About Christine Bates

Christine S. Bates is a contributing writer for the magazine. Her focus is in the business, finance and real estate related fields, not to say that she won’t cover some of the fun and quirky, too!

Affordable Housing? Buy Multi-Unit Properties

Buying a multi-unit property can be like sharing an entrée at a restaurant, buying a two-for-one special at the grocery store, or eating leftovers. You can pay about the same price, and often less, for a multi-dwelling property as you might for a single-family residence with the benefit of added income to help pay the […]

By |2023-11-01T09:37:08-04:00October 28th, 2023|Real Estate|

Mystery Buildings 2023

Our readers responded so enthusiastically to the first Mystery Buildings article in 2019 and to More Mystery Houses in 2022 that Main Street plans to return every October to check up on the status of previous mysteries and identify new ones, including commercial buildings. We appreciate the help of real-estate agents, town officials, local residents […]

By |2023-09-28T20:36:04-04:00September 28th, 2023|Real Estate|

A Passage to India – John Robshaw, Textile Designer

The elephant on John Robshaw Textiles’ sign in front of the moody, gray house in Falls Village, CT, subtly suggests what awaits the visitor to the shop. Inside are the Indian-inspired block-print textiles that have created John Robshaw’s international design reputation – pillows, duvets, blankets, and sheets of cavorting elephants, tropical blossoms, trees, and south […]

By |2023-09-28T19:35:32-04:00September 28th, 2023|Monthly Entrepreneur|

Pine Plain’s Distinguished Pharmacist Nasir Mahmood

Before Stissing House was a refined restaurant, before the Pine Plains Platter and the Stissing Center, Nasir Mahmood arrived in Pine Plains in 1989 to take over an existing pharmacy. He heard about the Pine Plains Pharmacy while working at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, NY, and within two weeks had moved with his young […]

By |2023-09-01T13:02:02-04:00September 1st, 2023|Business|

Split Lives – DOUG AND VICTORIA LARSON

Victoria (Torrie) and Doug Larson arrived in Stanford, NY, seeking more space 15 years ago and created an extra rural life for their family and businesses. I first met Doug Larson, an architect, when he assisted the North East Community Center in obtaining a $500,000 grant to expand its program space in Millerton, NY. Since […]

By |2023-07-29T11:21:06-04:00July 29th, 2023|Monthly Entrepreneur|

Snake Pond – THE REAL ESTATE MARKET IN THE TOWN OF COPAKE, NY

Founded in 1824, the Town of Copake, the Mohican word for snake pond, is busy planning its bicentennial celebrations for next year. Located on the eastern edge of Columbia County, Copake is an all-season sporting playground, which still retains its agricultural feel. The Harlem Valley Rail Trail winds through Taconic State Park. There’s skiing and […]

By |2023-07-03T17:39:18-04:00July 3rd, 2023|Real Estate|

Ten Years of Real Estate in Sharon & Northwest Litchfield County

Exactly ten years ago Main Street Magazine looked at the real estate market in the “consistently quiet” town of Sharon, CT. Not very much has changed except for real estate prices, super-charged by COVID. The construction fence around Hotchkiss Library on the Sharon Green has been removed and the multi-year renovation is almost complete, with […]

By |2023-06-03T14:33:43-04:00June 3rd, 2023|Real Estate|

Up, Up And Away

June is the month of adventure for Main Street Magazine, and of Father’s Day. Darrel Long spoke to Main Street early on a Saturday morning about his passion for hot-air ballooning and Spirit Ballooning, the business that brings his family together.

Why do you only fly at sunrise?

For ballooning, winds are safest below five knots per […]

By |2023-06-03T14:28:15-04:00June 3rd, 2023|Monthly Entrepreneur|
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