Kingston Hospital Is Broadway Central

August 20th, 2010

Midtown Kingston would be a much quieter place if it weren’t for three key anchors—Kingston High School, City Hall, and Kingston Hospital. The hospital, now consolidated with Benedictine into one organization called Health Alliance, has 1,033 employees, a big chunk of the 2,400 employees that work for Health Alliance, which is the largest employer in Kingston. It’s also a 24/7 organization, a beehive of activity at all hours of the day and night.

The hospital has been an anchor of Midtown for more than a century, opening its doors on Broadway in November of 1894 (Benedictine followed in 1901). After a devastating fire, the reconstructed hospital reopened in 1926, with numerous renovations and expansions occurring in the 1950s and 60s. It’s now a 150-bed acute-care hospital—Benedictine has an equal number of beds—and home of a new, expanded emergency center (the merger plan called for the EDs at the two hospitals to be consolidated at Kingston). Approximately 50,000 people a year will visit the ED, which is 16,000 square feet and has 35 beds. Kingston Hospital also houses a maternity unit, with a brand new facility on the third floor, and a chest pain center. (Oncology, mental health, detox, the sleep center, and orthopedics are located at Benedictine. Both hospitals house women’s centers, and the executive offices are split between the two facilities. )

While Kingston Hospital has its own cafeteria, many employees patronize neighboring restaurants, such as Top Nosh, Stone Soup, and, if they’re on the graveyard shift, the Broadway Lights Diner. The hospital is a nexus of activity, accessible to walk-ins and with a bus drop. “The impact on the surrounding businesses is quite great. It’s a very active spot on Broadway,” said Greg Howard, vice president of human resources at Health Alliance. Being right smack in the city is an advantage: “You can walk to many Broadway businesses for lunch or a snack, and the high school, fire department and city offices are all nearby. Although it is an old facility, it has kept up with the changing times, making it a place for which our community can be proud.”

Both Kingston Hospital and Benedictine have foundations whose fund-raising events are mainstays in the community, including two golf tournaments—Kingston’s is in August, Benedictine’s in June. Kingston also will host a fashion show and dinner in October, while Benedictine will hold a September bike-a-thon. The funds raised from the events help pay for facilities improvement, new equipment, and other costs not covered by Medicare. The Kingston Hospital Foundation also sponsors free walks around the city that are designed to get people to exercise more and build appreciation of the city’s historic streetscape.

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Kingston’s Industrial Past

August 10th, 2010

You must look closely to discern what’s left of Kingston’s past as an important industrial center of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Once home to some of the nation’s largest cement works, bluestone companies, and brickyards, Kingston’s economy has evolved into one based on service industries rather than manufacturing.  But the remains of its industrial heyday can be seen in the repurposed factory buildings throughout the city, the stone kilns along East Strand, and the brick stacks and sheds along Rondout Creek and the Hudson River. Today, Kingston’s industrial heritage is kept alive by two businesses still operating in the city: Binnewater Ice Company and Feeney Shipyard.

Binnewater Ice Company operates out of a brick and cinder block building on South Pine Street. When it was founded in 1910, there were at least seven other ice companies in the area and competition was fierce to supply ice blocks to the growing metropolis of New York City. Until the 1930s the company procured the ice blocks in the winter by cutting them from frozen lakes The blocks were then stored in a huge ice house where they were packed with insulating hay. Thus stored, the ice would last through the summer and was shipped by barge or rail mostly for use in New York City, but also to far away climes like the Caribbean and even India.

The original buildings were constructed of wood and when they were torched by a competitor, Binnewater Ice Company rebuilt them. A year later, its buildings were destroyed by explosives said to have been planted by another competitor. Determined to continue in the still booming ice industry, Binnewater rebuilt again. Maybe due to all this effort, Binnewater was one of the last local ice companies to install ice manufacturing equipment at its facility – it seems the company really was reluctant to abandon the option of cutting “natural ice” as it held on to its cutting rights on Williams Lake until 1999!

Binnewater Ice

By the 1970s, when current owner Gordon Davenport bought the company, Binnewater was the only ice company still in business in Kingston. In the 1980s the Davenports added bottled water to their products. They continued to make ice on site until about three years ago. According to Dianne Davenport the old technology was inefficient, and getting the parts needed to keep it going was just too difficult.

Binnewater still supplies block and cube ice, but its products and services have grown to include bottled spring water in bottles sized from 8 ounces to 5 gallons, coffee and tea along with related needs like cups, sugar and creamer, and delivery of the above items to homes and offices in four counties. Binnewater can also supply its customers with rock salt, ice melt chemicals and firewood. A more recent addition to its offerings are custom labeled water bottles which offer local businesses and organizations a unique marketing opportunity by putting their names and logos in a very visible place and directly into consumers’ hands.

Feeney Shipyard

Feeney Shipyard is another business that is carrying on in an industry that played a major role in the development of Kingston. Beginning in the 1800s with the Delaware and Hudson Canal, and continuing through the mid-20th century heyday of the NY State Barge Canal (modernized Erie and Champlain Canals,) Rondout Creek bustled with tugs and barges as a major east coast port. In the early 1900s it was home of the largest marine towing company in the world, the Cornell Steamboat Company. The company now known as Thomas J. Feeney Enterprises, Inc. was also in business then.

Founded over 100 years ago, this family business has skillfully adapted to changes in technology and transportation trends, and today employs over 30 skilled workers from the Kingston area. Feeney is able to offer superior service at slightly less cost than the shipyards closer to New York City. As to how Kingston might best attract new industry, Tim Feeney said he thinks the problems lie at the state level. “Our local government wants to do more to attract and retain business, but taxation, compensation costs and environmental review process kill projects before they can get started.  These problems, coupled with the utter dis-functionality of the New York State Assembly and Senate, prevent many solid companies from even considering New York as a potential locale for a new or expanding business,” he said.

In 1904, when Thomas A. Feeney started his shipyard, the D&H Canal was newly defunct but traffic on the Barge Canal was booming. Feeney specialized in the construction of wooden barges and scows, and between 1917 and 1931 built an average of 14 per year. During the same time, the company was building its own fleet of barges, acquired several tugboats and entered the lucrative towing business on the Barge Canal and Hudson River.

In 1941 the shipyard was retooled to meet the demands of the emerging market for steel-hulled barges. In 1959 Thomas J. and Bernard A. Feeney took over the operation, and over the next decade the yard prospered, expanding it towing fleet to eight tugs and 40 barges, and constructing some 75 barges. Due to the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway, canal traffic declined in the 1970s and Feeney’s towing business was hard hit.  In response, the company constructed a 1500-ton floating dry dock and focused on their repair business.

By the early 1980s the shipyard was under the sole ownership of Thomas R. Feeney. He embarked upon an ambitious modernization of the yard’s equipment in order to stay competitive in modern steel repair techniques. Scow and barge repair became the company’s bread and butter for the next 20 years. During these years, Feeney was also able to undertake a few new construction projects including scows, a crane barge and a 180’ dry dock hull. It became clear that the company’s future lay in repair, not construction.

A new opportunity to specialize in tug repair has been seized by the current generation of Feeneys – Tim and Sean.  The yard recently completed several installations of bow pins on traditional tugs to allow use in an ATB (Articulated Tug Barge) system, which is a new method of coupling a tug and barge using an articulated or “hinged” connection system.

Recent improvements to the shipyard include 350’ of new bulkhead, new heated fabrication and repair shops and a second dry dock. Although maintaining a competitive edge in a modern industry, Feeney prides itself on its traditions. Its corporate goals include the expected promise to provide customers with on time and on budget services, but also include pledges to provide its employees with a safe and friendly atmosphere, and to provide its community with a clean and environmentally responsible business.

On paper, the history of the company shows that it has been passed from father to son through three generations, but when asked about the role of Feeney women, General Manager Tim Feeney stresses that it was they who have contributed the “strong, supporting voice of reason” over the last 100 years. “I know for a fact that without my great grandmother, grandmother, mom, wife and sister-in-law that this business could not have survived this long.”  Enter the next generation: Tim’s 18 year old daughter now works part time at the shipyard – in the field with her dad and her uncle.

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A Taste of East Asia

July 26th, 2010

Karl Kimm has been running Kimm’s Gifts at 316 Wall Street since 1975. The items in the capacious store windows might look a tad dusty, as if they’ve been there several decades, but don’t be fooled: Kimm’s is solidly up to date, earning a following for its superior selection of Asian foods. On the shelves in the back, you’ll find sushi rice, five brands of soy sauce (“some are sweeter than others,” notes Kimm), jars of ginger, fermented bean curd, tins of roasted eel and mackerel in fish sauce, fried fish paste, bean, dumpling, and Peking Kung-Pao sauces, rice vinegar, fresh chili paste, bags of dried shitake mushrooms, dried seaweed, Korean kimchee, Japanese vermicelli, plum sauce, sesame candy, and boxes of green and black teas. The prices are reasonable–$1.49 for a jar of white pepper powder, $2.88 for six and a half ounce tin of anchovies.

Kimm’s also sells rice cookers—premium and affordable, take your pick—wooden bowls, tea caddies, bamboo steamers, tea and sake sets, and wonderfully painted chopsticks, of course. Rummage around some more, and you’ll come up with other treasures, gifts from Asia that preclude taking a trip: kimonos ($20 each), flat cloth rubber-sold shoes, gorgeous blue glazed bowls from Japan and China, in all kinds of patterns; paper hanging light shades; bamboo place mats; aromatic oils and soaps; incense; and origami. Kimm, who was born in Korea, said he wished Wall Street traffic went both ways, or headed west instead of east, and the taxes were lower (he owns the building). He’s too busy stocking items and taking change to say much more, but I’ll definitely be back to pick up some duck sauce and ginseng tea.

If you like your East Asian food already prepared, you have a choice of five Chinese restaurants located along the corridor, bracketed, like book ends by Kyoto Sushi on Washington Avenue and Golden Ginza Japanese Restaurant, on lower Broadway, in the Rondout (both serve sushi, teriyaki, and other Japanese specialties). Everyone has their favorite for Chinese take-out, but sometimes it’s hard to decide where to order your sesame beef, bean curd with oyster sauce, and pork chow fun, it’s all so good and unbelievably affordable. For example, at No. 1 House, located at 598 Broadway, the lunch selections start at $3.25 (and that’s not for something ultra basic such as fried rice, but, say, chicken with garlic sauce). The plentiful portion is enough for two days, which means it’s much cheaper to order out than cook at home. The Chinese restaurants are also convenient: the earliest closing hour is 10 pm, and Sunshine Chinese Restaurant, located at 364 Broadway, near the hospital, is open until 11:30 on weekends.

Eng’s Chinese Restaurant, located at 726 Broadway, is a Kingston institution and as much as a sit-down place, with its dimly lit dining room, lined with comfy booths. When Jimmy Eng opened it in 1927, it was Kingston’s first Chinese restaurant. Today Eng’s owned by Tom and Faye Sit, having been in business since 1927. The restaurant expanded and moved to its current location in 1978. General Tsao’s chicken and Cantonese steak are among head chef Hong Chan’s more requested specialties, and the prices have remained very reasonable, with lunch starting at $4.50 and the all you can eat buffet, offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5 to 9 pm and Sunday from 4 to 8 pm, for $9.50.

The other two places are Wing Shui, at 53 North Front and Hong Fu, at 694 Broadway. Wing Shui has an extensive selection of Szechuan specialties, including Kun Pao Shrimp with peanuts, fresh pork with scallion, Hunan Bean Curd, and Sesame Tofu. Wing Shui also has a separate dining room.

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Kingston, Tattooed

July 12th, 2010

Once the province of sailors and ladies of the night, tattoos have gone mainstream. Yet there’s still something edgy about this inked-skin art and the piercings that often accompany it. Kingston’s four tattoo parlors comprise a kind of alternative community, one that’s mostly youth oriented, has its own kind of lingo and affixes its customized, often personalized message-art anywhere but on the customer’s sleeve. The attractive, clean premises of these businesses, whose ambience is a combination of hair saloon and 1960s head shop, is a testament to the success and hard work of the owners, who represent a unique mix of enterprise and outré creativity. Indeed, last Friday each was busy, graciously agreeing to answer some questions while working with their powered needles over the body of a customer

A tattoo the size of a silver dollar starts at $50. Most of the owners apprenticed with a tattoo artist to learn their craft, and all offer a free consultation and a preliminary drawing if it’s customized, as opposed to “flash” (taken from one of the “flats”—books of tattoo designs). By state law, clients have to be over age 18 (piercings are legal for those under 18 with a parent’s permission), but other than that requirement, anything goes.

Michael Francis, whose shop, Ink, Inc., has been a fixture at 327 Wall Street for the past 14 years, is a master tattoo artist,  judging from the complex imagery that covered the arm of client Greg Burhans, which included a portrait of his three-year-old son, his footprints at birth, depictions of a lotus and other “birth” flowers, a sinuous, waterfall-like landscape and several Japanese characters signifying family protection. Francis, who was working on Burhans’ other arm with his needle (“it’s dark and organic,” he said of the tattoo), has been a tattoo artist for 27 years. His air-conditioned, silver-colored shop has hundreds of flats laid out in books and provocative art—including skulls, crosses, and a reproduction of a detail from Michaelangelo–on the walls.

The most challenging body part is the rib or side. The client’s “pain threshold is challenging,” Francis said. “I have a heart.” He’s happy with his location Uptown: “I love the people, the shops, the relationships I built up with everybody. It’s changed for the better.” He is assisted by apprentice David Matthews and is open from 11 to 9 Monday through Saturday and Sunday by appointment.

Down in the Rondout, Paul O’Donnell, owner of The Body Shop, at 25 Broadway, was busy working on Bonnie Snyder, etching a dark swirl of flowers below her right collar bone. O’Donnell, a native of England who said he’d wanted to be a tattoo artist from the age of 10, having admired the decorated arms of his sailor-uncle, originally was a staff artist at the location and bought out the owner (who was Francis; the two remain close friends) five years ago. “Black and gray is my thing,” said O’Donnell, noting he prefers to do his own customized designs. “Anything big and scary I like.”

“I get to meet all kinds of awesome people,” he added. “I live in the dream. I love my job.” Business is mostly word of mouth, and in this unregulated industry O’Donnell cautions people to avoid “kitchen magicians” and get their tattoos in a proper shop. He also advises people to make sure the tattoo artist uses a new needle, which is taken out of a package and disposed of afterwards, so as to avoid harmful infections. The Body Shop is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday through Saturday from one to 9 pm and on Sunday from one to six.

Brian Smith, owner of Body Graffix Tattoo, has been tattooing for 20 years, opening his job at 354 Broadway in 2006. One of his most expensive tattoos was a full back, which cost $3,500 and took months. Like his colleagues, he prefers customized work. His shop is elegant, with its pale wood floor, track lighting, hand-crafted cabinet–displaying cans of after-care spray– and high tin ceiling. Smith has an employee and an apprentice. He’s open Monday through Saturday from 12 to 8.

A little farther up Broadway, across from the high school, is Metamorphosis, located in a brick Gothic house. Tania Trowbridge, who owns the business with her husband Jorian, bought the building in 1997, after renting space in the Rondout. One room is dedicated to the sale of piercing jewelry, displayed under two glass counters, while the other three are occupied by tattooing stations. Trowbridge said she always loved to paint and draw and became a tattoo apprentice after she realized it offered her way to make a living off her art.

Working with her husband and Ed Dempsey, an independent contractor, she said that lettering and phrases are popular, along with rib tattoos. Most customers are in their early twenties, although people in their sixties have also gotten tattoos. She said the Midtown location has better parking than in the Rondout, and “it seems to be busier.” Metamorphosis is open Monday through Friday, from 1 to 9, on Saturday from 12 to 9 and Sunday from 12 to 5.

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Kingston Nuts and Bolts

July 5th, 2010

Looking for a computer part, wiring device, plumbing joint, low VOC paint, or pottery kiln? If you’re wiring, replumbing, or redecorating your house or business, you’ll find everything you need in Kingston. Artists can also find specialty supplies here, be it handmade paints–encaustic, oil, or oil stick—at R&F Handmade Paints or everything they need to set up a potter’s studio, from the wheel and electric kiln to ceramic supplies, at Bailey Pottery. Both companies, which are located next to each other on Ten Broeck Avenue, are nationally known.

Some of these nuts and bolts businesses have deep roots in the city’s history, harking back to the day when Kingston was a manufacturing center. Industrial supply company Fowler & Keith, located in a four-story building at 104 Smith Street, started out down in the Rondout in the early 1900s. Besides plumbing and power tools, the store, which is owned by real estate developer Steve Aaron, still stocks an array of historic hardware.

Ulster Electric Supply Co., located at 9-15 Cornell—it also has an Ulster Lighting showroom at 572 Broadway, plus a location in Poughkeepsie—also started out in the Rondout and has been in business over 50 years, according to president and owner Barry Gruberg. Gruberg’s grandfather was the first licensed electrician in Kingston, and the supply company was started by his son—Gruberg’s father–in the back of a pick up.

Ulster Electric wholesales anything you can think related of to lighting—pipe, wire, wiring devices, commercial lighting. “We have 25,000 electrical supply products,” said Gruberg. The company sells to municipalities, hospitals, schools and other large entities in the commercial market. It delivers up to a radius of 70 miles and also has customers in Manhattan.

Gruberg said its retail store on Broadway has developed a niche in high-end lighting, offering a free layout service. “We can send our lighting retail specialist to your home, do the layout for free, and collaborate with the builder or architect,” said Gruberg. He said the company has had to lay off workers due to the economic downturn. “We’re surviving. We’re profitable, and are hanging in there, hoping for some upturn,” he said.

Herzog’s True Value Home Center, located at Kingston Plaza, is a fourth generation company owned by brothers Bradley and Todd Jordan. It has 100 local employees, with annual sales more than $20 million. The store has successfully competed against the big box stores by expanding: it became affiliated with True Value Company, a member owned co-op that gives it more buying power, in 1995 and added a state-of-the-art Kitchen and Bath Design Center, with free design consultations, in 2006. It acquired a paint supply company in Albany and has locations in Poughkeepsie and Wappinger’s.

Besides hardware, paint, lumber, plumbing and other supplies, Herzog’s has a garden center as well as a service center for power equipment. Its green products are particularly popular, according to Julie Jordan, marketing and advertising director. “Especially with the government rebates, there’s a lot of demand for green products in all departments,” she said. Herzog’s sells organic soils, fertilizers, and composters; Benjamin Moore eco-paints, which have low or no VOCs; energy efficient windows, doors, lighting, and insulation; and energy efficient a/c, heaters, humidifiers, and fans.

Herzog’s celebrated its centenary last year. Founder Matthew Herzog opened the first store on Wall Street, and his son Robert greatly expanded the company, developing a flourishing wholesale business in the 1940s. Robert developed the Kingston Plaza shopping center in the early 1960s, with Herzog’s relocating to the plaza in a new building in 1971.

Tim at P&T Surplus

P & T Surplus, located at 190 Abeel Street, started out in 1968, buying mainframe computers from IBM, each one delivered in fire tractor trailer loads, according to Tim Smythe, who has owned the business with his father since 1997. The company still breaks down machines, selling high-tech parts online to the semiconductor industry in Europe and Asia, as well as in the U.S., which Smythe said is about a quarter of its business.

At the other end of the spectrum, it sells surplus hardware and exotic metals, such as copper, brass, aluminum and stainless steel, locally, numbering among its clients many artists, including Judy Pfaff, whose large-scale assemblages gained her international fame. The art departments at Bard and SUNY-New Paltz regularly visit P & T with their students, said Smythe. For seven years straight, the company hosted an annual art show consisting of works crafted from its supplies, and Smythe said the store is planning another show this fall.

P& T is the place for that “hard to find metal angle or widget part, which is not standard,” said Smythe. The store also sells new items, including hardware, gloves, rope, hand tools, and tarps. It has three employees and a truck on hand to pick up business surplus, which has become harder to find: “It’s become more competitive,” said Smythe. “Scrap metal has caught on a lot, and now businesses sell their excess inventory on line.”

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Catskill Woodworking Delivers Old-World Craftsmanship

June 14th, 2010

Located in a handsome brick 1890s  building on Field Court, Catskill Woodworking builds crafted custom kitchen cabinets, coffered ceilings, grand staircases, high-end paneling and moldings fit for a robber baron, and even entire libraries, fitted into exclusive apartments and townhouses in New York City. The company works closely with its client architects almost exclusively on residential projects, according to Bob Allen, who owns the company with partner Chris Sell.  All projects are built in Kingston, shipped down to the city by truck, and installed on site by company workers.

The business, which occupies three of the four floors of the 25,000-square-foot building—it was formerly a shirt factory, and judging by an old photo, before that a dry goods store–has a staff of twenty, including draftsmen, cabinet makers, millworkers, estimators and project managers. It also sells, made to order, a finely crafted pool table—so far, 25 have been built—that’s guaranteed to improve your billards game: the piece is crafted of sturdy hardwoods  topped by a piece of premium Brazilian slate which is covered with a special cloth. The rails feature ebony sights and walnut burl corners, the billiard balls are crafted and imported from Belgium, and the cues are fashioned out of fiberglass-reinforced maple.

While Catskill Woodworking’s success is based on old-world artisanship that harks back to the workshops of the Middle Ages, it’s also a cutting edge business that utilizes the latest in green technology. Its roof is covered with 135 solar panels, the key components of a 28.6-KW solar energy system that went on line in January. The system is expected to meet a third of the company’s energy needs, Allen said. The company also has a wood-burning boiler that consumes the sawdust that’s perhaps its most plentiful byproduct.

Business was a little slow over the winter due to the economic downturn, but now things are picking up. Allen said he enjoys working out of a historic building on a quiet street that’s yet near restaurants and other conveniences. Kingston’s convenient access to New York City is another advantage. So if you’ve always dreamed of a having a specially paneled room—or maybe just a beautifully designed shelving unit and bench—where you can read, entertain and loaf but never knew anyone with the skills to build it, consider Catskill Woodworking, a local business that builds world-class products.

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Vintage Kingston

June 8th, 2010

If you’re into vintage stuff and antiques, or just looking for that special item which will transform your house into your own private castle—be it beautifully crafted French doors, crocks for the kitchen, a century-old landscape painting or a sleek mid century coffee table—Kingston’s the place to be, with several outstanding antiques places attracting customers from miles away.

Zaborski Emporium is the king of the vintage/antiques stores, judging by the sheer epic variety and amount of items it stocks. Occupying four floors of a former shirt factory at 27 Hoffman Street, the Emporium attracts movie set people (the film industry represents 10 percent of its business), New Yorkers seeking to decorate their lofts and even celebrities with homes in the area. Restaurants and other businesses come to Stan’s for vintage lights and other fixtures, while the used radiators are a popular item among home owners. Roaming amid the dusty corridors stacked with stuff spanning a century of American material culture–tables, claw-footed bathtubs, mirrors, dressers, columns, signs, doors, Victorian bird cages, rugs, chairs, trunks, vending machines, door knobs—is a trip down Memory Lane. In the basement is an entire room filled with doors.

Stan Zaborski started the business in 1976 and bought the building 13 years ago. The company has four employees and will delivery almost everywhere, for a fee. His prices range from 50 cents to $25,000, for a suite of bedroom furniture that once belonged to Robin Williams and was shipped east in a chartered plane.

“I love Kingston,” said Zaborski, who gets help from his partner, Sandy Balla, who also works as a cruise boat tour guide. “I’ve seen it in its boom times and I’ve seen it depressed. I really enjoy it here.” He is going to put a few tables outside with “really cheap merchandise” for the yard sale. (Stan remembers the first book about yard sales, published in the 1960s, which featured his father, who was a “‘used item business” pioneer.)

Other Kingston businesses that sell antiques are Velsani Arts and Antiques, on Wall Street, and On the Hill Antiques at the Skillypot Antique Center, which features multiple vendors, Mezzanine Antiques Center, and At Home Antiques, all on lower Broadway in the Rondout. Larry Zalinsky, who owns Mezzanine with his wife, B.C. Gee, said his store specializes in “smalls”—vintage items that can at least fit into the back of a Subaru SUV. They include Victorian jewelry, a variety of paintings and prints, and mid-century furniture.

Just up the block, At Home Antiques is the latest entrant, opening six months ago in a capacious, warehouse-like space in a building owned by Judith and James Milne. The Milnes have been in the antiques business for 40 years—they operated a shop on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for many years—and they have an eye, stocking items you’ll see nowhere else, including a coffee table inset with a geometric pattern of linoleum, painted screens from a Parisian café, a deco-painted bedroom set, sturdy farm tables, and a wonderful selection of metal porch chairs, each like a character out of a Gorey cartoon.

Judith said the couple bought the building in 2004 and opened the store after they lost their tenant. “We love Kingston and didn’t want it to have another empty storefront,” she said. “We wanted to help the business community. Kingston needs to become more of a destination.”

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New Gallery Opens on Abeel Street

June 1st, 2010

One Mile Gallery, located at 475 Abeel Street, near the railroad trestle, is opening this Saturday with a show by wood turner Josh Vogel. The gallery is the latest entrée to Kingston’s happening art scene. It’s located on the first floor of a charming brick building that was originally purchased a year ago as the weekend house for Janet Hicks, an artists’ agent, and her boyfriend, Eddie Mullins, both of Brooklyn. The couple and their Kingston house were profiled last summer in The New York Times.

Hicks, who holds a master’s degree in art history and previously lived in Oregon, said the gallery was a natural outgrowth of the couple’s interest in the arts.  They plan to show both local and New York City-based artists. Vogel, a resident of Highland, makes drawings and physically imposing sculptures whose sensuousness is heightened by their “woodsy aroma,” according to Hicks. The August show will feature acrylic oceanscapes, followed by an exhibit featuring “the world’s most successful canine artist, Tillamook Cheddar,” which opens Labor Day weekend.  “The dog does amazing work,” said Hicks. “Her process for creating the art is really a treat to watch.”

The gallery is open weekends, 12 to 7 p.m., and by appointment. Hicks said the parking lot across the street at Ulster Marina will accommodate any overflow of cars. She added that she plans to stage events in conjunction with First Saturdays and beyond. “We will be having an event with Tuthilltown Spirits at the gallery in July, and we are hoping to get a vehicle of some kind into the Artists’ Soapbox Derby in August,” she said. “Our dog artist has some ideas up her sleeve for the Labor Day opening that will be really fun.”

Hicks said the couple is spending more time in Kingston than they originally planned. “We fell in love with the city more than we ever thought we would,” she said. “We get a great feeling of being outdoors on the creek. It’s a country feeling yet, has all the conveniences of living in a town. And there’s a tremendous art and cultural scene close by, in the outlying towns.”

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Kingston Has a Beautiful Smile–and Great Frames

May 17th, 2010

There are a group of low-key businesses along the corridor that are below the average shopper’s radar, but are nonetheless key to the economy, drawing thousands to the city. We’re talking about the scattering of private practices of dentists, doctors, optometrists and the like. Some have been here for generations, bucking the trend to move to the mall, while others are relative newcomers, seeking their opportunity in downtown. And they haven’t been disappointed.  

Actually, you probably have seen the sign for Dr. Gilberto Nunez, D.D.S., prominently displayed on the brick building at 389 Washington Avenue, next to Dietz Stadium. Nunez bought the building six years ago, after purchasing the dentistry practice that had been there for years, and says the visibility of the location is a big advantage. Since taking over, Nunez, a native of the Dominican Republic who was second in his class at dentistry school at New York University, has nearly tripled the number of patients, from 1,200 to 3,500. Some come from as far away as Margaretville. He offers high-quality care, using the latest and best materials, coupled with an involvement with his patients that harks back to the traditional family practice. “You build a relationship with a patient,” Nunez says.

On occasion he even consults with elderly patients at their home. He has attended his patients’ birthdays and funerals. “I love my job and have fun doing it,” he says. Nunez has seven employees, and his website, www.gnunezdental.com, provides a full overview of his services.

Another young dentist who has settled in Kingston is Dr. Thomas Cingel, who took over the practice of Dr. David Fletcher at 350 Broadway three and a half years ago. (The practice was started by David’s father Murray in the 1950s.) Cingel, a product of the Onteora School District and the SUNY system, where he got both his undergraduate and professional degrees, became a committed urbanist after taking a class in college on urban planning. He takes pride in his Midtown location, noting that it is still a viable economic hub. He recommends local eateries to patients. He also banks locally—at Ulster Federal Credit Union and Rondout Savings Bank.

Cingel draws people from as afar away as Hudson and Coxsackie and has had 80 new patients since the new year. He says his approach in caring for his patients involves training them in techniques that promote good oral hygiene.  “That makes them a happier, responsive patient. And when they’re happier, I’m happier. It’s pure joy,” he says.

Cingel rents a duplex with his fiancé in Uptown Kingston. As both a Kingston businessperson and resident, he is keen on bringing prominent Indie bands to Kingston, enriching the local music scene. He’s started contacting a few of his favorites in New York City. In exchange for a free concert in Kingston, which Cingel would book and promote, he is offering band members a free check-up and dental work at a reduced cost. “I call it Dental Care for Indie Rock,” says the 31-year-old dentist.

Park Optical, at 578 Broadway combines the services of an optician and optometrist, so you need go no farther if you need an eye exam and prescription glasses. Mike Richmond’s father Robert started the business 50 years ago. Mike joined the practice in 1981, and in 1987 the Richmonds bought the building next door, expanding the business to include eye exams. Optometrist Stephen Fine joined the practice in 2003. Today the staff of ten includes three opticians and four optometrists. The business draws from a 10-mile radius. The spacious, attractive dispensary displays every kind of lens you can think of. The comprehensive selection of designer frames includes such exclusive names as Kelly and Robert Marc.

Park Optical recently updated the storefront with a $10,000 grant from the city’s façade program. One advantage of being in Midtown is that both the architect, Paul Jankowitz, and stone mason. Jim McGowan, were right around the corner. Richmond says staying in Midtown enabled the business to expand, something that would have been impossible if it had relocated to the mall, where rents are “cost prohibitive.” Richmond said he loves being near restaurants and other services. In order to appeal to younger customers, the business also has a website and a page on Facebook, whose list of friends includes many customers.

Optometrist Joseph Cohen has been practicing at 70 North Front Street for 15 years. (The space was formerly a sporting goods and ski supply store run by his dad, and before that, a café and tailor shop operated by his grandfather.) Cohen offers comprehensive eye care and participates in both the MVP and NHA-Kingston Teachers’ plans. He says in his opinion, the mall could never compete with Uptown as a desirable location, given the district’s historic charm and vibrant neighborhood; Cohen has numerous relationships with fellow businesspeople that goes back decades. He said the biggest growth in his practice derives from retirees who’ve relocated to Kingston from the metropolitan New York area—an auspicious sign of the city’s strong appeal.

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What’s Happening Off the Corridor

April 27th, 2010

The corridor—the Stockade District, Broadway, and West Strand–is where most of Kingston’s businesses are concentrated, but let’s not forget the scattering of interesting retailers and restaurants off the corridor. Take a peek down the side streets and you’ll find some small gems. Here’s a sampling:

 Boice BrothersJust a few doors down from Boice Bros. Dairy on O’Neill St., distinguished by its large rooftop cow, is Boice Bros. Ice Cream, which opened in 1975. On mild nights families line up at the windows, manned by polite teenagers in spotted cow T-shirts. The store is managed by Sally Rogerson, one of five Boice siblings (out of six) who are involved with the family business. It’s open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

 Boice’s ice cream—both soft and hard—is made from all natural, hormone-free milk from the family dairy, which was founded by Rogerson’s grandfather on Boice’s Lane in 1914. The milk shakes—with a choice of more than 30 flavors—are particularly popular, along with the sundaes and banana splits. The coffee ice cream is made from real coffee and is slightly granular, redolent of freshly ground beans. Boice’s also serves a nondairy product that’s lactose free and a sugar-free, fat-free hot fudge. The prices hark back to the pre-Starbucks era: a small cone with a tennis-ball scoop of ice cream is just $1.70; milk shakes cost from $2.50 to $3.85, depending on the size. “My father wanted to keep the business oriented to families,” explains Rogerson, noting that her parents, who still own the business, had a big family themselves.

 Mid City LanesAcross Broadway, at 20 Cedar St., is a 30-year-old landmark, Ferraro’s Mid-City Lanes, still graced by its classic sign.  Owned by brothers Dave and Steve Ferraro, the bowling alley offers an evening of affordable fun: the special costs $10 for two and a half hours of bowling, plus $3 for shoes. It’s open every day until midnight—until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday–and bustles with leagues of all varieties. On weekend nights the alley is transformed into a “cosmic space,” with glowing purple black lights and loud music creating a club-like atmosphere, according to Dave’s son John.  Friday night is popular with teens, Saturday with middle-aged folks, and Sunday is taken over by the Cosmic League, made up of musicians and tattoo artists.

Sunshine MarketKingston’s neighborhoods used to be filled with mom-and-pop grocers. While most have disappeared, Sunshine Market, at 2 Jansen Ave., behind Burger King, is still going strong. For the past 12 years it’s been owned by Iranian Mehrzad Arbani, and it employs nine. The store stocks a good selection of fresh produce, and the deli carries the Boar’s Head brand; the sub special is just $2.99, and you can finish it off with homemade cole slaw or potato salad.

Sunshine advertises produce and deli specials every week in the Daily Freeman, said  manager Erika Black, who is just 20 years old.  It also sells packaged cookies, brownies, pies, and tea breads home baked by a woman in Stone Ridge. (I can personally vouch for the oatmeal-raison cookies.) Sunshine is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

Picnic PizzaThe best pizza in the world is from southern Italy, and Picnic Pizza, located at 501 Washington Ave., next to the Holiday Inn, is a direct relation. Owned by Giuseppe Anselmo, a native of Palermo, Picnic Pizza makes pizza in a wood-fired brick oven, the way it’s done in the old country. Almost all ingredients are authentic, imported from Italy. The eggplant and fresh basil topping is famous. Dominick, the store’s manager and Anselmo’s son in law, said the pizzas’ crisp, thin crust is made from a secret Sicilian recipe.

 Picnic Pizza opened in 1987—it has a sister store in New Paltz—and has four  employees. It also serves wood-fire strombolis and calzones, along with Philly Steaks, wraps and salads; the full dinner menu features appetizers and pasta, eggplant and parmigiana meat dishes, with waitress service. Beer and wine are also served. Picnic Pizza is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.

Terri Lee moved her business, SensatioNail Creations, from Port Ewen to the Millard Building, on Grand Street, four years ago and has prospered. She credits the location, which includes free parking across the street, a loyal clientele and an “amazing” landlord. She also has an unusual business model: instead of hiring employees, she sublets the space to five other business owners–four hair stylists and two manicurists—each of whom has his or her own phone line. Combined, the business owners offer “180 years of experience,” Lee said. Facial waxing and pedicures are also offered.  Lee has room for a couple of more beauticians and hopes to rent out more space soon.

Next to SensatioNail Creations is Creative Surfaces, which sells cabinets, custom countertops, wood flooring, tile, carpet, and landscaping stone direct from the factory.  Mane Source Barbers and an adjoining store that sells sneakers has popped up at 10 Downs. Abril’s Boutique Plus, at 8 Van Buren, a Mexican grocery selling a little bit of everything–bacalao, sliced beef, limes, rolls, CDs, and elaborately outfitted dolls—is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.

 This is just a sampling—we encourage you to get out there and explore the side streets to make your own discoveries.

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