This week we caught up with Shawn Weinberger! He shares the trials and triumphs of fixing up an old house in the city, why Glens Falls neighbors are the best neighbors, his go to spot for dinner, and more…
Tell us about yourself!
Hello! My name is Shawn Weinberger and I am the Client Services & HR Manager at KEENA in Queensbury. I joined KEENA in late 2020 (the start of some of the best decisions I have made) just after purchasing a home in Glens Falls with my now fiancée, Rheagan where we live with our two dogs, Rowan and Stella.
For those that don’t know, KEENA is a local Professional Employer Organization. You can think of us as an outside Human Resource department — we handle your employees; you handle your business.
On Life in Glens Falls
I grew up in South Glens Falls with my four siblings and my parents who all now live within a few minutes of each other. So moving across the bridge, or as my mom refers to it, a “day trip” away, was a pretty big deal (and I mean this sarcastically).
I loved growing up in a big family. My older sister was my first friend and is still one of my best friends today, which is probably why people refer to me as “Baked by Jordan’s brother.” I get it now. My three younger brothers were my teammates for every sport we wanted to play in the backyard, although most games wound up in a fight. We would quickly move on and all root for the Red Sox together to rub it in Poppy’s face, especially when it was against the Yankees. The theme here is family. They’re amazing.
Rheagan and I fell in love with a house just a short walk from where we were living at the time. Built in 1940, it looked every year as old as it was. All of the walls were covered in hideous wallpaper, outdated decor in every room and in desperate need of a fresh set of eyes to bring it back to life. After making an offer, we would take a detour most nights on our way home from work, just to talk about all the ideas we couldn’t wait to get started on. We quickly realized after moving in that some projects would have to wait (Rheagan is still working on this), after our water heater went and flooded the basement. Despite the setbacks, more than anything, we wanted to be “home proud.” Whenever our neighbors see us out front landscaping or bringing in more overpriced 2x4s, they always compliment us on the work we’ve done and tell us how amazing things are coming along. It’s such a great feeling knowing your long nights and weekends of work are noticed by people you barely know. So, I’m very proud.
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
My perfect day in Glens Falls would start off by taking our dogs for a walk downtown to Kru Coffee to get a Chai latte before going over to Crandall Park for a few sets of tennis or a round of golf at any of the local courses. We’d then swing over to my parents' house to hang out by the pool with all my siblings, nieces and nephew. My dad and I would brew up another 10/10 beer that he’d put on tap in his basement bar, Cheezers. We’d get subs from Bean’s Country Store and Robyn’s famous ADK Lemonade, and then after a full day in the sun and a half dozen applications of sunscreen, we’d clean up and go to Farmacy for dinner. I’d make quick work of Rheagan in a few games of darts at Mean Max. Back at home, I’d whip up a couple mojitos with fresh mint from the garden and try to make it through Morgan Wallen’s 36 song album before one of us calls it quits from being eaten alive by the mosquitos.
Some Favorite Glens Falls Moments
Some of my favorite memories in Glens Falls have all been surrounding our home. A neighbor helping us plow the driveway after the first big snow storm. Another one dropping off some craft beer because of one quick conversation about a local brewery. We are so lucky to live in such a thoughtful community. My favorite memory of all was this past summer, proposing to Rheagan in our newly landscaped backyard and celebrating the night away with our closest friends.
We’re so happy we chose Glens Falls as our home.
See more of our My Glens Falls series here.
