Category Archives: Business News

By Jill Nagy

The new Franklin Square Market opened quietly at the beginning of May. 

“We wanted to get our feet under us,” Julie Delos, one of the owners, explained. They began with a “really busy week,” she added. 

The main problem is that, “like all Saratoga restaurants,” the new restaurant and market is facing “staffing challenges,” Delos noted. 

The market includes a restaurant with a light Mediterranean menu. The adjoining market carries all the ingredients for patrons to try to replicate at home what they eat in the restaurant. 

The market is located at 55 Railroad Avenue in Saratoga Springs, a space formerly occupied by a Price Chopper supermarket. They can seat 120 diners at tables indoors and out, and another 22 at the bar. There is currently a staff of about 40 but, Delos said, “we sure are” looking for more, both cooks and servers.

By Christine Graf

Davey Jones Locker has joined the growing list of businesses that have opened at the Wilton Mall. The store specializes is antiques, gifts, and collectibles.

Owner Michael Davey opened the store in May after a long career in the grocery and automobile businesses. He worked as a night manager for Grand Union for 16 years before becoming a car salesman, most recently at Goldstein Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM. An entrepreneur at heart, he also operated several small businesses over the years. 

“My first business when I was young was a limousine business that never really got off the ground,” said Davey. “I also had a gift shop in 1999 in downtown Ballston Spa. It was going pretty well, but the building was for sale, and someone bought the property. So, it didn’t last long.”

For a time, he also operated Your Way Café in the Momentive plant in Waterford. Finding it difficult to make a living from the business, his stint in food service proved to be short lived. 

Davey said his idea for Davey Jones Locker evolved from his hobby of going to estate sales. 

West Mountain has hired Olympic and World Cup Coach Teresita Birkner as head women’s FIS coach for West Mountain Racing. Her daughters, Macarena and Belen, individually or collaboratively, will serve as her FIS assistants helping  U16 athletes to transition to FIS. “We are so excited for our young women FIS athletes to be coached...

Remote Area Medical – RAM® – a major nonprofit provider of pop-up clinics delivering free, quality dental, vision and medical care to those in need – is seeking volunteer medical, dental and vision professionals and general support staff for its Aug. 17-18 clinic. The two-day clinic is to be held at Mount Anthony Union Middle School, located at 747 East Road in Bennington, Vt. This clinic is in collaboration with Greater Bennington Community Services.

RAM is also in need of general support volunteers to help set up on Friday, Aug. 16 and take down on Sunday, Aug. 18. Overnight parking volunteers to greet patients are also needed, and interpreters can volunteer to aid patients through the process, either in the parking lot or during clinic operations. Individuals do not need to work in the medical field to volunteer as general support. Those who would like to volunteer their time to help provide free healthcare services to the Bennington, Vt. and surrounding communities, please visit the website at www.ramusa.org or call 865-579-1530.

All RAM services are free, and no identification is required. Free dental, vision and medical services will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis.

By Christine Graf

After two years of planning, business partners Kushan Patel, Pratik Shah, and Jay Patel have opened the doors to Clifton Park Beverage Center. Located in North Country Commons at 1208 NY-146, the store had its soft opening on May 10.

The owner of beverage centers in Colonie and Troy, Kushan Patel has more than two decades of industry experience. Shah is an assistant vice president of business development for Trustco Bank, and Jay Patel has a background in operations.

“Kushan has been in the business for many years,” said Shah. “He always wanted to open up a beverage center in Clifton Park. He was surprised there wasn’t one there.”

After becoming business partners, the trio embarked on a search for the perfect location, ultimately choosing a 7,000-square-foot space at North Country Commons.

“There is a lot of growth in that particular area with new construction homes coming in, and the nearest beverage center is five miles out, radius wise,” said Shah. 

Muroff Hospitality Group has announced the sale of The Lamplight Inn Bed & Breakfast at 231 Lake Ave in Lake Luzerne. Known as “The Jewel of the Adirondacks,” this award-winning property features 12 luxurious suites, a sun-drenched dining room and a spacious owner’s apartment. The expansive wrap around porch leads into the grand 1890 Victorian building. The Carriage House is behind the main building where there are five large ground floor suites in a modern building surrounded by acres of wooded privacy.

The sellers are Eugene and Linda Merlino. Gene Merlino has been the long-time town supervisor of Lake Luzerne, and will continue in that role. The buyers are George and Mary Haleem of Pennsylvania. This will be their first investment property in New York state. 

Mitch Muroff of Muroff Hospitality Group represented the seller and secured the buyer in this exclusive listing. The sale price was $1,255,000 and the transaction closed on May 1 in Queensbury.

The Inn was built in 1890 as the summer home of wealthy bachelor Howard Conkling. Conkling was a lawyer from New York City and a member of the New York State Assembly. He was well traveled and wrote multiple books of his travels. No expense was spared for his home. A 12-foot beamed ceiling, chestnut wainscoting and keyhole staircases enhance the spacious Great Room, now used as the guest sitting area.

Cars on Union, the highly anticipated exotic car show, is gearing up to transform Union Avenue in Saratoga Springs into a paradise for car enthusiasts, all while supporting a noble cause. 

Scheduled for Father’s Day, Sunday, June 16, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Cars on Union promises to be an unparalleled celebration of automotive excellence, showcasing an exceptional lineup of exotic cars from around the Northeast. From sleek supercars to rare vintage gems, attendees will have the opportunity to feast their eyes on some of the most coveted automobiles ever produced, all amongst some of the most beautiful homes and architecture in the Saratoga region on Union Avenue. 

“We are thrilled to bring a car show into the community, the Wilton Fire Department is even joining in on the fun and bringing their beautiful 1944 International Crash Fire Truck,” said Megan Hennessey of the Saratoga Automobile Museum. 

Belmont on Broadway, a multifaceted celebration planned for the week of the 2024 Belmont Stakes Racing Festival, was announced recently by leaders in the Spa City.  

Belmont on Broadway activities slated for June 4 through June 9 include a downtown window decorating contest, a pre-festival event called Embrace the Belmont, The Belmont Gala, HARDY at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Opera Saratoga’s Annual Gala and a free, outdoor concert with headlining act Blues Traveler to take place on Broadway in Saratoga Springs.

This is all in addition to the four-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival at Saratoga Race Course, which officials see as a historic opportunity to showcase Saratoga Springs and Saratoga County as a major event destination.

By Paul Post

Burlington, Vt. residents Jim Doyle and Christine Dunbar are fortunate to own a second home in downtown Saratoga Springs.

Even so, they and weekend guests will likely spend $400 per night at local restaurants during the June 6-9 Belmont Stakes Festival. They’ll also buy souvenirs and make plenty of other related purchases.

“Without a place here, I can’t imagine what it would cost for a hotel, breakfast and parking at the track,” Doyle said.

Their Belmont Stakes budget is a drop in the bucket compared to what international horse people, who arrive early and stay long afterward, will likely spend — explaining why the Festival is expected to have a more than $50 million economic impact on the surrounding area.

“Beyond the excitement and energy around a Triple Crown event at the sport’s most beloved venue, the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course will generate important economic impact and drive tourism throughout the Capital Region,” said David O’Rourke, New York Racing Association president. “We are thrilled to add a new chapter to the story of thoroughbred racing in Saratoga Springs this June.”

A recent study prepared for Saratoga Economic Development Agency says the regular summer meet’s economic impact has increased 57 percent to $371 million since 2014, across the nine-county Capital Region. Saratoga Race Course is also responsible for generating almost 3,000 jobs.

Many merchants says the summer meet is like having a second Christmas shopping season. The Belmont Stakes Festival is a third major boost.

Marianne Barker, owner of the popular Broadway gift shop Impressions of Saratoga, has already seen sales skyrocket for a special Belmont Stakes at Saratoga poster and T-shirt created by prominent Capital Region artist Greg Montgomery.

The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce has announced that Cynthia Hollowood is the 2024 Joseph Dalton Community Service Award recipient. 

This recognition, created by unanimous vote of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors in 2017, is a community service-focused award to honor an individual who has been faithful and loyal to the Saratoga County community for more than 25 years.

Hollowood has served as the Executive Director of Saratoga Sponsor-A-Scholar since 2020. This organization is dedicated to the philosophy that every student showing academic motivation and potential should have the opportunity to finish high school and continue to college. 

Prior to this role, Hollowood was General Manager and Partner at the Holiday Inn Saratoga Springs for a total of 38 years. 

Hollowood has volunteered countless hours within the Saratoga community over the past four decades, serving on boards and committees of more than a dozen area nonprofit organizations, including but not limited to the Saratoga Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Saratoga Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Saratoga Economic Development Corporation, the Saratoga Hospital Foundation, the City of Saratoga Springs Special Assessment District Committee, Discover Saratoga and the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. 

She is also a Distinguished Alum of Leadership Saratoga, was named Tourism Executive of the Year by the New York State Hospitality and Tourism Association in 2015 and was honored a Woman of Distinction by the New York State Senate in 2016.