This week we chatted with Alina Rosu, who you may recognize as co-manager of the Lake George Olive Oil Company downtown! She shares what brought her to this area from her hometown in Romania, her favorite date night spot downtown, a restaurant that she remembers fondly from one of her first visits to Glens Falls, and more…
Tell us about yourself!
My name is Alina Rosu, and I co-manage the Lake George Olive Oil Company in Glens Falls and Lake George. I also own a small business, Herbal Alchemy Handcrafted Bodycare, where I can fully channel my creativity and passion into formulating unique artisan soaps, bodycare products and soy candles. I find so much joy and satisfaction in creating bodycare products using only high quality olive oils, natural oils and butters.
On Life In and Around Glens Falls
I was born and raised in a small town in Romania, around lots of traditions and simplicity that have remained with me for the rest of my life.
While in college in 2015, I took a leap of faith and applied for a work visa in the United States. When I was presented with areas in the country that would offer employment opportunities, Lake George was on that list. At that time, I didn’t know anything about the area, but after seeing it on Google Maps I knew I had to come see it in real life. I secured a position in the service industry and I was so happy and excited to explore the areas around Lake George.
In my time off from my work in Lake George, I used to come to Glens Falls for a casual stroll downtown or a bite to eat at a wonderful restaurant back then called Rare Earth.
Back in 2015, when I first visited Glens Falls, I remember seeing a beautiful small town with great restaurants and businesses and so much potential that had yet to be explored.
I started working at the Lake George Olive Oil Company in Glens Falls in 2016, my family-in-law owns it and they were happy to offer me the opportunity. I’ve seen Glens Falls grow in such a wonderful way in these past 7 years.
I currently rent a wonderful home in Lake George, but I’ve been considering purchasing my first future home in or around Glens Falls. There are so many wonderful neighborhoods and there is so much potential here.
Some Glens Falls Favorites
I love that Glens Falls has a supportive business community, lots of great places to eat and young energy being put into all of the new projects that have been happening lately.
The murals around downtown are absolutely amazing and they bring such a unique artistic feeling to Glens Falls. I love the artwork of Hannah Williams, and her mural on Warren Street is such a beautiful expression of appreciation towards Mother Earth.
I love having the Charles R. Wood Theater downtown. I feel like it is such a great way to experience the community and support it at the same time.
There are so many great boutique shops downtown that need more support from the community. We are so glad to see Rude Betty moved on Glen Street — it widens the variety of shopping that people can do before or after grabbing a nice dinner at one of the restaurants downtown.
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
My ideal day in Glens Falls would start with a stop at Kru Coffee for a delicious almond milk caramel latte, then it would continue by stopping at the library to grab a new book. From there, I would get a delicious vegan sandwich from Rock Hill Bakehouse and enjoy it with my husband in City Park. I also love going to the new Park & Elm Market for delicious gourmet treats.
My favorite place for a dinner date is [farmacy] restobar. I love their cocktails along with a nice oyster appetizer and their delicious entrées.
On the Past
Glens Falls reminds me a little bit of my hometown. The sense of community here is a lot more obvious though, and I love to see places that hold a little bit of the history of Glens Falls being revived. The Shirt Factory is definitely a great place that combines a little bit of history with great new energy and diversity from so many different artists.
On the Future
I love all the street festivals that take place in Glens Falls already, like LARAC, Wing Fest, and Take-a-Bite. I think that an all year round street festival series where the restaurants and small businesses in downtown would come together and show what they do best every week, would create so much more excitement and connection within downtown. Bringing more people out and about by creating unique events would make Glens Falls a great place to experience year round.
