We’re chatting with Danielle Grasmeder this week! She’s sharing the reasons she returned to Glens Falls after graduating from college, her favorite holiday memories in the city, her pup Stella’s go-to stops at the Glens Falls Farmers Market, and lots more!
Tell us about yourself!
My name is Danielle Grasmeder and I have lived in the Glens Falls/Queensbury region since I was 5 years old! I turned 25 on October 1st (so that means a solid 20 years here!) and currently work for Morgan Stanley in Glens Falls as a Registered Associate. You may know my parents, Kathy and Dan Grasmeder, as they work for Morgan Stanley in Glens Falls as well.
I am a proud member of the Glens Falls Rotary Club and love to spend my time volunteering with people who value “Service above Self” as much as I do. I have an 8 month old German Shepherd, Stella, who loves to go to the Farmer’s Market with me every Saturday in the pavilion and get her fill of hot dogs from Pa’s Pistols, treats from Battenkill Creamery, and (her favorite!) weekly pumpkin “pup cups” from Buddy’s Barkery!
On Life in Glens Falls
Glens Falls is where I grew up. I honestly always pictured myself coming back here post-graduation, settling down and contributing to my local community in every way that I could. It seemed like the logical next step after college. Graduate, then come back to the place that shaped me into the person I am. I feel that I can return the favor and help to improve and preserve the amazing community that influenced me!
My family has lived here for 20 years (my little sister Gabrielle was in a baby carrier when we moved here!) and I met my boyfriend of 8 and a half years, Mike Valente, at a Queensbury Middle School Dance! He has also lived in the Glens Falls Region his whole life and agrees that staying in the Glens Falls area is just what we were supposed to do! Mike got a job working for Lehigh Hanson Cement in Glens Falls and it felt like everything fell into place for us.
There are so many things that keep me here: my family, my friends, my job, and the community. But one of the best things about our community is the changing of seasons! I am telling you, it is just not the same other places! I went to SUNY Oswego to obtain my bachelors degree in Marketing and trust me, the trees are nothing like what they are here. Also, just drive through the community and look around! We are in the most idyllic spot, surrounded by mountains! Have you been driving and just taken a moment to look at the trees as you go down Glen Street or Warren Street? The colors of the trees are incredible. I so thoroughly enjoy my drive to work, especially right now, because of the beautiful fall colors! People literally drive to our community to come see the beauty of Autumn and I think we are so incredibly blessed to be living in a place where the seasons change like they do here!
Mike and I bought our first house in April of this year. It is a beautiful home in Hartford approximately 20 minutes from downtown GF, so I have about a 20 minute commute to work. We have 12 acres of land and it is a dream come true. I’m still trying to convince Mike to let me bring my horse home, but in the mean time our dog Stella loves to romp around our fields and stretch her legs! We love that Glens Falls is so close! You literally have the best of both worlds where we are. The hustle and bustle of a small city and the wide expanse of farm country just 10-15 minutes away. Can’t get much better than that in my opinion.
Some Glens Falls Favorites
My favorite thing about Glens Falls is the fact that there are so many different shops, businesses, and other things going on that you really can spend a whole day here and still not see or do everything. I wish more people knew the rich history of some of the older buildings in Glens Falls. For example, the building I currently work in used to be a carriage house! It housed livery horses and carriages and still bears some remnants of that time to this day! There are so many beautiful buildings with incredible pasts and it’s amazing that we can hear about and experience them today.
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
A perfect day in Glens Falls would start with breakfast at SPoT or Spektor Coffee. I love SPoT’s chai lattes and they make this wonderful white chocolate blueberry latte in the summer that is heavenly over ice! For breakfast there I will usually get the breakfast burrito and a white chocolate pumpkin cookie. From Spektor I am a huge fan of their land and sea eggs benedict. Their smashed potatoes are literally to die for!
My sister, mom and whoever else I have with me will usually come with Stella and I on our weekly trip to the Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning. Our favorite stops include The Food Florist, Battenkill Creamery (where they always have treats waiting for Stella), The Argyle Cheese Company, Pa’s Pistols (where there are always hot dogs cut up and waiting for Stella), Lake George Distilling Company and (Stella’s favorite stop) Buddy’s Barkery for her weekly Pumpkin Flavored Pup Cups!
Lunch would probably be had at Rachel’s Spice Cafe (their Snapdragon Panini is literally the best!) and then we would let Stella romp around in City Park and maybe visit The Lake George Olive Oil Company for gelato and olive oil (and to visit my little sister while she is working there!). Then we would hit Laura’s Vintage for some shopping (they have such cute clothes!) and Minky Mink!
For happy hour, we would be sitting outside at Farmacy and ordering some sort of amazing cocktail that they have. In my opinion if you want incredible drinks made by a master bartender there is no other place to go besides Farmacy.
Dinner is at Mikado, no question. I think they have the best sushi in the Capital Region, honestly. They know my family and I as we are regulars and we go for sushi every Friday! We usually start with a dumpling soup in miso broth and our favorite sushi roll is Larry the Lobster. The trip would not be complete without a Pretty Princess drink for me either! It is the best!! And if you don’t like sushi I recommend their shrimp tempura udon (it’s a noodle soup with shrimp tempura you can add in).
For date night, Mike and I have frequented Raul’s (fish tacos and margaritas!!), Mi Rancho (margaritas and Texas fajitas!!), Farmacy, and of course Mikado! We would really like to try Radici but have not been able to get a reservation to get in! Speaks volumes about how amazing the food is when you can’t get a reservation! We hope to try it soon!
On the Past
My favorite memories of Glens Falls are during Christmas time. I remember when I was a little girl and they had a horse drawn carriage giving rides up and down beautifully decorated and snow covered Glen Street. As a horse crazy little girl it stuck in my mind how amazing it was to see this beautifully decorated carriage with two big black percherons and wreaths wrapped around their necks trotting proudly up and down the streets of my little hometown. That was a wonderful night with my family. We had just gotten our Christmas tree and were in town grabbing hot chocolate and cookies (I think my parents totally knew what was going on and wanted to surprise me!). It is one of my favorite memories.
Another of my favorite memories is working with the WAIT House for the Morgan Stanley Christmas Initiative. Two years ago we helped a family that was really in need (child and mom needed really basic things like dishes, hairbrushes, socks, boots, coat, snow pants, etc.) and they were so much fun to shop for. When we dropped everything off at their house, Mom cried and hugged us and told us how thankful she was that we had given her and her son such a beautiful Christmas. We had also bought her and her son Christmas dinner and she was so thankful as she had thought that would not be an option for them that year. It was so much fun to bring them a Christmas (with the help and generosity of my amazing co-workers) that they will remember forever while making sure all of their needs were met!
On the Future
I think the next thing that should come to Glens Falls are some tech companies! We have the makings of a bustling little metropolis and one of the few things we are missing are tech companies to really round out Glens Falls’ “ resume”. We have financial firms, law offices, restaurants, the paper plant, cement plant, the marketing firms, and I think all that’s missing is those businesses!
I would also love to see some dog themed stores come in to town. I think those would be a huge hit as everyone always loves to walk around town with their dogs!
I am so glad to live in Glens Falls and feel blessed to have such a strong community behind me. I am so proud of where I live and can’t wait to see what happens as we continue to progress!