This week in Hometown News, Gordon has the scoop on a couple of local businesses that have changed hands this week, a few that have closed their doors, the latest on green initiatives in the city, and lots more…
Romeo Family Buys Glens Falls Toyota
The Romeo family expanded its fleet of car dealerships over the weekend when it purchased Glens Falls Toyota on Broad Street.
Romeo Toyota joins Carriage Traders in South Glens Falls, Romeo Chevrolet Buick GMC, Romeo Kia of Kingston and Romeo Ford of Kingston as the Romeo family of car dealerships.
“We’re ready to grow,” Mike Romeo told Glens Falls Living. “My dad [Len] is 63 years old and he’s not slowing down yet. He’s still pushing us. My brother Joe runs the stores down in Kingston. He does a great job down there. And I’ll be overseeing Romeo Toyota and Carriage Traders.”
Mike Romeo said his father and Howard Lebowitz, the former owner of Glens Falls Toyota, “have done business together going back 20-some years. They were kind of messing around, talking about it for a lot of years, and then one thing led to another recently. Howard was ready to retire and he reached out and we’ve been talking seriously for about a year now, and we finally put it together.”
He said, “There are two reasons why this is a store my dad has always chased after. I grew up in the house my parents still live in, which is about five streets away, and now I live four streets away with my family. So to have a store in our backyard is awesome. And to have a Toyota store in our backyard is even better.”
The lot will soon be overflowing with cars, both new Toyotas and pre-owned vehicles, Mr. Romeo said.
“Right now, because of Covid-19, all of the manufacturers obviously shut down their plants for a little while,” he said. “New inventory is very scarce. So whenever there is a buy-sell agreement at a dealership, they take care of the new dealer by giving them more inventory. So we have a substantial amount of inventory coming in in the next few months that the competition won’t have.
“And, we’re going to be selling anything nice that came in trade-wise, whether it’s a Ford F-150 or a Silverado or a Tundra, whatever it is. We’re going to have about 100 used cars on the lot.”
More info here.
Simply Grazin’ Owners Buy Pole Valley Golf Course
The owner of Simply Grazin’ Organic Farms, the producer and wholesale distributor of organic grass-fed livestock with seven farms throughout Washington County, purchased Pole Valley Golf Course in Hartford on Friday.
Renamed Hartford Greens Country Club, the 18-hole course is a favorite of local seniors and those who enjoy birdwatching. Known for its consistent greens and beautiful rural landscape, it was built in 2002 by Steve Forbes, with help from noted golf course designer Geoffrey Cornish.
Mark Faille, the new owner, completed the purchase on Friday, July 31, at noon, and soon had a new sign up. His son Dylan will run the course.
Contacted for comment, Mr. Faille said a friend of his alerted him that the course was on the market, but he initially had interest in it only as farmland.
“I’m not a golfer,” he said. “I’ve never even played golf before. My original intent was to turn it back into cow pasture, but a lot of people were sad it wasn’t going to remain a golf course, so we decided to give it a try.
“My son Dylan stepped up and offered to manage it, which is great. And we’ve kept the superintendent, Marvin, on to work on the greens.
“Our intent is to get the greens to 100%. I’m not a 50% guy. I’m a 100% guy. We’re going to get the irrigation fixed and make the place a lot prettier. We’re getting a big permanent tent and will have food, maybe a food truck or two.
“I also own a construction company, and I’m going to have my guys come up here and repair all of the cart paths. We’re going to replace the bridges in the winter.
“We’re going to have new bunkers, all new signage, tee markers, we’re going to improve the driving range with a covered area, and a machine to pick up the balls.
“And we’ve bought seven new golf carts. That was all that was available. We’ll have a whole new fleet next year.”
He said he purchased the carts from Larry Kelley at Five-Star Golf Cars in Queensbury.
“I like to support local businesses, and we’re planning a fund-raiser here in September.”
Pricing is: 9 holes walk $10; 9 holes ride $20; 18 holes walk $20; 18 holes ride $40. Senior and Veteran Discount Pricing: 9 holes ride $15; 18 holes walk $15; 18 holes ride $30.
Simply Grazin’ started in 1997 in Hopewell, New Jersey, before expanding to New York and Virginia. In 2010, the company bought a 400-acre property on County Route 17 in Fort Ann, converting dairy barns for their hog operation and transitioning the fields to organic hay. Six years later, they bought the 150-acre Gibbs Road Farm, and in 2017 they bought 250 more acres in Hartford and another 300 acres in Fort Edward.
“Along the way, we fell in love with the rural beauty of the area and we have moved our business headquarters to Washington County as well,” Simply Grazin’ says on its website.
“In June 2019, we purchased three more farms. We added 169 acres of pasture and crop land on Brayton Road in Fort Ann, NY. And, we also added an additional 100 acres and an additional 79 acres on County Route 46 in Fort Edward, NY for hay land and pasture land. Our most recent addition of farm land came in May 2020, as we agreed to lease with the option to buy a 625-acre farm in Kingsbury, NY.”
Mr. Faille said he is “very big on farm preservation. Four of our seven farms up here are in farm preservation, and I’m looking into preserving this land, too. That’s one of the things we are working on.”
Simply Grazin’ supplies organic meat to Whole Foods and Wegmans, among others.
Follow them here for more info.
Milk & Honey Shop to Close
Milk & Honey, the clothing and gift shop on Exchange Street in downtown Glens Falls, is closing.
“It is with a heavy heart that I am announcing Milk & Honey will be closing by the end of the month,” owner Ann Parrish wrote on Facebook Tuesday night.
“We appreciate all of your patronage, friendships and prayers. These have been difficult and challenging times for all. May God bless you all and keep you safe! You have been the heartbeat of my business. Sincerely grateful, Ann Parrish”
Mrs. Parrish has battled pancreatic cancer for several years, and during treatment a group of friends worked at the store to keep it going.
Alchemy Bagel Cafe Closes, But It’s Not Goodbye
Meg and Alex, the owners of Alchemy Bagel Cafe in the Shirt Factory in Glens Falls, announced on Facebook they have closed.
“As of [Sunday], our cafe doors are officially closed,” the couple wrote. “It was a hard decision for us to make, but we feel as if it was the right decision for the time being. We have moved out of Suite 111, and are no longer running the cafe in The Shirt Factory. This, however, is not the end of Alchemy. This is not goodbye. We will continue to bake for markets, take special orders, and are working with some awesome local places for wholesale accounts.
“…Our preorder pickups during the height of quarantine kept our small little business, in business. COVID-19 has hit the restaurant industry hard. But we know it’s not just us, it’s hit a lot of industries hard. And it will forever change how we look at doing business (and other basic things, like hand washing and grocery shopping ).
“…Like we said, this is not a goodbye post. Alex and I are firm believers in everything happens for a reason. We closed one door, but the world is full of many open doors for us. Keep being kind to one another, and please keep supporting small businesses. You don’t know the huge difference you are making in someone’s life when you choose to shop small!”
Glens Falls City School Virtual Parent Forum on Thursday
The Glens Falls City Schools leadership team will explain new protocols and answer questions at a virtual parent forum on Thursday, Aug. 6th at 5 p.m. The event will be recorded for viewing later, and available to all in the school community.
A link to the parent forum will be shared on the district's website and social media on Thursday, and questions can be submitted any time before or during the forum by using a form at www.gfsd.org.
Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to announce whether schools can open this week.
Glens Falls Green Initiatives
The City of Glens Falls is seeking low-to-moderate income residents to sign up for a community solar program that gives them a small discount on their energy bill each month. It’s a NYSERDA program called Solar for All, and those who qualify can save $5-$15/month. Income levels for those eligible are around $2,500 a month for an individual or $4,800 for a family of four.
Solar for All is not limited to Glens Falls residents — any income-qualified resident of NYS who pays their own utility bill can join — but the Common Council is hoping to get a certain number of City residents to sign up so that the city can qualify for further green energy funding. Info: nyserda.ny.gov/solar-for-all.
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In other green news, the City of Glens Falls has received a $96,700 grant to be a “municipal testbed” for a vertical farm project through the Empire State Development Smart City Partnership. The project calls for a roughly 300-square-foot, box-in-a-box facility, at a site to be determined.
LGA: Boat Inspectors Stopped Two Dangerous Invasive Species
The Lake George Association, which provides $30,000 annually to the Lake George Park Commission for their Mandatory Boat Inspection Program, announced that two potentially dangerous invasive species were discovered and kept out of the Queen of American Lakes recently.
Boat inspectors intercepted two separate instances of fanwort, a highly invasive plant that arrived on two separate boats, on two separate days, from Massachusetts; and quagga mussels, which arrived on a boat that had last been in the St. Lawrence River.
“This was a great catch by two different sets of Vessel Inspection Technicians,” said Walt Lender, LGA Executive Director, in a press release. “We want to congratulate them for their attentiveness and the Park Commission for their training program.”
Marylou Whitney Auction Nets $400,000
The auction of Marylou Whitney’s personal items raised more than $400,000, with all proceeds going toward the building of a medical clinic on the backstretch at Saratoga Race Course. The auction included jewelry, paintings and a dark green Jaguar, and raised double what it was expected to raise, according to a Times Union story. A diamond choker sold for $40,000, and the 1992 Jaguar convertible sold for $22,000.
Items that didn’t sell will be put on eBay, her husband John Hendrickson told the newspaper. Marylou Whitney, known as the Queen of Saratoga, died last July at the age of 93.
In addition, Marylou Whitney’s 36,000-acre Whitney Park, near Long Lake in the heart of the Adirondacks, is for sale for $180-million. The property includes the “Great Camp” Deerlands, that overlooks Little Forked Lake. It has 17 bedrooms. The land also includes 22 lakes, a trapper’s cabin that dates back to the 1800s, a timber operation and a collection of Adirondack guide boats and canoes.
John Hendrickson, the widower of Ms. Whitney, told the Times Union that he would not consider selling the property to the state, as some have advocated for. In 1997, the state bought 15,000 acres of forestland from Ms. Whitney for $17.1-million, creating the William C. Whitney Wilderness Area.
Speaking of Saratoga…
Despite not allowing fans at the storied race track, bettors continue to send it in with both hands! Saturday’s 12-race Whitney card set a new record as bettors wagered $35.79-million worldwide, topping the old record by nearly $4-million! That’s an average of nearly $3-million bet on each race Saturday! Absolutely astounding!
The headline race of the Saratoga meet, the Travers Stakes, is Saturday. Local favorite and Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law will be the overwhelming favorite.
COVID-19 Update
Locally, Warren County saw its first death since May 30 when a resident of an assisted living facility passed away over the weekend.
County officials are monitoring 196 residents who are under precautionary quarantine because of travel out of state. That’s up 22 from two days previous.
There were seven active cases as of Tuesday, six of them mild and one critical. Warren County has reported seven new infections since July 26.
In Washington County, officials are monitoring precautionary quarantines for 203 residents, with three active cases and no hospitalizations.
Saratoga County reported 58 active cases on Tuesday, with six residents hospitalized.
Until next time -
Gordon
