Greene County Success Stories

With so many diverse home furnishings and clothing items so readily available in big-box retail and online, the idea of reupholstering a piece of furniture, or altering a suit or dress seems quite alien to more and more of us.  Eunice Hamilton grew up in a time when consumers bought products for the long-haul, and when the showed wear, or needed repair people didn’t kick them to the curb or throw them in the charity basket, they had them fixed and continued to use them – Not exactly the IKEA or H&M business model.

Dave Liatti knows one fundamental truth about most humans – We love to gather in welcoming, familiar places to eat, drink, share songs, tell stories, and sometimes just to watch and listen to other people. This was the concept behind British Public Houses as far back as the 16th century when neighborhood patrons began referring to these establishments as ‘Our Local’.

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 19^th century.

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.

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.