By Susan Elise Campbell 

Following a two–year search for space in Saratoga Springs, owner Troy Miller has begun his latest expansion of The Bunker, an indoor golf simulator, restaurant, upscale pub and event center at Congress Park Center, 307 Broadway.

Miller said golf has been the number one sport during the pandemic because outdoor gatherings were allowed. He and minority partner Robert McKutcheon opened the Clifton Park location only last year, saying, “it’s a scary thing to push forward into Saratoga, but I am glad we did.”

In the prior 12 months other locations were opened in New Hartford, Utica, North Greenbush, and Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady. 

The newest location will occupy two floors and Miller said they will build stairs between the floors for a total of 11,000 square feet, making it the largest location.

“Saratoga is probably the most well-known gem in the Capital District, and we are happy to have some level of control over the entrance to it,” he said. 

Northshire Bookstore celebrated 10 years in its Saratoga location of 424 Broadway in August.

The store is an award-winning independent bookstore, founded by Ed and Barbara Morrow on Main Street in Manchester Center, Vt., in 1976. The Saratoga Springs location opened in August of 2013. 

Both Northshire Bookstore locations are now owned and operated by sisters Cathleen Ihasz, Nicole Ihasz and Ashley Ihasz-Austin.

“Saratoga Springs understood the value of a downtown bookstore and effectively lobbied, invested and supported us,” said  Nancy Scheemaker, general manager of the Saratoga store. “We are of course deeply grateful for this passion and vision. We are grateful also for a decade of support that we could only have dreamed of prior to experiencing the real thing.”

Over the last decade, Northshire has presented more than a thousand author events in Saratoga Springs, hosted children’s programming and brought authors into area schools, partnered with local not-for-profits, and has worked with our customers to provide free children’s books to area children via our Book Angels program. 

By Ann Donnelly

Matthew Sanchez and Colin Hunt were working together at 9 Miles East Farm in Saratoga when Sanchez got a call from his previous employer, John Cannone, who said that after 39 years as owner of Cannone’s Deli, he was ready to retire. He suggested Sanchez take over. 

In August, Sanchez and Hunt became owners of the popular deli at at 654 Saratoga Road, Gansevoort.

Sanchez and Hunt both have had long careers in the food industry. Sanchez attended the French Culinary Institute in the 1990s after working as a chef in the military. Hunt has worked in the kitchens of some of Saratoga’s popular eateries, like Cantina and Druthers. 

After taking over at Cannone’s, Sanchez and Hunt closed for just two days to clean and paint, giving the shop a fresh look. 

“That is the only drastic change we will make for now. The last thing we wanted to do is come in and upset the apple cart,” said Sanchez. “Loyal customers, the same faces I saw when I worked here five years ago, keep the place going.”

Saratoga and Lake Placid-based marketing agency Workshop received three 2023 New York State Tourism Excellence Awards, including for the Battles of Saratoga 250th anniversary’s branding and logo development.

The agency also received awards for creative campaigns promoting tourism in the Catskills and Adirondacks.

“These wins represent something more than Workshop’s creative talents,” said Tim Kelleher, Workshop president. “The awards reflect inspired efforts made by communities, like Saratoga, to redefine tourism in this richly vibrant state.”

Members of Workshop’s creative team accepted the awards at the New York State Tourism Industry Association’s annual conference held in September in Rochester.

The awards program recognizes “the outstanding work of New York state’s destination marketing organizations, attractions, and other tourism- related businesses in all forms of marketing, destination management and stewardship.”

Workshop designed the logo and branding kit for the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Saratoga, famed for being the turning point of the American Revolution. The Battles of Saratoga were a series of engagements that took place from Sept. 19 to Oct. 7 in 1777, resulting in the first-ever surrender by a British army. A county-based committee was provided several logo designs to consider before selecting what was to ultimately be the award- winning logo.