We caught up with John Coleman (and his adorable pup, Dobbs!) this week! He shares some favorite East Field memories, a couple of go-to local trails for a bike ride, where you might catch him playing guitar around town, and more…
Tell us about yourself!
Hi, my name is John Coleman. I’m a freelance graphic designer, musician, and dog dad to a 12-week old puppy named Dobbs.
In addition to running my own design business, John Coleman Design, I am also Art Director of Mountain Gazette, a bi-annual, print-only outdoor magazine, and I play guitar and sing at a handful of places in town (Fenimore’s Pub at The Queensbury Hotel, Flight Wine Bar, and Mean Max).
On Life In Glens Falls
I was born and raised on the east end of Glens Falls and have remained here, primarily, my entire life. I went to elementary school at St. Mary’s until grade 7 when I transferred to Glens Falls Middle School. I graduated from Glens Falls High School in 2003 and attended college at SUNY Plattsburgh where I studied Magazine Journalism and Graphic Design and played baseball for the Plattsburgh State Cardinals.
I moved back to Glens Falls after college to take a job as a marketing writer at The Post-Star newspaper and later joined the editorial team as a community news reporter. I went on to work as a marketing coordinator at Finch Paper for three years before landing my first full-time graphic design job at Trampoline Design, where I worked for five years and gained a lot of experience from the awesome team there.
I was very fortunate to find good work locally without having to take a common route for graphic designers — which is to first get an internship (sometimes non-paying) at a big agency in New York City before getting a full-time designer gig. I was also lucky that a lot of my close friends found well-paying jobs in the area and settled down here to raise their families. Some of my favorite memories were the years after college, camping and fishing with friends in the Adirondacks. Once I discovered all the Adirondacks had to offer – I saw no reason to ever leave.
I have owned homes in the city — both Glens Falls and Queensbury — but I’m currently renting an apartment downtown. It’s great to be so close to the action, although I often miss the peace and quiet of owning a home.
Some Glens Falls Favorites
My favorite thing about Glens Falls is the range of options for arts, music and dining; but mainly the incredible access to the outdoors – whether it’s a quick nature trail walk or bike ride – while still being able to be at a High Peaks trailhead or trout stream in less than an hour.
Sweet Side Records is a Glens Falls hidden gem. It’s so cool to have a record shop with a knowledgeable staff in town.
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
My perfect Glens Falls day is walking the dog through Crandall Park, stopping into Kru Coffee to grab coffee, chat with friends and maybe answer some emails; then I’d probably head to Gurney Lane or Rush Pond for a bike ride. I’d grab dinner at Raul’s or Farmacy, see a show at the Park Theater, then stop into Mean Max for a pint and darts.
On the Past
I have so many great memories here. Some of my favorites are night skiing with friends at West Mountain, going to Adirondack Red Wings games at the (then) Civic Center, and watching Adirondack Lumberjacks games and going to Summer Jam at East Field. Attention Mayor Collins: bring back Summer Jam!
On the Future
We have a lot these days — a TON more than when I was a kid; but I second what my friend Chris Ristau said when he was interviewed by Glens Falls Living: I miss having a book store downtown. I feel like they add a lot to the fabric of a city, and it’d be great to attract an independent bookstore like Northshire Books. I feel like we’re all set on bars!
