Category Archives: New Businesses

By Christine Graf

Brother and sister Conor and Cara Maloney set out in 2016 to design and manufacture clothing that reflects their love for Saratoga. They got the idea while vacationing in Cape Cod.

“We saw a company that had a very similar community feel,” said Cara Maloney. “They came up with a design that really reflected Cape Cod.”

Conor, a 27-year-old SUNY Oneonta graduate and physical therapist at Albany Chiropractic and Physical Therapy, designed the Toga Threads logo. The horse-inspired logo pays homage to Saratoga’s horse racing history.

“My brother was gifted with artistic design ability,” said Maloney.

Twenty-three-year-old Cara, a Siena graduate, is a development specialist at Special Olympics New York. She also waitresses at Charlton Tavern in Ballston Lake. The restaurant has been in the Maloney family for 70 years and is operated by her parents.

By Susan E. Campbell

The Mercantile Kitchen and Bar is a new restaurant that co-owner and managing partner Chris Luriea hopes will “fill a gap” among the eateries on Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs.

“The Merc” offers “a fun diner menu” from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. at night. It serves breakfast all day, and boasts “a bar that can make any drink,” Luriea said.

It is in the space that was once Cantina restaurant and for years operated as Professor Moriarity’s. The business opened Nov. 9. 

The idea of a modern diner had been percolating in Luriea’s mind for many years when he got a call in June from Jeff Ames, owner of the restaurant Cantina, which relocated a few doors down on Broadway and where Luriea had been bar manager for about six years.

Ames indicated he was making some changes at his restaurant and presented the prospect of collaborating on something new. Cantina was relocating from 430 Broadway to number 408. 

By Jennifer Farnsworth

For many parents, the idea of a place that will provide assistance to their child in the area of math is welcome news. Jeremy Morrison, owner and director of Mathnasium of Clifton Park, said his math-only center can provide help to kids in grades 2 through 12. 

The center is located at 309 Clifton Park Center Road, Suite 4.

“I have spent a few years trying to figure out what type of business to start and I happened upon Mathnasium, which is a national franchise, and really liked everything about it. I liked the focus on math—something I have always been very good at and have been tutoring my daughters in math for years  I liked the focus on education and I loved the idea I could work with kids and make a difference in their lives,” said Morrison.

By Susan E. Campbell

Lincoln Rug Gallery has opened at 1683 Route 9 at St. John’s Plaza in Halfmoon.

Sole proprietor Shiv Hari was the owner and manager of two gas stations in the area for the past six years, but decided to make a career change into retailing.

“Two years ago I visited an uncle in Australia. He has a rug business there,” Hari said. “I saw how he ran it and did research on the market.”

His research revealed a demand for hardwood flooring and area rugs of high quality, he said.

“There is a trend for hardwood floors in both new construction and renovation,” he said. “An area rug adds color and texture and designs the space, as well as absorbs noise.”

by Christine Graf

The opening of Effie’s Boutique in Halfmoon was a dream come true for Montreal native Efithia “Effie” Vasilakos. 

The 32-year-old has loved fashion for as long as she can remember. As a child, she would walk into her mother’s walk-in closet to admire her stylish clothes. As she got older, she developed a passion for helping people put outfits together. 

“I enjoyed getting people to try things on that they wouldn’t normally wear,” she said. 

In Montreal, she owned a bookkeeping company and also worked in real estate. Her love of fashion continued. She kept up with trends by reading fashion magazines and visiting boutiques. 

She later married Halfmoon resident Jimmy Vasilakos. The couple settled in Halfmoon, where Jimmy and his brother, Teddy, operate the Halfmoon Diner. The diner was started 30 years ago by their father, Peter.  It was her father-in-law who suggested that Effie’s Boutique be built on a parcel of land across from the diner. 

She decided to take his advice.

By Greg Hitchcock

Annmarie Guglielmo is a native of Saratoga Springs and pilates instructor with a bent for business. 

“I had been working at another wine shop just outside of Saratoga when I got the idea to open my own wine and spirits business,” she said. 

By the Bottle, at 11 Spring St., Saratoga Springs, across from Congress Park, is a boutique wine and spirits shop that opened on Oct. 26. It offers a variety of wines and spirits from New York and California wineries, as well as vineyards from France, Italy and beyond.

“It’s not the same as even five years ago,” Guglielmo said. “Better quality products are coming from New York state including cabernets and delicious sparkling wines.”

Other products are spirits including moonshine, whiskey, gin, vodka, and bourbon.