At Christmas time as a teenager, I worked at our local florist carefully wrapping poinsettia flowers against the cold. The shop and attached greenhouse were a warm, tropical retreat from snowbanks and frigid temperatures in upstate New York. Those holiday memories led me to interview Terence S. Miller, the owner of Roaring Oaks Florist, for […]
With all the excitement and frustration of bidding wars and houses sold days after listing what about the houses that haven’t sold – houses that have been on the market for months or even years? Most real estate experts say a house that’s not moving in this market is priced wrong, but presentation, location, condition, […]
How would you describe your personal style?
After doing interior design for twenty years that’s still the hardest question to answer. I’ve discovered that the words I would use to describe my style are not necessarily what others understand. I’m more a traditionalist than a modernist. I like rooms that are textured, warm, patterned, complex and layered […]
For October’s history issue we researched the long history of October 31 celebrations and the increasing commercial importance of this holiday. Halloween is not only a night of fantasy – you can dress up as anyone or anything regardless of age, nationality, politics, or gender – it is a growing business opportunity. Internationally, Halloween is […]
Even though the residential real estate market everywhere is booming with record low inventory, commercial real estate prices and activity remain sluggish. We wondered how to go about selling your real estate if it’s attached to your small business. One local entrepreneur explained, “I didn’t get much for the business, but I did really well […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]