Bike Saratoga, a new local e-bike rental and tour business, is launching at the historic Saratoga Battlefield this July fourth weekend. Bikers will have the opportunity to ride the park’s scenic battlefield road, a roughly 10-mile route featuring historic stops, sweeping views, monuments, interpretive markers, and some of the most consequential ground in American history.

Founder David Catalfamo decided to start this business after a near-fatal heart attack late last year.

“I mean I was flatlined. The folks at the Saratoga Y brought me back to life,” Said Catalfamo. “It gave me some new urgency to try some new things; this is a great opportunity to do something fun in the community.”

Catalfamo was and still is working as a communications consultant, but being part of the Saratoga community had always been a goal of his. With his newfound outlook on life, and a background that included a history degree from SUNY Albany, Catalfamo decided to go all in on Bike Saratoga.

“My work has taken me around the state and even the world, and I just want to be here. I love it here, I love the history; I love the nature,” said Catalfamo.

Catalfamo sees this as an opportunity for people to experience the historic battlefield while getting some exercise. 

“That’s the great thing about e-bikes, you don’t have to be in great shape. Maybe you haven’t biked in a while. You can get on them and experience it, and maybe it gets you back into biking, or back into healthier stuff,” said Catalfamo. 

While operations are just starting for Bike Saratoga, Catalfamo keeps an eye on the future, looking towards downtown Saratoga tours as a possibility. 

For the time being, e-bike rentals are available daily during the operating hours of the Saratoga Battlefield. Visit bikesaratoga.com to schedule a rental. 

Since before he could walk, Sean Llewellyn has been coming to the Saratoga Race Course every summer with his family. It was a part of their family heritage, a Saratoga summer. Last year, Llewellyn and his wife started an apparel brand, Born Trackside, which celebrates the traditions that make Saratoga Race Course so special.

“We fell in love with the traditions of parking in the same spot, bringing our chairs, bringing our cooler, sitting in the same spot. Then I realized we’re not the only ones. I thought our story was so unique, and I started looking around being like, I think there are other people here that had that same kind of tradition,” said Llewellyn. 

After realizing there was a whole community of people who’ve had similar experiences at Saratoga, Llewellyn wanted to find a way to build a connection. Last year, to gauge interest in his brand, Llewellyn wore a sample shirt to the track. 

“I had a few people run me down, and they were like, “Hey, where’d you buy that? I’d love to get one,” Llewelyn recalled. 

Immediately after Llewelyn went home and set up a website.

“It just exploded and we got so much feedback just being like, this is my kind of shirt, my kind of brand,” said Llewelyn. 

In their first full season in business, Born Trackside is looking to cultivate a community of Saratoga Race Course regulars. 

“What we’re hoping to plan this year is a meet up at the track, pick a day, and say hey, this is where we’re going to be. We want you guys to come by, set up your chairs with us, share stories, and just hang out,” said Llewellyn. 

To check out Born Trackside apparel or to sign up for their newsletter, go to borntrackside.com to keep up to date with the prospective meet up. 

Jon Schwartz has been thrifting clothes since his mom would drop him off at Goodwill with ten dollars in his pocket as a child. “It started out of necessity. Over the years it became a hobby,” Schwartz recalls. 

Last month, Schwartz’s lifetime of collecting vintage clothing culminated in a brick-and-mortar shop on 49 Front Street in Ballston Spa. Upstate Retro Clothing specializes in curating 80s and 90s streetwear and accessories. 

Shwartz’s reselling journey started around 15 years ago when he found a box of band t-shirts at a garage sale. “For my 4-dollar investment, I ended up selling one for 25, another for 40. It kind of evolved from there.”

Over time, Shwartz’s eBay store began to generate more and more revenue, but not enough to sway him from his full-time Job. 

After graduating from Oneonta in 2009, Schwartz moved to Milton and got a job at a local logistics company. He worked there for 13 years, but over time, competing viewpoints over the direction of the company resulted in Schwartz leaving. He started a new position in Voorheesville but grew increasingly dissatisfied with the long commute taking time away from his family. 

This was right around the time Schwartz linked up with Noah Chani, the owner of Grateful Threads, a similar vintage clothing store in Saratoga. 

Three years ago, Chani and Mariah, owner of Mariahfield – a local upstylist, started the Second Sunday Market. From May through October, on the second Sunday of every month, local vendors set up shop in Congress Park. 

This introduced Schwartz to the value of a physical place to sell his pieces. “When someone touches a garment, they create a connection. It’s not the same as when you’re looking through a listing on eBay. There’s a connection that’s made; there’s a conversation that’s had,” Shwartz said. 

In the three years of attending the Second Sunday Market, Shwartz’s collection ballooned from around 500 pieces to over 7,000 pieces and quickly engulfed his basement.

In a search for storage space, Schwartz stumbled upon his now business location at 49 Front Street. The space was very segmented before Schwartz moved in, but the owner allowed Schwartz to remodel the space. Within three months, Schwartz knocked down some walls, resurfaced the floor, and moved his clothes to shelves.  

He now works full-time for his business since its opening on May 21st.  

Upstate Retro Clothing is open Wednesday through Saturday 11 a.m. through 6 p.m.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) announced that Board Member Michelle Keating has established a $25,000 matching gift challenge to support the organization’s Annual Appeal.

A respected business leader and philanthropist, Keating previously served as President and CEO of Alder Foods Inc. and as Chairwoman of Fisher House Boston. After decades of leadership and service, she was searching for a cause that aligned with her passion for creating meaningful change. She found that opportunity through the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation’s mission of caring for retired racehorses and transforming lives through its Second Chances Program.

Her introduction to the organization came during the TRF’s annual BBQ fundraiser in Saratoga Springs, where she heard firsthand from a graduate of the TRF’s Second Chances Program, a vocational training initiative that pairs incarcerated individuals with retired Thoroughbred racehorses.

Inspired by what she heard, Keating traveled to Ocala, Florida, to visit the TRF’s Second Chances Program at Lowell Correctional Facility. Seeing the program in action solidified her commitment.

“I knew I had so much more to give, and this path chose me,” said Keating.

As a longtime horse owner, Keating was already familiar with the responsibility of caring for Thoroughbreds after their racing careers end. What she discovered through the TRF was a mission that extends beyond equine welfare.

“The TRF demonstrates what is possible when compassion meets opportunity,” she said. “These horses receive the dignified care they deserve, while the people who care for them gain confidence, skills, and a renewed sense of purpose.”

To encourage additional support for the organization’s mission, Keating has pledged a $25,000 matching gift challenge. Beginning June 22, every dollar donated to the TRF Annual Appeal will be matched dollar-for-dollar until the full $25,000 challenge is met.

“Michelle’s passion for our mission was immediate and inspiring,” said Maggie Sweet, Executive Director of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation. “She understands that our work is about both horses and people. Her leadership, vision, and generosity will help us continue providing lifetime care for retired Thoroughbreds while creating opportunities for transformation through our Second Chances Program.”

Saratoga Bridges’ annual White Party presents Petals & Prosecco Gala raised over $190,000 to support their programs and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Saratoga County. This year’s theme, Petals and Prosecco invited beautiful floral inspired dresses, suits, and accessories. Over 300 people came dressed in their best and ready to party for a cause at the 1863 Club at the Saratoga Race Course.

To begin the night, guests were greeted at the door with a flute of prosecco, generously donated by over 90 Cellars.  Following cocktail hour, guests made their way downstairs for dinner, auctions, and dancing. 

During dinner, Saratoga Bridges CEO, Jane Mastaitis, thanked the many sponsors, donors, and guests who support the organization’s mission year after year. Mastaitis highlighted the importance of their generosity in the face of uncertainty with cuts in state and federal funding. Mastaitis also recognized and awarded Kim & Leigh McConchie, longtime supporters of Saratoga Bridges and philanthropists, with the Community Builder Recognition Award for their impact on the greater community of Saratoga County. 

At the event, special guest Emcee & Auctioneer Chris Onorato, Anchor for News Channel 13, led a live auction. Featured in the auction were JetBlue round-trip flights and a Key West stay, box seats for the Alabama Stakes at the Saratoga Race Course, a curated private dining experience from PDT Maison, a 3-night stay at The Lodge at Schroon Lake, and a beautiful Creative Endeavors original collage, “Cosmos in a Crystal Cradle.”