Previous Success Stories

The Historic Hudson River Village of Athens, NY comes together the second Saturday of every December to revel in its storied past, celebrating the holidays as in a bygone era.  Welcoming storefronts invite visitors from near and far to step inside and become part of this unique community as imagined in the 19th century.Read More

Tom Illari began coming upstate to Greene County during the heyday of Catskill Mountain vacation getaways.  While spending time hiking and enjoying the natural splendor that has intrigued and awed visitors since the early 1800s, his passion for collecting memorabilia grew and grew.  Fast forward fifty years, and Catskill Collectibles has become not only an online revenue stream for this retiring CFO, but a way to connect with people from across the country – sharing great memories of the Catskills.Read More

On December 31, 1909 the telecommunications industry was in its early years in Greene County.  On that date, State Telephone Company was incorporated with 7 directors each subscribing to one share of an amalgamation of several rural and ‘farmers’ lines (small operations that strung wire from farm to farm) and connected them to a switch in a nearby village.  Phone service was relegated to limited hours of operation because that switchboard was often not staffed 24 hours a day.  Fast forward 108 years, and the connectivity demands of State Tel customers would be hardly recognizable (albeit fascinating) to its founders.Read More

In May of 2017, Jonathan Pico and Greg Brier were on a mission: Revitalize a 130-year-old farmstead (turned Catskill Mountain Boarding House in the 1940s) into a new destination while preserving the classic charm and energy of the space, creating an excellent experience for guests and providing exceptional service.Read More

Danielle LaForte and her husband share a passion for exploring new wines with friends and family.  Just over a year ago, they joined with a partner to create a comfortable and inviting space that provides visitors with a unique opportunity to taste best-rated wines from their vineyard, as well as those from the most well-known wine producing regions across New York State.Read More

Step into 358 Main Street in the village of Catskill and you’ll be transported to a world of wonder. Shoofly (formerly a teeny star from NYC for 30 years with locations on the Upper West Side and Tribeca), has relocated to the Downstreet Business Community. Inside you will find deeply discounted children’s shoes from major European companies and whimsical accessories and toys.Read More

Megan Pflug and her husband Jay Penry share a vision: Build a sustainable space to live and work together, in a place they love.  Now this vision is realized in The Woodhouse Lodge.Read More

Market Day has been a weekly event common to village cultures for hundreds (if not thousands) of years. Growers, Makers and Producers would bring their wares to a central hub to meet, greet, buy, sell, and trade. It’s a fundamental concept in human civilization. The personal connections people made at markets went far beyond just acquiring goods – it served as time to experience new things, meet old friends, make new friends, hear the latest news, find out what your neighbors were up to, and exchange views.Read More

East Durham, NY has been a community where ‘families welcomed families’ for nearly 100 years. During the decades following WWII, tens of thousands of moms, dads, aunts, uncles, and cousins flocked north from NYC, Long Island, and New Jersey to experience natural beauty and hospitality at the foot of the Great Northern Catskill Mountains.Read More

Maureen (Mo) Sullivan Kinch had been out of real estate for a while when she bought a relatively well-established downstreet gift shop with a fiercely loyal following of returning visitors.  Mahalo was (and is) the embodiment of the ‘Unique-Boutique-Magnifique’ shopping experience revitalizing small town destinations throughout the Hudson Valley.Read More

Heading west on Greene County Route 67 from the hamlet of Freehold, NY, you’ll see the Catskill Creek on your left as you pass the local airstrip just before arriving at Story’s Nursery – growing since 1956.  Started by George Story when Eisenhower was POTUS, the business quickly gained a reputation for producing high-quality trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, bedding plants and greenhouse crops.Read More

Ben Lebel & Blake Hays shared a common story long before they ever met (even before they were born).  These entrepreneurs and proprietors of Village Common Mercantile share a passion for uncompromised quality with roots reaching back two generations and 50 years.Read More

Scott Ketchum & Steve Gonzales had a high-class problem to solve. They needed to add production capacity to handle the growing demand for their product.  The friends had talked for years about bringing a superior, locally produced pasta to New York City, and their vision became a reality in July 2012 when they opened Sfoglini Pasta in the old Pfizer building in Williamsburg, now home to several small food manufacturers.Read More

Tom Vance has a passion – to create uniquely drinkable craft brews with ingredients sourced entirely from New York producers.  Self-described as “Owner-Brewer-Drinker” of Hop Barn Brewing, his current offering of 12 ‘delectables’ (including a Sour, Two Stouts, a Kolsch, an IPA, a Belgian Strong, a Pilsner, a Red Ale and a Cider) are on tap at 94 Maple Avenue, Greenville, NY beginning at 4PM on Fridays & Saturdays.Read More

Hidden Treasures are never easy to find.  That’s the point, really – the journey to somewhere special to experience something exceptional, off-the-beaten-path, known and loved by those lucky enough to have discovered it.Read More