When the Kon-Tiki Trading Co. went out of business in May after nearly three decades at 70 Main Street, many local residents bemoaned the fact that the eclectic curio shop would no longer be a part of the New Paltz scene. But MaryAnn Tozzi of New Paltz and Ana Lynn of Gardiner did more than waft nostalgic on Facebook, joining forces as business partners to re-open a revamped version of Kon-Tiki Trading Co. under a new name.
How would you brand the Village of Saugerties? The newfound not-for-profit Saugerties Merchants Association, currently comprised of 35 area business owners, aims to boil down the essence of the community into a cohesive website, brochure and logo. Their tagline: “Destination Saugerties: Make it Happen Here.”
Lasher Funeral Home is under new management as part of the Peterson family’s efforts to keep a tradition alive that’s been going strong since 1884. Since the untimely death of longtime Director Ken Peterson this May, his brother Carl and mother, Janet, had been working hard to find a buyer, or in the meantime, someone who can run the funeral home. Enter Steve Williams.
The Bearsville Theater complex has narrowly escaped purchase by two different potential buyers with plans to build a hotel on the historic property located two miles from the center of Woodstock. British businesswoman and Willow resident Lizzie Vann, who closed on the theater and associated restaurants and music studio on Friday, August 31, expects to maintain the previous uses of the buildings, while seeking input on how to make the complex, renamed Bearsville Center, even more community-friendly.
The New Paltz Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring and Executive Committees have named Christopher Short to serve as the organization’s new executive director. He replaces former New Paltz Chamber director Jen Roe, who resigned recently after only a year at the helm.
The store was opened in 1979 by Bruce Conklin, who named the fledgling business for a favorite author’s collection of short stories: October Countryby Ray Bradbury. Current owner Devon Sprenger says he thinks the store name is very appropriate, given that “a comic book store is really an eclectic collection of different short stories.”
Growing hemp will be more than just another crop for local farmers, Gail Hepworth says; it will literally be essential to the very survival of local farms. “It needs to happen.”
Euphoria Yoga will celebrate its tenth anniversary on Sunday, September 1, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., serving snacks at the studio as a thank-you to the many students and instructors who have helped the center thrive.
Alex Kellner of Kingtone Music at 282 Main St., whose unofficial slogan is “where a handshake still means something” is selling the last of his guitars, drum kits and pedals between, he says, 5 and 12 percent above their wholesale price.
There’s little sign that the hot market for real estate in Kingston in 2019 is slowing. The latest Multiple Listing Service data from the first half of the third quarter of the year confirms that the substantial increase in median sales price over the previous year is continuing.
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