A Fine Roast at Monkey Joe

March 29th, 2011

The owner of Monkey Joe Roasting Company, Gabe Cicale roasts beans for his wholesalers on Tuesday and Wednesday and for the store and its customers on a third day of the week. Almost a third of the business is wholesale, with deliveries made to some 20 restaurants and cafes, from Beacon to Stone Ridge, Marist College, UPAC, and other customers on Thursday. Monkey Joe’s has on the premises at any one time at least 35 kinds of beans, delivered in 132-pound burlap bags or wrapped in foil packets in cardboard boxes. “I always have three coffees from Ethiopia and usually a few Brazilians as well,” said Cicale. “Right now I’ve also got two from Guatemala and Indonesia.”

Whether the coffee will be drip brewed, used in espresso, or brewed in a French press all affect the degree of roasting, he said. Either he or Tom Delooza, an employee who has been trained in the roasting process, drop 20 to 30 pounds of beans into the drum of the steel red-enameled, gas-fired roaster, which reaches a temperature of 500 degrees.  The process takes from 15 to 19 minutes. “You need an ability to pay attention” so that the beans don’t get over-roasted, Cicale said. “For a period of time there’s not much to do, and then everything happens quickly.”

A small utensil housed in a pocket along the side of the roaster, called a trier, is used to sample the beans, to test the degree to which they are roasted, which also depends on the type of bean. The roasted beans are then dropped into the cooling bin, where a steel agitator—a bar attached to the screened bottom of the bin—stirs the beans to cool them. The beans are then poured into a collector bin through a gate that opens along the side of the roaster and packed into six-pound bags.

Cicale said afterwards his wife and business partner, Kathy Nealis, will “cup” the coffee—taste-test the brew made from a batch of beans. (He noted that there’s actually a certification process for the tasters—called cuppers—and a special etiquette: the process includes sniffing the coffee then pouring hot water over it in a special glass. The cupper then breaks the surface crust once the coffee “blooms” and sniffs it again before slurping it with a special spoon and spitting it out.)

“The general public is oblivious that this exists,” said Cicale, who has been in the business for twelve years. “I see so many career opportunities that exist in the coffee industry, yet people only find out about them by accident.” Coffee is akin to wine in the culture it has spawned, including a language of terms to describe nuances of taste: it has various degrees of “body,” “brightness,” and “citrus.” What’s his personal favorite? While Cicale said he said he used to be a big fan of Kenyan coffee, his current preference is for brews made from beans from Central America. “They produce a more balanced coffee,” he said.  —Lynn Woods

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Barcone’s Music: Grace Note on Broadway

March 21st, 2011

Tim Barcone started his music supply business in the garage of his Stone Ridge house in 1970. In 1995, he moved to Broadway, the last 10 years located at a 4,500-square-foot single-story brick building just beyond the rail overpass. With its handsome façade, accented with a decorative molding and old-style brackets, the building is a visual treat, perking up an otherwise glum stretch of Broadway.

The bulk of Barcone Music’s business, which has six full-time employees, is servicing school music programs in seven counties—supplying rentals and selling instruments to school bands, as well as doing servicing and repair work (during the summer, his staff is busy fixing 4,000 musical instruments). Barcone also has a sideline selling guitars, following the purchase of Allegra Music several years ago, with a room in the back of his establishment now stocked with an enticing array of used and new instruments. Another room is filled with violins. Drum sets, used violas, strings accessories, microphones, and other musical paraphernalia as well as a vast array of instructional booklets are stocked in the main store. Barcone also rents out rooms to highly qualified guitarists, vocalists, and other professional musicians for private and group lessons.

Music has been central to the Barcone family at least as far back as Tim’s great-grandfather, who performed as a traveling musician in his native Italy. His sons, Tim’s grandfather and great-uncle, played in bands after immigrating to New York City in the 1920s—typically, Tim’s grandfather would travel to a new town and at the request of the mayor compose a special song for the place. After getting his teacher’s certificate, his grandfather was instrumental in introducing music programs into the public schools, an initiative that found its way up to the Hudson Valley thanks to the family’s summer house in in Greene County. After Tim’s dad got out of the Navy, at the end of World War II,  he settled on Wittenberg Road and started a music program at the Onteora School District, using 25 instruments given to him by his father. The business grew to include Rondout Valley and other regional school districts.

Tim Barcone

Tim, who since the age of 12 had been “working on the bench,” graduated from Onteora High School in a fortuitous year, musically speaking—1969. He supplied and repaired instruments to many of the musicians hanging out in Woodstock at the time, some participants in the famous festival and a few later becoming famous. Wanting to go into business for himself, he purchased a music business in Sullivan County that serviced the schools there and was grateful that his father, who was still in business, graciously co-signed his business loan. At one time, there were four Barcone music businesses—one in Long Island and another in New York City, besides the two in the Hudson Valley. Today, there’s just the business owned by Tim; its vast geographical reach encompasses his father’s former turf.

With the support of the previous mayor and credits from the Empire Zone, the business-assistance program formerly operated and funded by the state, Barcone, who was operating in another store down Broadway but needed more room, purchased his current building, which was three dilapidated storefronts, in 2000. (Barcone considered relocating to Town of Ulster, but he said the real estate was too expensive; plus, he liked Broadway’s nice enclave of small, friendly businesses.) He did a complete overhaul, which included rebuilding the façade a foot or two back from the sidewalk and hiring Kingston architect Scott Dutton to do the design. The decorative details Dutton added to the brick front successfully integrate it with Kingston’s still numerous 19th-century mercantile storefronts. 

Barcone said his Empire Zone incentives expire in two years. He hopes to remain in his building—space is tight; he’s currently looking for an off-site storage facility—although he said the high property taxes are an issue, seriously boosting his overhead. There’s some other things he’d like to change, such as not having to be responsible for cleaning up the graffiti on his building, which has become a recent problem. (He said he feels the perpetuator, who was caught and is currently being held in the county jail, should be required to do this). A crab apple tree he planted out front was unfortunately destroyed by an out-of-control car, and attractive planters he and his wife put out front were taken away by city workers one winter and never returned.

Barcone said being near the high school is an advantage, and he’s long been at home in the area. There’s plenty of parking. His grown son and daughter work in the business, and he’s hopeful that Barcone Music will continue to thrive for many more generations to come—and here in Kingston, we in the business community hope.—Lynn Woods

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Get Healthy at Colonial Health Food Store

February 21st, 2011

Colonial Health Food Center, located at 43 North Front St., is the oldest health food store in Ulster County. It has occupied its current storefront since 1961 (the business was founded in 1960) and was bought by current owner Natu Shah in 1986. Shah, a native of India, opened up a health food store in Poughkeepsie several months after immigrating to America in 1977, bringing an Indian tradition to the States just at the time when people started getting serious about eating whole foods and following a holistic health regime. It’s a trend that’s blossomed to become a way of life for many, and, despite the faded interior—actually charmingly retro, with its tin ceiling–Colonial has solidly kept up with the times.

The shelves are loaded with vitamins, protein supplements, organic drinks and dairy products, nuts, spices, teas, body lotions and oils, probiotics (flax seed oil, fish oil, and the like), shampoos, tinctures, cleaning products, you name it—altogether, more than 3,000 items, Shah estimated. (A spry 78-

Owner Natu Shah

year-old who could pass for 60, he’s a living testament to the healthfulness of his wares.) He noted the store carries several exclusive brands. They include Bio-Essence International, which makes an allergy, hay fever and sinus treatment that Colonial’s regular customers swear by, and Vita Therapy, whose vitamins are all natural, of course, and cost 20 percent less than other brands.

Manager Liz Hoffmann, who holds a degree in biology from the University of Texas and is unusually knowledgeable about the various elixirs on the shelves, points out a relatively new product, jars of human growth hormone made from deer antlers and stem cells. She said it helps the immune system and is popular with women. Another exotic product that she said bolsters up the body is bee pollen. “We are the cheapest health food store around and have a very eclectic selection,” said Hoffmann.

But Colonial offers much more than holistic health products. If you want to buy green, check out the Seventh Generation recyclable toilet paper and paper towels in the back. If you want to buy spices, flour, dried fruit, beans, nuts, honey or other whole food at a reasonable price, this is the place. The selection is phenomenal, with many of the items hand-packed in ziplock bags. There’s half a dozen kinds of cashew nuts—a good-sized bag is priced as low as $4.50—and bags of millet, quinoa, wheat berries, chickpea flour, red lentils and toor dal, a yellow lentil-like bean that Hoffmann said is particularly tasty. A jar of organic raw honey is just $3.99, or you can splurge and spent $20 for raw wanuka honey, which comes from Africa and contains an antiseptic; it can be both eaten and applied onto the skin.

You can grind your own peanut butter for $1.79 a pound (11 cents more if you don’t have a container). The raw snack items in the refrigerated shelves include a variety of nuggets sweetened with honey or berries and enriched with sunflower seeds or nuts–all tasty, healthy and affordable.  Colonial also stocks a variety of Indian foods. There are bags of curried cashews, bottles of curry sauces, loose curry leaves in a bag, chunks of raw jadgery sugar (rich in calcium and magnesium, according to the package) and frozen Indian dinners. Shah makes his own ghee—clarified butter, which has no butterfat—which is sold in small jars. The only thing Colonial doesn’t stock is produce (although it sells organic milk and free-range eggs). That lack is fulfilled half the year by the Kingston Farmers’ Market, which has been great for business, Shah said.

Even if health food stores aren’t your thing, if you love to eat and cook from scratch,  you’ll want to visit Colonial Health Food Center. Friendly, well stocked, it’s a throwback to the mom and pop stores when they were at their peak—and proof that their appeal never went out of date. —Lynn Woods

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Burgevin Florist Once Again Graces Fair Street with Flowers

February 8th, 2011

Brian Tymon and Elizabeth Kelly opened Burgevin Florist on October 1, restoring a business that’s been an Uptown institution for more than 100 years at the corner of Fair and Main. “We have a new attitude and are really focusing on overcoming the past reputation,” Tymon said. “We want to bring it back to what it was.”

In fact, Burgevin Florist is the oldest florist shop in the state, Tymon said. The corner retail store of the 1904 Burgevin building was actually designed to be a florist shop. Its special features remain intact: the extra-large store windows, which let in enough light to keep plants flourishing; the self-draining interior window sills, with holes to catch the water; the tile floor, with its wonderful mosaic border. The Burgevin family was a major supplier for flowers for the Hudson Valley and New York City as far back as the 1850s, and at the peak of the business the family maintained 100,000 square feet of greenhouses in the area, according to Tymon.

Brian Tymon

In resurrecting this traditional business, Tymon, who’s been a florist for 27 years, and Kelly, a native of the area, also wanted to put their own spin on it. “We have a socially active window,” noted Tymon. Each month, the business is dedicated to promoting an important local cause. In October, for example, the proceeds from all-pink bouquets went to support breast cancer research. Proceeds from all-red arrangements in December went to H.I.V.-oriented charities.

This month, for $5 extra you get a feather boa wrapped around your box of flowers, which helps support breast cancer research. Tymon noted that the proceeds go to locally based organizations; Kelly sits on the board of the American Cancer Society and the charities are chosen through her connections.

The store stocks all kinds of flowers, including beautiful orchids and, among the more exotic blooms, miniature callas. Tymon said there is always an abundance of blooms displayed in the large windows, a sight that’s a welcome respite from winter. (The new business’s purple, green and white logo was inspired by the toad lily, an orchid-like flower that grows in the area.) The store also sells plants, urns and other attractive containers, including antique mercury-glass vases, votive candles, and various other gift items.

In yet another tie-in with the community, the store displays artwork and photographs by local artists on a revolving basis and plans on participating in the monthly gallery openings on March 5, with a reception for an upcoming show of oil paintings by Raphael Perez.

Tymon, who grew up in Westchester County and lived in California for many years—he moved to Ulster County from Napa—said that while his former home town was definitely one of the most beautiful places on the planet, he’s equally fond of the Hudson Valley, which is also scenic but much less expensive. Kingston in particular “has a fantastic community,” he said. He’s a fan of the restaurants, loves the history as well as the Rondout waterfront, and enjoys Kingston’s character. As the business communities in the three areas of the city unite and join forces, Kingston should become ever more attractive to tourists and new residents, he said.

Burgevin Florist is open Monday through Friday from nine to six, Saturday from nine to four, and Sunday by appointment. Tymon recommends people order their Valentine Day flowers as soon as possible, although the store should have something gorgeous still in stock up to the time of your date or celebration.

Posted by Lynn Woods.

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A Piece of Paris on Fair Street

January 18th, 2011

Dining at Le Canard-Enchaine is like visiting Paris without having to take a plane. The maroon walls, topped by mustard-colored tin ceilings and elaborate moldings, are hung with large framed mirrors and photographs of the City of Light (including a striking color shot taken by famous DJ Bruce Morrow). The tables are covered in white linen, and at least one of the suited male waiters has been at the restaurant since it opened, 16 years ago. The atmosphere is comfortable, low key, and elegantly casual.

But it’s when you sample the French onion soup, escargots, or bouquet d’endive, followed by braised lamb shanks, roasted duck, or black-pepper encrusted salmon, and topped off with a crème caramel or lemon tart, that you really begin to feel a sense of immense gratitude and wonder for this French culinary outpost right here in Kingston. (This is the place—the only one in the Hudson Valley, so far as we know, to order  cassoulet, the classic French white-bean stew that’s just the thing on a wintry January evening.) It’s no surprise Le Canard has been reviewed in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, garnering national attention. The restaurant is probably responsible for luring more out-of-towners to our little city than all other destinations combined.

Le Canard also offers one of the region’s best values. It serves a $14.95, two-course Prix Fixe lunch Monday through Friday and offers a three-course, $25 dinner Sunday through Thursday ($30 including a glass of wine). On Saturday night, owner and chef Jean-Jacques Carquillat cooks up five or six specials in addition to the standard fare on the menu (which he daren’t change, not wanting to cause an outcry from his loyal customers).

Carquillat, who was born and raised in the French alps—both his parents and grandfather were hoteliers—opened the restaurant in 1996, following stints at top restaurants in New York City. He apprenticed at the best restaurant in Paris at age 16 and opened his first restaurant in the same city at age 19, later working in London, Singapore, Saudia Arabia and other far-flung locales as an executive chef. Carquillat had been visiting the mid Hudson Valley as a weekender for years. He chose Kingston as the place for his restaurant, which he decided to open because of the dearth of French cuisine in the area, because he liked the architecture and streetscape of Uptown, with its Old World feel. The first year he was very busy, despite being located in what many thought of as a “welfare city,” and his reputation has been growing ever since. He estimates 90 percent of his clientele is based in New York City.

However, the economic downturn has caused a bit of a slowdown, as it has other restaurants. So five months ago he started a side business called French Kiss Bakery, distributing his famous desserts (he was once a pastry chef at a top eatery in the city) to 25 restaurants in Manhattan as well as in Rhinebeck and other places. Carquillat noted the venture was a way to keep his staff—including the pastry chef, who’s been with him from day one—occupied in the downturn.  

He’s also putting the finishing touches on a cooking show, in which he visits neighboring farms and cooks on the premises. The show would be a way of promoting Ulster County, he said. And he’s planning to open a soup kiosk in Manhattan—similar to the Midtown Manhattan “soup nazi” made famous in Seinfeld—preparing all the soups in his Kingston kitchen and donating 10 percent of the proceeds to a good cause. (In the meantime, he’s selling his soups at Terry’s Market in Kingston).  Other extracurricular activities include the design of a restaurant in Argentina three years ago. 

Carquillat, who owns his building as well as the one next door, said attracting more tourists is key to the economic prosperity of New York’s first capital. He said the city leadership needs to do a better job of promoting Kingston’s cultural appeal, and he believes every business should be open on Sunday, to take advantage of the flood of weekenders. Another reform the city desperately needs is relief from the extraordinary high taxes, he said. (Carquillat also owns a home in the city, so he understands the burden both on businesses and residents.)  Despite the problems, the city is still a great place to live and do business. The continual migration of artists to the city, the beautiful museums, and the addition of more cafes and restaurants are all positive developments, broadening Kingston’s appeal, he said.

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One Building, Many Worlds

January 4th, 2011

Kingston’s business districts consist of more than just street-level stores and offices. The rentable space on the floors above are hidden but no less important centers of activity.

 Take, for example, the building at 275 Fair Street, which was purchased by Bill Oderkirk in 2008. He rents out 28 offices and eight street-level commercial storefronts in the 26,000-square-foot space. Currently, the building is 90 percent occupied. It’s a village unto itself, whose tenants include two attorneys, several psychologists and other health-care professionals, a hair salon, food caterer (Chef Ef, whose huge skillet of paella was a fixture of last year’s Kingston Farmers’ Market), sound engineer, clothing alteration business, accountant, massage therapist, green building company, writer, printer, Lincoln Eagle newspaper publisher, adoption agency, landscape design firm, acupuncturist, and two artists, each of whom use their space as a studio. On the ground floor, there’s Mizuna Café, a seasonal ice-cream stand (run by Sean and Julie Griffin in the spring, summer and fall), Whitworth Jewelers, Lucy’s Taco, the Ulster County Democratic Committee, the Times Herald Record, and Scandic Imports.

Scandic Imports

 Two of these businesses are new to Kingston: the adoption agency and Scandic Imports, a wholesale company with a Finnish owner who originally leased space upstairs. One business, art retailer Brad Will, is occupying a storefront for free until a renter is found. Oderkirk said Will’s displays of art in the windows add to the beauty of the street—an urban amenity that can’t be measured merely in dollars and cents.    

 Known as the Opera House—it was one of several that once graced the city—and built in the 1850s, 275 Fair was updated around 1900; the theater space was reconfigured into three stories and offices were added on the top two floors. Over the years, it suffered from deferred maintenance, and Oderkirk, who has a background in contracting, has been slowing renovating, unit by unit: he’ll move into an office himself, fix it up, show off the space to a prospective tenant, rent it, and move to another unit, beginning the process all over again.  The sheer volume of offices is essential to making the building a profitable venture. “I don’t go overboard in terms of spending, and I’m flexible and fair to the tenants,” he said.

 Oderkirk mainly locates tenants by word of mouth. ‘I’m on good terms with other landlords,” he said. “I refer people to [Le Canard-Enchaine owner] Jean-Jacques Carquillat, RUPCO, the LGBTQ Center and Will, who owns a building on Wall Street. Within a six-block radius, there’s quite a few people who refer each other.” He also advertises on Craigs List, headlining his listing with “Digital Dynamo.”    

 Oderkirk said he makes the space attractive and keeps the price affordable (the rents “are below market almost”). “Most offices are occupied by people who are moving from somewhere else where they weren’t happy or out of their home,” he said. “They want something convenient and affordable.” The rent includes electric, with tenants paying extra for heat and ac (the amount varies, depending on the square footage). Leases range from one to 14 years, with a few tenants paying month to month. Tenants park a few blocks away to avoid the area parking meters as well as leave spaces free in front of the building for their clients.

 Oderkirk said Kingston is rich with potential, and the best way to tap that potential would be for the city to create a business improvement district, or BID. He’s seen first-hand the changes a BID can affect, during nearly 20 years of living in New York City.  When Oderkirk moved to East 14th Street in 1977, it was drug-infested, rundown, and filthy. The advent of a BID “made an area that was barely habitable into a place that was very comfortable and safe. It’s what all of Kingston needs to do.” The 14th Street

Mural from the O+ Festival & Bulletin Board on the Opera House

BID hired street cleaners, each equipped with a garbage can, broom and shovel and responsible for keeping a block clean. The BID also worked with the police department to reduce crime. Beautifying the street with tree plantings, pocket parks and facade improvements was another important step.

The key to improving Kingston, Oderkirk said, is for each business district “to keep its uniqueness and build on that” while at the same time cooperating with each other. “No one area in Kingston can do it alone.” That’s why the Business Alliance of Kingston was formed–to both support and be supported by each of the city’s three districts. Membership is only $125 a year, which is less than a third of the cost of belonging to the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce, Oderkirk pointed out.

 “The advantage here is you can be a big fish in a small pond,” he said. “The more everyone’s willing to work together, the better things will be.”

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This Holiday Season, Don’t Forget Kingston Plaza

December 14th, 2010

It used to be every city had a downtown. And especially during the holiday season, that’s where everyone headed. Today, Kingston has several—Uptown, the Rondout, and Midtown. Within and without these precincts, it has other retail clusters, of which one of the most noteworthy is Kingston Plaza.

The plaza is really an extension of Uptown, abutting the large parking area where the parking garage used to be (the refuge of shoppers seeking to avoid the annoying meters). It’s owned by Herzog’s, developed by the grandfather of Herzog president Brad Jordan and a partner. When the strip opened in the early 1960s, it was a Kingston first.

The 45-acre plaza contains 312,000 square feet and has 35 stores, which represent a healthy mix of retail and professional offices, national chains and local businesses. According to Jordan, 19 of the locations are local businesses, including franchises. There are four eateries—Blimpie’s, Plaza Pizza, Chic’s and B&B Bagels—Radio Shack, Just a Buck (a locally owned dollar store), Artcraft Camera and Digital, JK’s Wine and Liquor, a bank, two barbers, a beauty supply company, travel agency, H&R Block Tax Service, dentist and physical therapy center. A few stores go back decades; Style Fabric, for example, has been there from the beginning and is on its fourth owner.

The Grand Union is now a Hannaford’s. Walgreens was also an original tenant, although now it has its own building (the former location of Sears Auto). Obviously, “we try not to lease to businesses that compete with each other, although there is some product overlap, said Jordan.

The most challenging space to lease has been the 80,000-sqaure-foot building that was the former Ames (followed by Steve and Barry’s discount clothing). The paucity of large department stores and their ilk has made the structure a white elephant. Rather than sell the building, the owners are reconfiguring it. MAC Gymnasium now occupies 22,000 square feet, and in February Wells Fargo Advisory will open in another 4,000 square feet.

The large parking area to the side of Hannaford’s is a popular venue for special attractions. Coleman Brothers Circus takes up residence in the late summer; it’s hosted by the Kingston Police Department, who use the proceeds to raise funds for Kingston Gold Shields. The Babe Ruth League and the Kingston high school football team also utilize the land. “We do a tremendous amount of promotion there,” said Jordan.

Herzog’s itself is a star attraction of the plaza, of course. Starting out as a paint store in Rondout, which was opened in 1909 by Matthew Herzog, Brad’s great grandfather, Herzog’s also owns four other paint stores, two in the Poughkeepsie area and two in Albany. Jordan said the store has prospered, despite competition from the big box stores. The key was diversification of its product mix, with garden and decorating centers added in recent years. He also attributed Herzog’s success to its excellent customer service.

Jordan said the Internet and the growing trend of online shopping have hurt the traditional malls more than Kingston Plaza, thanks to its lower operating costs. The typical lease is five years, with leases to national chains ranging from 10 to 12 years. “Local tenants can survive and thrive here,” concluded Jordan.

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Holiday Cheer in Uptown

December 6th, 2010

For the fourth year in a row, Uptown Kingston is hosting a Friday evening Holiday Open House. The 18 participating businesses—each marked with a balloon–are located within the district bound by John, Main, Wall, and North Front Streets and will welcome visitors from 5 to 8 pm. The inspiration of Linda Fusaro, proprietor of Full Circle, the rain gear retailer located on North Front, the Open House is ringing in the holiday season with the necessary attractions, including Santa, of course.

He’ll be stationed at the “North Front Pole” (Dominick’s Café), corner of Wall and North Front, and be available for photos with the kiddies. A gorgeous Christmas tree will rise at the foot of Wall, where the parking garage used to be, and hot cider and cookies will be served at many of the stores. A horse-drawn carriage will take people on $5 rides through the historic area. Strolling carolers will enliven the streets, and a stocking will be distributed to the first 500 visitors, with free goodies provided by the participating stores. Each stocking holder fills out a wish list, which can be dropped into Santa’s box; at 8:15, there’ll be a raffle, with store gift certificates offered as prizes.

Fusaro said she came up with the idea as “a thank you for my customers.” The event has grown each year and attracted at least 500 people in 2009. The event is supported by the Kingston Uptown Business Association. Fusaro has spearheaded the publicity, which includes the display of 100 posters in the city and distribution of 500 flyers; most businesses have also e-blasted their clients. Plus, the event is getting a frequent mention on WKNY.

Karen Adin, owner of Bop to Tottom, on Wall Street, said the event keeps getting better. “Last year was better than the first year. We had an incredible number of people come to Uptown,” she said. “We had a really busy night. It’s great for the whole neighborhood.” Adin said she was happy that some non-retailers were participating as well, affirming the community spirit among the Uptown business community.

Murphy Realty Group, on Wall Street, is an example. Principal broker and owner John Murphy said the company, which also participated last year, will decorate its window and distribute candy canes. “We can show off our office and show community support,” he said, noting that the decorated store front attracted a lot of lookers last year.

Adin said she’d be happy if the entire city gone onboard. “I’d like to see Kingston as a whole do the open house,” she said. “We might have trolley buses shuttling people through town.”

The participating businesses are Half Moon Books, Maxwell’s, Yankee Clipper,  Burgevin Florist, Bop to Tottom, Full Circle, Lotus Jewelry, Parent Teacher Store, Schneider’s Jewelers, Traders of the Lost Ark, Dominick’s Cafe, Dream Weavers Style and Health Center, Xclusive Boutique, Rage Hair Salon, Columbia Beauty Supply, Uptown Ellagance, Edward Jones Investments, Wells Fargo, Tonner Doll Company, Murphy Realty Group and Fleishers Grass-Fed & Organic Meats.

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Fleisher’s Prepares for Thanksgiving

November 9th, 2010

Jessica & Joshua Applestone

With Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s a particularly busy time for Fleisher’s Grass-fed and Organic Meats. The old-fashioned butcher shop at 307 Wall Street has not only been pleasing palettes with its healthy and locally raised natural meats but also resurrecting the art of butchery through its apprenticeships and classes—and in the meantime generated articles in the national media as well as being featured in the high-profile memoir, Cleaving: a Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession by Julie Powell (author of Julie & Julia, which inspired the popular film).

Co-owner Josh Applegate appeared on The Martha Stewart Show last spring—he showed her how to break down a pig—and will be participating on Iron Chef on December 12, as one of the judges rating the dishes participants will concoct from a secret ingredient. (Fleisher’s will also be contributing the ingredient; it provided the veal featured on the show last month). Clearly this small Kingston business is making waves far beyond the confines of Wall Street.

Right now, it’s taking orders for its free-range turkeys—free of antibiotics and hormones, of course–which are raised on Dutchess County farms. As of Monday, already half of its orders had been filled, so don’t delay in ordering your delicious bird. The cost is $8.99 per pound, and the gobblers range from eight to 30 pounds—the store recommends allowing for a four-pound margin. Fleisher’s is also offering 10-pound capons (a castrated rooster, with extra-tender meat).

The next upcoming workshop, “Steer to Beef,” is on November 14, followed by “Pig to Pork,” on December 5 (which is also the start of a five-day Butchery 101 Class, which covers knife skills, breaking down animals, and sanitation). The one-day workshops are $300, which includes three meals and a visit to the farm to pick up the slaughtered animal. The longer class is $2,000, plus $100 for knives (which students keep). Employee Lindsay Pugnali said a couple of Martha Stewart’s assistants as well as a few employees from the Food Network were planning to attend one of the one-day workshops.

As mentioned, Fleisher’s also offers apprenticeships. Currently a young man from New Jersey and a woman from Portland, Oregon, are participating in eight-week programs,  and a recent Bard grad is serving a two-week stint, concentrating on pork. Fleisher’s employs eight employees, including the owners, Josh and his wife, Jessica.

Fleisher’s makes 12 deliveries a week of whole animals to restaurants in New York City, with some piggyback orders going to Westchester County. But the owners are equally focused on their retail business: they’ve purchased the former Neko’s luncheonette and are meeting with an architect to redesign the space, with plans for an upstairs teaching arena and downstairs retail store, perhaps including a restaurant. Fleisher’s is open on Thursday and Friday from 11 to 7 and from Saturday 10-6; Tuesdays and Wednesdays are devoted to its wholesale business.

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Gargoyles Sets Up Shop in Kingston

October 26th, 2010

Perhaps the best publicity a city can get is an article about it in the New York Times. An article appeared in the summer of 2009 that profiled a Brooklyn couple who bought a house on Abeel Street now the One Mile Gallery, has resulted in at least one newcomer relocating to Kingston. Hadassah Zuberi Ben-Dor, a resident of Philadelphia for over 40 years and owner of Gargoyles, read the article and was instantly intrigued. Having never been to the Hudson Valley before, she visited Kingston and fell in love with the architecture, arts community, fabulous restaurants, and relatively reasonable real estate prices.

She subsequently bought the former Coffey Gallery building on Wall Street, closing the deal in June and moving in at the end of August. Ben-Dor operates her retail shop and wholesale business on the ground floor and lives upstairs. “It’s just perfect,” she said, noting that the gallery nicely complements her other business, which is selling and renting props to department stores, restaurants, movies, fashion houses, photographers and other clients seeking high-quality vintage goods. She also has a side business producing vintage-style graphics for stores and restaurants.

Quality of life was an important factor in her decision to move to Kingston: “I will not make the millions I made ten years ago, but what I cherish is the serenity, beauty, and art culture of the area,” she said.

Ben-Dor, who was born and raised in Jerusalem, came to the U.S. as a student at the Moore College of Art, located in Philadelphia, where she got her degree in graphic design. She started out in the salvage business and eventually acquired a 10,000-square- foot building in Philly. Realizing that there was a market beyond home renovators, Ben-Dor started targeting restaurants and department stores and eventually became hugely successful, traveling the world for vintage goods. For a while, she was flying once a month to England, because “they have the look…with their old luggage and sports equipment.” She has made shipments as far as Japan, and her clients include such specialty businesses as a golf club in Maryland. Ben-Dor did more than just provide pieces: she also helped her clients come up with a look and an atmosphere, such as “Maine Fishing Village,” which she would sell as well as supply. “I was loving it,” she said. “It was so creative. The people I deal with are mostly designers.”

After 9/11, however, there was a significant fall-off in business, and eventually Ben-Dor had to sell her building. Finding herself priced out of the Philadelphia market, she was looking for an alternative when she read the Times article about Kingston.

Ben-Dor has already become active in the community, opening her doors on the First Saturday Gallery Walk, participating in the O+ Positive Festival, and becoming a vendor in the antiques show held at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, in Rhinebeck. It’s been a perfect fit: “It feels like I’ve been here forever,” Ben-Dor said. She invites everyone to her “very beautiful show room,” at 330 Wall Street.

Posted in Antiques, Business, Corridor, Kingston’s One of a Kind Finds | 3 Comments »

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