This week, we’re chatting with Amy Troelstra Meijer! She shares what brought her back to Glens Falls after college, the fun way she met her husband (and the coincidence that confirmed it was meant to be!), some favorite family memories of Glens Falls, and a little family history, too!
Tell us about yourself!
My name is Amy Troelstra Meijer. I’m currently a stay at home mother as well as an interior designer. My husband is Lodewiek Meijer and we have a 3 1/2 year old son, Willem, and a baby girl Elselina “Elsa” born March 9. I met my husband who is from The Netherlands on Travers Day at the Track through a mutual friend, and it turned out he knew my second cousin from Holland — it was just meant to be. We have a Teak horse on our front doorstep that we named Traver after the day my husband and I met.
I was born at the The Snuggery at Glens Falls Hospital and grew up here (I’m a 2004 graduate of Glens Falls High School) until moving away for college. I attended Massachusetts College in North Adams, MA, double majoring in History and Political Science with a concentration in Sociology in 2008. From there, I went on to Suffolk University in Boston, MA where I obtained my ABA Certified Degree in Paralegal Studies in 2009, and then I continued on to get my Interior Design degree from the New York School of Interior Design in Manhattan in 2011. You could say I was going the professional student route for a while.
I returned to Glens Falls in the summer of 2011 as I did not have a job or internship lined up, my lease was going to run out and most importantly my grandparents health was on the decline and I really wanted to spend what time left they had left with them.
On Family History
My mother’s parents came here to Glens Falls in 1962 when my grandfather took the position of Athletic Director and Physical Education Professor at Adirondack Community College, now SUNY Adirondack. My grandmother was originally from Pennsylvania and my grandfather from Ohio. They met at Oberlin College where they were both studying at the time — my grandfather was the football/basketball star (and going there on his GI bill from fighting in WWII as an Edson’s Raider in the United States Marine Corps), and my grandmother the beauty queen of the dorms. My grandfather retired in 1991 from the College but was inducted into their “Hall of Fame” in 2013 before he passed away later that year (just about seven months after my grandmother passed away - true love).
My father’s parents came to the United States from the Netherlands in 1955 and arrived in Glens Falls in 1967, purchasing Oedekerk’s Nursery (Garden Center) on Dix Avenue in Glens Falls and turning it into the Garden Center we know it as today — Garden Time. They later expanded to their Quaker Road location and then in 1982 they opened The Silo Restaurant. They came over knowing only a couple words of English to build their American Dream, which I think they did a fantastic job of. They are both still alive today, though divorced, but you can still find my grandfather at Garden Time every day with my dad.
My parents technically met in youth group at the First Baptist Church on Maple Street in Glens Falls, but both attended Glens Falls High School and were high school sweethearts. They were married on Halloween in 1981, the fall after my dad graduated college. They purchased their first home, had my older brother in 1984 and I followed in 1986. The “family business” is what has kept us all here for all these years, and it was always a joy for me to return to during summer break from college. The family turned out to be not just biological but also the colleagues I worked with and very much so the customers as well!
On Life in Glens Falls
My husband and I own a home in the Broadacres neighborhood here in Glens Falls. It has been a featured picture on the Glens Falls Living site quite a few times which makes us feel extremely honored and proud!
The home was the first to be built in the neighborhood by the founder of the neighborhood, George K. Walker. The home is almost 100 years old, made mostly of brick, and was built to last the test of time. I love older homes (my degree In Interior Design is focused on Historical Restoration), so when we were looking for a home, this was the first one we looked at and we knew this was ours. You don’t get the kind of bulit-ins, old charm, or the glass doorknobs in the newer homes (not authentic at least), and bringing back the colors and traditions of the home from the time when it was built always gives me the “feels.”
What I love most about the neighborhood are the people. There is a nice mix of people, empty-nesters, younger families (friends of mine also living in “the hood” now too), people with all ages of kids and even the “older” neighbors; our next door neighbor who is my parents age has become our son’s best friend and it’s just the cutest thing. During the COVID Halloween, one mother in the neighborhood put together a map of homes that were participating homes in safely handing out candy - it was no small feat, and she did an amazing job for the kids (and the parents as well), during a very uncertain time.
Some Glens Falls Favorites
I love everything about Glens Falls. The people in the community make this city such a magical place to grow up. You feel safe, comfort, and a sense of “home” when you’re here — something my husband is just now finding out after living in Glens Falls for five years. He understands now why I have made it so clear that I wanted to raise our kids here. The history of this area is also incredible, you just can’t beat how amazing this city is!
One of my favorite spots is Cole’s Woods. The trails are so nice to walk/snowshoe/nordic ski and it is available to anyone, any time of the year! Other than that, you know I have to say Garden Time and The Silo, those are my gems! The restaurant/family owned business community here is second to none. Before COVID, my mom and I had our “Tuesday nights at Jack’s Bistro” and for our “Sunday family dinners” would usually be at Siam Thai. Both of these places and their owners know how to make people feel like family and essentially have become a part of ours.
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
My perfect day in Glens Falls has changed so much from when I was in my 20’s to now, and it’s been even more different due to COVID. That being said, I will give you a pre-COVID perfect day. It would be the weekend (obviously), and we would get up and make breakfast at home. I love the smell of food cooking at home — it brings me back to when I was little and my mom would cook or bake and fill the house with all the good smells of love and a great childhood. If we felt like being lazy and not cooking, we’d go to The Silo.
After breakfast, we’d go on a hike in the Adirondacks or a stroll in the neighborhood or Cole’s Woods. We’d head home for lunch, and if I had it my way, we’d be eating something yummy from Kelly’s Roots. Then we’d do some yard work and chat with the neighbors (we have some pretty amazing neighbors) and most likely go for a nice long bike ride on the bike trail. We’d pick up ice cream from either Sprinkles or Coopers Cave (depending on which way we chose to ride that day).
Since my husband and I don’t do date night very often, we would try to go somewhere we haven’t yet been, but ALWAYS someplace locally owned! We would then come home to put our kids to bed!
On the Past
As I said before, I just have too many great memories to file through. I loved making cookies and candies with my Gram, and having sleep overs at their house when my parents went out of town. My grandparents were truly the most amazing people. We would have little adventures when taking walks “around the block,” and sometimes my brother and I would join my grandmother in picking up groceries from around the corner at Barber’s Market on Shippey Street.
I have only the greatest of memories here — the memories I shared growing up learning life lessons from my mom’s parents, them taking me and my older brother to Crandall Park, and the Memorial Day parades my grandfather marched in every year. I too marched in 13 or so parades between Girl Scouts, Little League, and band. We would always have a picnic in the park that my Grandmother prepared after the parade.
Sporting events at school, especially when the teams would make State finals, traveling with friends to support the Red and Black was always so much fun. Balloon Festival time (always my favorite-usually ends up being my birthday weekend).
Growing up there aren’t very many memories that don’t include my Grandparents, my Gram taught me to bake, tie my shoes, sew and my Grandfather was an excellent craftsman (especially of wooden toys- I still have the “Three Bears House” that he made for me and my brother when we were little and my Gram handpainted all of the bears, beds (with quilts that looked like the ones in their house), stools, and even the bowls of porridge.
On the Future
What is the area missing?! IKEA, I would die, just die for an IKEA… oh please, an IKEA!
P.S. See more from our My Glens Falls series here.
P.P.S. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story and those like it here on GFL, please consider supporting our hometown content by clicking here. With your support, we can continue to share the stories of the people, places, and businesses that make our area so special. Thank you - we appreciate you being here more than you know!
