Category Archives: New Businesses

By Jennifer Farnsworth
Rhonda McMaster-Allendorf said her new shop in Clifton Park can please a fashionista, or a professional looking to build a work wardrobe.
Style Encore, located in Clifton Park Center, offers lightly used second-hand items at an affordable price.
“We just opened and already I can say so far, so good,” said McMaster-Allendorf.
Style Encore is a women’s apparel franchise that buys and sells used clothing, shoes, handbags and accessories. Apparel sizes run from extra small to 6X.

By Christine Graf
Tatu (pronounced tattoo), a Yucatecan Mexican restaurant, will be opening soon at 17 Maple Ave. in Saratoga Springs.
Owners Kareem NeJame and Jennyfur Spaulding have leased the second-floor space from Sinclair Saratoga owner Hilary Morrison. Morrison has operated Sinclair Saratoga, a craft beer pub and game room, on the first floor of the building since 2017.
The building has housed a few businesses, but is well known as the former Metro nightclub.

By Jennifer Farnsworth
A new business is opening on Caroline Street in Saratoga Springs, just off Broadway.
Whole Harvest Company will make and serve food at 5 Caroline St.
Owner Kelsey Whalen said she has a few simple rules when it comes to food: keep it local, sustainable, respectful of animal rights, fresh and limit the waste. Her cafe-style restaurant will be a reflection of her lifelong love and understanding of how food can be done in a healthy and delicious way.
Whalen said the 5 Caroline Stret location opened up in November and she knew it would be the perfect fit for her vision. Since then she has been hard at work transforming the former 600-plus square foot cigar shop into a place where people can stop in for a bite or take it on the go.

KindNest, a hub for alternative, holistic fertility and pregnancy services and resources, is a new business in Ballston Lake.
Sarah Denio, founder of KindNest, 1 Rosell Drive, said the business grew from her personal experience navigating fertility challenges, including pregnancy loss, on her way to becoming a mother of two daughters.

By Jennifer Farnsworth
For people looking for authentic Mexican food, Jose Magdalena says to look no further than South Glens Falls.
Magdalena, owner of Mi Rancho, said his restaurant serves cuisine that is a taste of Mexico in upstate New York.

By Jill Nagy

For people looking for a change from large-group fitness classes, a new Saratoga Springs facility offers private and small-group classes. 

Refine, located at 35 Henry St., has a staff of four trainers providing classes to individuals and groups of up to six people.

Refine is owned and operated by Lyndsay Patel and Paul Koval, both experienced fitness trainers. Koval has been a trainer for more than 10 years. Patel, who had been teaching group classes, first went to a private trainer five years ago and aims to share that experience.

By Christine Graf

Linnaea DiNallo’s foray into the restaurant business began in 2012 after she left her career as a full-time graphic designer. During the spring of that year, she opened the Iron Roost, a restaurant at 36 Front St. in Ballston Spa.

On. Dec. 4, the 39-year-old opened her second business, Two Birds Marketplace, at 32 Front St., next door to the Iron Roost.

Two Birds is an extension of the Iron Roost and offers a line of baked goods, including fresh-baked breads, muffins, scones, and cookies. All bakery items are made from scratch, and gluten free and vegan options are available.

Pies can be special ordered, and plans are underway to offer custom cakes. Custom bakery orders can be placed online through the store’s web site.

In addition to offering baked goods, Two Birds features a rotating selection of prepared foods in its “grab and go” cooler. DiNallo said at any given time, the cooler is stocked with grain salads, green salads, parfaits, and overnight oats. Buddha bowls—deconstructed salads that contain vegetables, whole grains, plant proteins, and grains—are also a popular cooler item at Two Birds.

In the near future, a variety of fresh wraps will be available, she said.

By Christine Graf

Longtime Saratoga Springs resident Darin Palmetto will be opening The Spa Café on Broadway at 480 Broadway in downtown Saratoga’ Springs.

The business will be in the Collamer Building in a space that the Hungry Spot occupied for more than two decades. Palmetto has signed a five-year lease for the property.

“The Hungry Spot is no longer there, and we took over the spot in the building,” said Palmetto. “We have nothing to do with The Hungry Spot, and people tend to get that a little bit confused.”

“The place needs a complete overhaul and renovation, and we are replacing all of the equipment, redoing the interior, and basically gutting it and starting over from scratch,” he said. “We are bringing everything up to code, and we are doing everything the way they want us to do it to make it safe.”

By Susan E. Campbell

EXIT Realty Empire Associates opened in December at 805 Route 146 in Clifton Park.

Co-owner John DiBlasi has served the upstate residential real estate market since 1999, most recently as founder of DiBlasi Real Estate.

“My license number is 7102, and now the numbers are in the 30,000s in New York,” he said of the growing number of real estate agents.

DiBlasi was being courted by several franchises and saw buying into EXIT Realty as an excellent opportunity to partner with Jennifer Vucetic in the business. Vucetic has been a real estate agent for 14 years, most recently as a broker with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Tech Valley. The Greater Capital Region Association of Realtors named her Realtor of the Year in 2016.

“Jenn and I have had a working relationship for many years,” said DiBlasi.  “We are combining our technical knowledge and people skills into a new venture.”

They also combine a common philosophy that is a good match with EXIT Realty, which claims to be “revolutionizing our industry by fostering a mentorship culture of teaching, training and coaching,” according to the corporate website.

Eden Compton Studio & Gallery, became the most recent fine art gallery to open in the Beekman Street Arts District in Saratoga Springs, holding an open house for its 2018 holiday show and sale in December.

The event featured the work of five established and well known artists in the upstate New York including Ann Larsen, Takeyce Walter, Matt Chinian, Kate Edwards, Rita DiCaprio and Eden Compton.

Eden Compton Studio is both the personal workspace of artist Eden Compton and a fine art gallery.  The artist’s landscapes, cityscapes and portrait commissions are available at the gallery as well as the work of other established artists.

She said the studio plans on hosting several big exhibits throughout the year.