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!

Keeping the Land

Before it started to rain and after the last Sunday lunch was served in the dining room, Tim Bontecou, President of Tamarack Preserve Ltd., took me for a SUV drive over the gravel roads and fields of the preserve, which have been in the Bontecou family since the late 1930s. 

Starting out at the clubhouse and […]

By |2021-09-03T15:02:37-04:00August 28th, 2021|Monthly Entrepreneur|

Million Dollar Deal of the Week

Deal of the Week

Spacious 5 bedroom home centrally located between Lakeville and Salisbury in a private neighborhood on 5.9 acres. Near everything, yet very private. Close to Salisbury Central School, swimming and picnicking at the Grove, and 4 minutes from grocery shopping and sidewalk cafes, town hall, shops, and library in Salisbury village. […]

By |2021-08-09T13:56:08-04:00August 9th, 2021|Deal of the Week|

Flip Intent

According to national statistics an estimated 6% of homes sold in the US are flipped properties – although from all the flipping, flopping, and fixing shows on television, flipping fascination seems much higher. For this issue of Main Street Magazine, we decided to explore the flipping phenomenon in our region at this moment in […]

By |2021-08-01T19:06:53-04:00July 29th, 2021|Real Estate|

Growing A Business

Tom Scott, the founder and owner of Falls Village Flower Farm, sat down with me in his home office on a Sunday morning, to talk about the business he has built – or perhaps planted – over the last 24 years.

How did you arrive in Falls Village in this idyllic location?

I grew up in Dover Plains […]

By |2021-08-10T13:04:43-04:00July 29th, 2021|Monthly Entrepreneur|

Keeping It Simple

Gunther Fishgold and I talked over a picnic table at the Tierra Farm headquarters in Valatie, NY, for Main Street’s food issue. Tierra Farm is a profitable food manufacturer specializing in certified organic and fair-trade nuts, seeds, granola, dried fruit, spices, coffee, and tea. Starting from an organic farm stand in the Finger Lakes, the business has experienced rapid growth […]

By |2021-07-12T13:47:32-04:00June 29th, 2021|Monthly Entrepreneur|

Catchy Caviar in Millerton

Does it seem unlikely that fine caviar from all over the world is shipped to Millerton, NY, to be repackaged and sold to American consumers? After seeing Pointy Snout Caviar tins in Westerlind Pantry I wanted to find out more and interviewed Alex Du Cane and Michael Kline. They started this boutique, caviar business ten […]

By |2021-06-29T21:27:37-04:00June 29th, 2021|Monthly Entrepreneur|

Building Houses for 46 Years

Once we decided to do a real estate feature on new house construction in this June issue, it was logical to interview Rick McCue who has been building custom homes in New York and Connecticut for 46 years. We had an early morning conversation at his office on Walton Street in Lakeville, CT, before he […]

By |2021-06-21T09:01:27-04:00May 28th, 2021|Monthly Entrepreneur|

It’s Not Your Imagination

It sure seems that houses are popping up all over our region. Main Street’s June monthly real estate feature looks at new house construction, and explores the reasons for this sudden burst of activity. How long will it last?

Who is building? Why?

At the same time that many Americans can’t pay their rent, a brew of […]

By |2021-06-14T14:44:47-04:00May 28th, 2021|Real Estate|

Up Up and Away

For Main Street’s transportation issue our monthly real estate article explores the stories of our region’s private and public airstrips. There are many more than you might think and some are even for sale.

Passionate pilots build private airstrips

Since the early days of aviation, private airstrips have been created by those with an aviation passion whether it’s […]

By |2021-05-10T12:08:07-04:00April 27th, 2021|Real Estate|

Sky King

When did planes first fly from this airport?

A couple of farmers started flying from their potato field here in 1909, not so long after the Wright’s first flight in 1903. The Modolo brothers created an actual airstrip in 1914. In those days it was called “anywhere” airport. Walter Koladza, a former test pilot, purchased the […]

By |2021-04-27T17:02:49-04:00April 27th, 2021|Monthly Entrepreneur|
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