Category Archives: New Businesses

By Susan Elise Campbell 

The space at 1 Caroline Street downtown Saratoga is now home of The Misfit, opened June 18 by first-time restauranteur Michael Mills.

“The Misfit is intended to be just a bar with a small selection of bar food,” he said. “The location had a full kitchen, but one of the reasons I jumped on it was because I always loved this space.”

Mills runs a touring theater production company whose events, like so many others, were shuttered during 18 months of the COVID pandemic. His office is above Max London’s on Broadway in Saratoga Springs, so he knew that the landlord of his building, Mark Straus, co-owned 1 Caroline and signed the lease.

While Mills Entertainment “gets back in full swing,” Mills is enjoying gearing up The Misfit for track season, he said.

“We are taking the time to smooth out the kinks,” he said. “There are always surprises getting a business going, especially in an old building.”

By Jill nagy

The owners of the three-year-old Seneca restaurant in Saratoga Springs, recently opened a new venture called Rhea, at 389 Broadway.

Rhea features a “heavily Asian inspired” menu, according to Mike Spain who, along with wife, Michelle Spain, and other investors, owns both restaurants.

Rhea, in the buidling that was once the Stadium, offers ramen-style noodle dishes as well as shareable small plates, fried rice, chicken, bao buns (steamed buns), udon noodles, seaweed-cured eggs yolk, and similar dishes. 

Mike Spain said although the dishes have an Asian flavor, Rhea is not, strictly speaking an Asian restaurant. “We do our best to respect the ingredients and techniques,” he said, but put their own spin on the dishes.  

In developing the noodle shop concept, “the team fell in love with ramen,” Spain said, a seemingly simple dish that includes a homemade broth that takes several days to create. 

By Christine Graf

In the two years since Shelly Walker relocated Finishing Touches Home Décor from Wilton to 450 East High St. in Malta, she and husband and business partner, Doug Dockendorf, have been very busy. 

After moving the interior design and home décor shop, Dockendorf, the owner of several local businesses including Priority Electrical, redesigned a small section at the back of the property. 

In June 2020, they opened an outside-service ice cream shop called Cookies & Cream in the space. During the busy summer months, Cookies & Cream employs a staff of 10 part-time employees.

In addition to hard and soft serve ice cream, they serve sundaes, shakes, floats, non-fat yogurt, Dole Whip, and ice cream cookies out of four windows. Outdoor seating is available, and landscaping is being added to the property to further enhance its already attractive outdoor space. 

Customers can also enjoy their ice cream while strolling in Collamer Park which adjoins the property. 

By Christine Graf

After years of planning, Bound by Fate Brewing Taproom opened its doors at 31 Ferry St. in Schuylerville in February 2020.

Just six weeks later, bars and restaurants were restricted to offering takeout only as a result of the COVID shutdown. At the time, the taproom served no food and did not package its beer.

“We had a very small operation and were selling beer by the glass,” said CEO Pam Pradachith-Demler who co-founded the business along with husband, Brett Demler, and his brothers Evan and Ryan Demler.

Evan and Ryan have extensive industry experience but are not involved in day-to-day operations. Brett serves as head brewer and brews the beer in a barn located on the couple’s Schuylerville property.

During the shutdown, the taproom invested in a crowler machine, which enabled them to package their beer in 32-ounce cans. Because of pandemic-related law changes, they were allowed to sell their craft beer on the street outside of the taproom.

A new hair salon opened in Saratoga Springs  in the newly renovated space at 219 Broadway.

Studio 219 offers a full array of hair color services, men’s and women’s haircuts, and experienced hair and makeup stylists. 

The owners are Charles Basil and John Letki. Basil has over 30 years of experience in salon services. He formerly owned Imaginary Hair on Central Avenue in Albany for 25 years. 

Letki has over 30 years of experience in business, including owning a former location in New York City. 

The two-person team has transformed the “just off Broadway” space themselves, with a focus on creating just the right setting to premiere their unique-style salon to Saratoga, they said. 

“We have spent months restructuring the interior space to offer a metropolitan boutique salon feel,” said Basil, chief operator at Studio 219.. “We’ve brought in state-of-the- art equipment such as a new color machine that cuts down processing time at a ratio of one minute for every seven needed to retain vibrant color results.

“Once we completed the inside, we concentrated on having the outside facade attract our clientele to a welcoming space they can feel comfortable and relax in. We look forward to serving the Saratoga area with our expertise in the hair and beauty industry.”

4/8/2022 Updated with corrections

By Jill Nagy

The Village Tart, a new cafe in Schuylerville, features old-fashioned pastries and desserts.   

Cynthia DeYoung, owner, chef, and baker, opened her eatery at 63 Broad St. in early February.

“I just wanted my own little corner, to make the world how I think it should be, and share that with people,” she said.

She always loved to bake and, over the years, she began to bake for shops in Saratoga. She also worked at several Saratoga Springs restaurants. 

As a baker, she is largely self-taught, she said, and gravitates toward older recipes.

Almost everything served at the Village Tart is prepared in-house, including jams and salad dressings. The cafe is open for breakfast and lunch. People can also satisfy the late-afternoon munchies with sweet treats and locally roasted coffee.

By Christine Graf

Two weeks after celebrating their October 2021 wedding at the Adelphi, Clark Gale and Zac Denham signed the lease for a 500-square-foot space at 10 Phila St. The New York City couple, both veterans in the hospitality industry, will be opening Bocage Champagne Bar in the former home of the Falafel Den. 

Clark, a native of Massena, has family in the Saratoga area. Denham is from Baton Rouge and fell in love with Saratoga after Clark introduced him to the city.

“Saratoga to some degree has a bit of a southern flair like Baton Rouge, and for Zac it felt a little like home,” said Clark. 

The couple share a passion for champagne and followed through on their dream of opening a champagne bar after they stumbled across the space on Phila Street. Although new to Saratoga, both men have extensive hospitality industry experience. 

Denham is the general manager at Manhattan’s Casa Dani, a restaurant owned by celebrated Spanish Michelin-star chef Dani Garcia. Gale recently left his position as director of operations for Barcade, a company with restaurants in six different states. In addition to working as project manager for Bocage, he works as a hospitality industry consultant. 

“We’ve always wanted to do our own projects. Bocage has been a brainchild of ours, and it’s been a long time coming,” said Denham. 

By R.J. DeLuke

A different kind of liquor store is operating in Saratoga Springs, one that primarily is there to satisfy a growing market of people who enjoy their whiskies—bourbon, Scotch, rye or blends.

First Fill Spirits is the fulfillment of the visions of Charles Grabitzky and Holly Seidewand. Both started with a love of whiskey, the curiosity to learn more about it, and then a vision to make it a business where they can serve others who have a similar predilection for the product.

First Fill Spirits opened in August at 68 Washington St. It is not a place where people will go to buy, for example, Jim Beam bourbon, or Dewar’s Scotch. The stores does have some product that isn’t in the whiskey family. There is some single-cask rum and a few other products. “Everything has to be single cask if it’s not whiskey,” Grabitzky said. “We have a unique license that’s specific to whiskey and then any single-cask, non-whiskey. We have rum …  but 95 percent of everything we have is whiskey.’

He added, “We have a few of the larger brands, but for the most part it’s distilleries or brands that are kind of under the radar. Smaller companies that we’ve discovered through our travels and whiskey careers.”

By Jennifer Farnsworth

All natural, plant-based skin care, made in a lab, and tailored to a person’s skin care concerns, may sound like a luxury worthy of only celebrities. But cosmetic chemist Jillian Ehrenberg, owner of Petal + Hive in Ballston Spa, is changing that. 

As an entrepreneur who is passionate about quality skin care, Ehrenberg has brought her all-natural skin care, with herbal extracts in every bottle, to downtown Ballston Spa.

“Every jar contains a unique original formula that is both clean and eco-friendly,” said Ehrenberg.

Petal + Hive carries all things skin care including moisturizers, eye creams, serums, cleansers, lotions, toners, oils and more. All Petal + Hive products are made in the on-site lab. Ehrenberg also sells other brands of all natural products that she has diligently researched herself.

“I have done all the work for you. If it is sold here you know that it is a clean high quality product. I research every ingredient, the packaging, everything that you may be concerned about,” she said.

Although this is Ehernberg’s first storefront as a small business owner, she is not new to the industry. She first began in 2015, selling her skin care products at places like farmer’s markets and the former Clinton Street Mercantile, where she rented several shelves. She said people really took to her products and she soon realized she needed her own space.

Stewart’s Shops has opened a new store in Rexford.

The new shop replaces an older shop at  the same location, 923 Riverview Road. The new facility is larger than the building it replaced and will soon include a carwash, company officials said

The shop is much larger both inside and out. There is more parking and more outdoor seating options, as well as a new gasoline island.  

The extra room on the inside of the shop creates space for expanded food to-go options, a beer cave, and  extra seating, officials said.

The company said 18 shops were open in 2021, 12 being replacement shops and six were formerly Blueox locations.