SARATOGA SPRINGS — Roohan Realty recently announced the listing of 417 Broadway, a mixed-use property in the heart of downtown Saratoga Springs, represented by Dan Roohan, Associate Real Estate Broker, and Kelly DeMichele, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson. 

Listed for $3.7 million, the three-story building is one of the oldest properties on Broadway, originally constructed in 1825 by Gideon Davison. Built with brick at a time when most neighboring structures were wood, the building was one of the few structures to survive the devastating fires of the 1830s. Davison, the founder of The Saratoga Sentinel, the city’s first newspaper established in 1818, operated his publication from 417 Broadway for nearly 25 years. 

Over the past two centuries, the property has housed a salon, doctor’s office, travel agency, and other small businesses. Today, the property features approximately 6,000 square feet of finished space, including the Wine Bar restaurant on the first and lower levels, along with three upper-floor residential apartments. 

The Evans family acquired the building in 1998 when it was listed for sale by Tom Roohan, Broker/Owner of Roohan Realty. Following a $1 million renovation, they opened The Wine Bar a year later, one of the region’s first wine bar concepts. Managed by sommelier Melissa Evans, it has remained a cornerstone of Saratoga Springs’ dining and nightlife scene for more than 25 years. 

The restaurant space features two working fireplaces, a full bar, and a fully outfitted food and beverage setup. The furniture, fixtures, and equipment are included in the sale. 

The Wine Bar will remain open until the building is sold; however, the business itself is not included in the sale, and select items, including the cigar humidor, cigar locker, baby grand piano, selected artwork, and cigar lounge license will not transfer. 

For more information about the property, contact listing agents Dan Roohan at (518) 527-7895, or Kelly DeMichele at (518) 928-9019. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Automobile Museum will present its latest exhibition, “Mercedes-Benz 1886–2026,” beginning May 4.

The showcase will celebrate 140 years of innovation and design, tracing the evolution of one of the most influential names in automotive history.

Highlights include the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first practical automobile; the 1938 540K; the 1953 300S Cabriolet; and the iconic 1955 300SL Gullwing. Performance heritage is represented by the 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II, while artistic perspectives include a 1952 220A painted by Hiro Yamagata, and new works by artist Lyn Hiner created for the exhibition.

An opening reception will be held on May 7 from 5 to 7 p.m., with a gallery talk at 6 p.m. Members attend free. Light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar will be available.

BALLSTON SPA — Back Barn Brewing, located in the historic Abner Doubleday house, celebrated its grand opening last Friday.

The event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Ballston Spa Business & Professional Association, live music by Phillip Shaver, and a Fired Up Pizza food truck.

“For more than five years, the Doubleday House has served as a welcoming gathering place for this community—first as The Real McCoy and now as Back Barn Brewing Co.,” said the Ballston Spa Business Association in a social media post. “It’s where friendships have grown, milestones have been celebrated, and those traditions will carry on for years to come.”

Back Barn’s draft list included the 12-Pointer IPA, You-Da-Boss Sour Ale, Brigid Red Ale, and the KCA Amber Ale. Also on the menu: canned cocktails from Albany Distilling, Nine Pin Cider, Montezuma Winery Table Red, and the Goose Watch Pinot Grigio.

Back Barn has a handful of events scheduled for this month and next, including karaoke night on April 24, open mic poetry night on April 30, and open mic music night on May 1 (with the Fired Up Pizza truck making another appearance).  

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Gideon Putnam will host North Country Wild Care’s 2026 Fundraising Gala on Sunday, May 17 from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The 25th anniversary event, which is being held in support of local volunteers and wildlife rehabilitators, will include rehabilitator presentations, a silent auction, luncheon, a wildlife rehabilitator roundtable, a video presentation, cash bar, and live music performed by Tootie & The Mother Plucker. 100% of proceeds from the lunch and auction will be spent on food and medication for sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife.

Tickets are available at www.ticketstripe.com/ncwc-gala-2026.

MALTA — The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce recently joined with representatives from the United States Air Force for the grand opening of its new career center at 2545 Rt. 9 in Malta. Locals interested in a career in the Air Force or Space Force can contact Technical Sergeant Jonathan Davis from the new recruitment office at jonathan.davis.25@us.af.mil or (518) 859-0297.

The entrance and inner vault of the Silver Cannabis Company’s Saratoga Springs location. Photos by Jonathon Norcross.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — ‘Twas the week before 4/20, when all through the dispensary,

budtenders were stirring, conducting an audit.

Although popular culture often depicts cannabis enthusiasts as lackadaisical, at the Silver Cannabis dispensary in Saratoga Springs, products are meticulously tagged, tested, and tracked. The business is subject to multiple, random state inspections each year and must always be prepared.

Silver—which has nine locations scattered across New York, Massachusetts, Maine, and Vermont—has its regional managers conduct internal audits, which can serve as practice runs for state inspections. Individual stores also have their staffers perform daily categorical audits. On April 15, one Saratoga budtender was auditing the store’s supply of edibles to ensure that the physical inventory matches the information that’s in both the store’s system and the state’s tracking system.

“Compliance and regulations can be a good thing,” Jacob LeLievre, general manager of the Spa City pot shop, told Saratoga TODAY. “Everything that we have in there is tested for pesticides. It’s tested for potency. It’s tested for residual chemicals that could come in contact with it during the process. Everything is completely clean and safe to be sold, versus something that you may choose to purchase elsewhere. You wouldn’t necessarily know where it came from or if it was completely safe to consume. I can stand by knowing that our products are safe, and that we can make the best suggestion to anyone who comes in.”

In July 2024, Silver became the first recreational dispensary to open its doors in Saratoga Springs. Since then, it’s had to redesign its space to accommodate a steady flow of customers. It also recently expanded its vault to accommodate more inventory. The physical changes are evidence of what might be obvious to anyone who drives past Silver in Saratoga or Sashies in Ballston Spa: the local cannabis business is booming.

“We never knew what to expect when we first opened, and we ended up opening up to a ton of people welcoming us into the community,” LeLievre said. “I think we exceeded expectations.”

According to New York State Cannabis Control Board data published earlier this month, dispensaries that have been open for a year are averaging about $4 million in annual sales. Top retailers can yield closer to $6 million annually, with the less profitable shops bringing in about $1.2 million. “New York’s cannabis market demonstrates resilience; most respondents are operational, adapting, and confident in their own business outlook amid broader market challenges,” states the control board’s report.

In 2025, the legal cannabis market in New York surpassed $2.5 billion in sales, according to the state’s Office of Cannabis Management. Also that year, the number of shops statewide increased from 261 to 556.

One thing that seems to be driving business, at Silver’s Saratoga location at least, is the desire for a good night’s sleep.

“A lot of people are looking for sleep options,” LeLievre said. “I’d say my favorite thing to help someone with is sleep. When someone comes in and they’re struggling to go to bed at night; that’s a fundamental part of being who you are, being able to get a good rest and get out the next day. Many people come back to get the same product again, just because they find that it works so well.” (LeLievre has a mantra for those seeking sleep aids: start low and go slow. In other words, start with a small dosage and test out various options, trial-and-error style.)

Of course, this time of year is decidedly not a sleepy one for dispensaries. April 20 (or, 4/20), considered a “high holiday” for cannabis users, is one of Silver’s busiest days of the year, up there with more traditional holidays like Christmas and local happenings like the Belmont Stakes.

“I would say the preparation for 4/20 usually starts in May because it takes a ton of time to get ready for,” LeLievre said.

Silver’s 4/20 celebrations this year include various educational opportunities where customers can learn more about products directly from vendors, and a lobster food truck from noon to 6 p.m. Those who are already fans of cannabis products are obviously welcome, but so too are those who might be skeptical of the recent legalization and proliferation of the industry across Upstate New York.

“Just come in and see us,” LeLievre said. “We can reassure you with our smiling faces and with our guidance that we’re here to help you with whatever it is that you may need help with when it comes to the cannabis realm, even if you’re nervous to step in.”

GREENWICH — Regarded as the oldest bookstore in the Capital Region, Owl Pen Books in Greenwich will reopen for its 66th season on Saturday, April 25 at 11 a.m. 

The opening date coincides with Independent Bookstore Day. Book and music lovers are encouraged to shop the inventory of nearly 100,000 used, rare, and antiquarian books, prints, and ephemera, as well as used LPs, CDs, and cassettes.

The book farm will host a number of events this season, including a multi-vendor vinyl record fair and the return of Hubbard Hall’s annual Shakespeare in the Park.

Originally opened in an old hog pen in 1960 by Barbara Probst, Owl Pen has since expanded into a large former chicken coop and welcomed tens of thousands of visitors to its unlikely location “on a back road off a back road.” In 1945, Probst stumbled on the then-abandoned property and decided to devote her life to restoring it. Current owners Eric Kufs and Sydney Nichols stumbled on the property for sale online in 2021 and purchased the bookstore and surrounding acres in 2022.

Owl Pen’s 66th season will run from April 25 through Nov. 1, Wednesdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The bookstore can be found online at www.OwlPenBooks.com and on Instagram and Facebook @owlpenbooks.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Three Vines, an Italian bistro and bar located in Congress Plaza, closed its doors on March 28 after more than a decade in business.

Originally opened in Oct. 2014, the eatery weathered a number of storms, including the sudden death of its chef/owner Serafino Zaccone on Jan. 18, 2018. Zaccone, who was only 35 when he passed, launched Three Vines with his brothers-in-law Joe Krason and Alex Nikola.

“This was not an easy decision,” Three Vines said in a social media post. “In fact, it’s one of the hardest we’ve had to make. But sometimes life calls you in a new direction, and it’s time for us to move on to the next chapter. This isn’t goodbye forever — just goodbye for now.”

Three Vines prided itself on serving handcrafted Italian classics and creating a familial atmosphere.