrong said.

The new name was actually part of the incorporated name when the Armstrongs bought the business in 2007, but has been officially placed on the marquee to better reflect that it's "a 51-percent women-owned business," Adam Armstrong said.

Mayor Dan Champagne was on-hand Friday to read a proclamation officially welcoming the business to its new location.

"It's a really good location for the business and we're glad to have it in town all these years," he said.

Adam Armstrong has been a certified engraver for 12 years. The business used to handle big trophy orders each year, but that has toned down since the Coronavirus pandemic.

"Not even the participation trophies," Kathy Armstrong said.

Business plaques, corporate awards, school awards and things like the Vernon Town Hall volunteer wall still keep the Armstrongs busy. Signs, custom engraving on items like like watches, castings and crystal and acrylic awards are also featured.

The business serves a good portion of north central Connecticut in towns like Vernon, Manchester, Ellington, South Windsor, Enfield, Somers, Stafford, Glastonbury and Hartford.