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 seen in some countries as American cultural imperialism with Disney [...]

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 sporting clay stations, the narrow road followed the stream [...]

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 and when I was about ten years old [...]

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 while striving to maintain its unique culture and business philosophy. [...]