Greene County Success Stories

If you asked your friends “What kind of businesses do you think best suited for success today?”, you’d probably expect to hear responses like: “High Tech”, “Renewable Energy” and “Something to do with the Connected Economy”.  While start-ups in these sectors have definitely received a lot of coverage in the media, more and more entrepreneurs are pursuing passions in business areas that appear (at least on the surface) much less ‘modern’.

The historic Hudson River town of Coxsackie, NY was first settled by the Dutch some 365 years ago.  In 1663, Pieter Bronck (the same family for whom the Bronx is named) built his farmstead in what was then New Netherlands – a colony that followed the course of the Hudson River from Manhattan to Fort Orange (now Albany).  The village of Coxsackie was a Hudson River port for almost 300 years, bringing people and goods to cities and towns north and south.

I. U. Tripp and Company has been serving Oak Hill as a general store since the 1830s.  Customers arrived with a list of their necessities, sat down at a swivel-counter stool, and were personally served by an attentive staff. The store carried everything from hardware to dry-goods, tools to fabrics, and stocked the items most used by residents of this rural Greene County community.

Driving west on NYS Route 23 toward Windham NY, travelers ascend into the splendor of the Great Northern Catskills of Greene County. The panoramic, five-state view falls away to the north east, and with the rise in altitude, everything just seems brighter.  The Blue Pearl rests on the rising face of Windham High Peak (just west of Point Lookout) and can be easily missed by those focused on their destination, not their journey.

Nic Cameron and Emily Johnson had a vision when they bought the historic brick building at 1130 Main Street, in Leeds: Create a Brooklyn Coffee Experience in Greene County, feature Emily’s Hartland Brooklyn stationary and curated gifts in the storefront, and build out a live-in production space for Emily’s designs.