By Christine Graf

After several years spent living in Atlanta, Travelmation travel advisor Jaime Leslie has returned home to the Capital Region. The Shenendehowa High School and Southern New Hampshire University graduate became interested in working in the travel industry after visiting Walt Disney World for the first time when she was 26 years old. 

After setting her sites on a career in travel—one that focused on planning Disney vacations—Leslie applied to several agencies.

“They said I didn’t have enough experience with Disney parks and resorts, so I applied to the Disney College Program,” she said.

After Leslie was accepted into the program, she spent five months living and working at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. 

“That’s where the Disney part of my career really bloomed,” she said. “After being a cast member, I got to know what the company stands for, so I know why it’s a great choice for a vacation no matter your age. I learned so much in terms of planning  and customer service.”

By Jill Nagy

Whether you want your dog to jump through hoops or simply to walk sedately at your side, the Zoom Room, a new dog-training facility in Clifton Park, may have a class for you. 

According to owner/operator Bill Overholt, the Zoom Room will primarily provide obedience training but will also offer non-competitive agility training and some enrichment activities like tricks and bench work. The agility training uses the same equipment as used for competitive agility activities but on a smaller track.“Puppy socialization,” for puppies less than eight months old, is also very popular. 

“We don’t train dogs; we train the people who love them,” Overholt said. The key is enhanced communication, he explained: eye contact, hand motions, voice commands. Emphasis is on positive reinforcement. When a dog performs well, he or she is rewarded with a click and a treat. Every dog has a preferred treat, Overholt said, and he can provide more exotic treats for the fussiest dogs. 

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...