Thirty years ago, Ronnie Shapiro realized that by making it convenient and simple for others to embrace a vegan diet, she could multiply her own reduction of animal suffering. Now, at Healthy Gourmet To-Go on Market Street in Saugerties, she devises, cooks and packages countless vegan meal packages that get shipped throughout New York and parts of New Jersey.
When longtime Gardinerites Melissa and Greg Gagne opened Grazery at Water Street Market in New Paltz this past August, they found a way to combine their background in the food business with their love of plants and flowers, all while preserving a beloved local cheese shop.
“I love irreverence,” says Chris Owens, 27, whose “Cee Ohh” shop on North Front Street in New Paltz features thrifted streetwear hand-painted in a funky, graffitied urban style.
It’s taken a few years, but the building once occupied by the Phoenicia Pharmacy has developed into a cheerful, bustling market and community space, with two rental areas in back, an art gallery, and an abundance of unusual and esthetically intriguing items for sale.
In Mark Antman’s memories of the start of Image Works, the local photo archive company he’s currently in the process of closing after 36 years, lies a metaphor for much of what constitutes the Woodstock experience of commerce, creativity, and a continuing consensus that character matters.
Locals who miss the College Diner may be heartened to hear that there has been some movement toward reuse of the site.
Don’t worry about making reservations; Dixon Roadside, like its sister Phoenicia Diner, doesn’t take them. It won’t even have normal table service, but a counter service and staff to run orders to people…sort of like the classic old roadside spots of 50, 60 years back.
Visiting a professional picture framer can be an intimidating experience, standing at the counter in a store looking up at a wall covered in framing samples and not knowing where to start. But at Valentina Custom Frame & Gallery in New Paltz, it’s a different story altogether.
New owner Michael Ciavolino, a Long Island transplant, said he wanted to create, “a real neighborhood store, but with the same convenience as Amazon.” To that end, Majestic’s Hardware will now deliver any order costing $25 and up to your front door the next day.
“I’m known for dresses and partywear,” says Tiny Stainker, fanning out the skirt of a velvet dress in her boutique, Lily’s, next to the Woodstock Village Green. She also sells streetwear, winter hats and scarves, nightgowns, kids’ clothing, cards, chocolate, and an eclectic mix of other items. Most of what she sells is designed by artists she has connected with in her 25 years of running a shop in Woodstock.