SARATOGA SPRINGS — A new Chipotle location in downtown Saratoga is one step closer to becoming reality.
The Saratoga Springs Planning Board approved Chipotle’s site plan review application on November 30 after considering the proposal for several months. The board will decide upon issuing a building permit after an easement is filed.
The planned Chipotle at 12 Ballston Avenue will be located next to the Saratoga Strike Zone bowling alley. The site was formerly the home of Paddy Duggan’s Irish Pub.
The location will include an outdoor patio with around 20 seats, in addition to a small outdoor seating area with benches and planters. 23 parking spaces will be created on the .32 acre site.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Adirondack Trust Company Community Fund (ATCCF) awarded $84,070 in grants to 38 local nonprofits this month.
Some of the Lend-A-Hand Grant recipients included A Dapple a Day Equine Center, Camp Abilities Saratoga, Family Services Association of Glens Falls, First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa Summer Lunch Program, and Shelters of Saratoga.
“The awarded grants will support programs for a wide variety of needs as a whole, and will include the areas of the arts, education, health, and family activities,” said Colleen Carlson, Volunteer Chair for the ATCCF Independent Advisory Committee. “Thank you to the organizations, volunteers, and donors who provide support, time, and hard work throughout the year,” Carlson said. “We are honored to be a part of this process.”
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Roohan Realty announced that Laura Creazzo has joined the team as a Licensed Real Estate Salesperson.
Creazzo was born in Kansas and has lived in five different U.S. states, Holland, and Germany as her dad is a retired Army Major. She graduated summa cum laude from Thomas University with a B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies. Before moving to Saratoga Springs in 2023, she spent 11 years in Enterprise, Alabama where she owned a bakery and a real estate brokerage, Wiregrass Home Heroes. Over the last three years Laura has had 166 successful real estate transactions and has been an active real estate investor. She specializes in residential real estate and is certified in military relocation.
Creazzo can be reached at 518-796-4399 or laura@roohanrealty.com.
Roohan Realty is now celebrating 54 years of serving the community’s residential and commercial property needs. Roohan Realty is located at 519 Broadway, Saratoga Springs
SARATOGA SPRINGS — When the owners of Impressions of Saratoga and The Dark Horse Mercantile launched their Adopt a Grandparent gift-giving campaign last month, their goal seemed ambitious. They wanted to sell 350 gift tags in order to buy holiday presents for every senior at the Wesley Community.
As of December 19, a total of 385 gift tags had been sold, surpassing the initial goal. Although the campaign’s December 17 deadline had technically passed, store co-owners Maddy Zanetti and Marianne Barker were still adding more gifts to their heap of donations.
“We’ll just make more [gift] bags and give them to more people,” Zanetti said. “We had people coming in today that still want to buy them.” Zanetti and Barker said that several people also offered to buy as many gift tags as necessary to hit the 350 goal.
Zanetti said that a group of volunteers would meet at Wesley to prepare the gift bags, which will then be distributed to the seniors in time for Christmas.
Due to the campaign’s success, it may now become an annual event. “We had a lot of fun with it,” Zanetti said. “People have been so, so supportive.”
Image provided by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga County hotels are seeing notable increases in revenue this year for one primary reason: visitors are willing to spend more money to stay in the area.
From January through October of 2023, hotels in the county reported a RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room) of $110.70, up 6.5% from last year’s numbers, according to the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
“The demand was up slightly, the occupancy was up slightly, but the willingness of individuals to pay in order to be here, and to be especially in downtown [Saratoga Springs] was pretty clear,” said Todd Shimkus, president of the Chamber.
Although the flood of summer tourists betting on ponies at the track or dancing the night away at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is still a big part of hotel revenue, the city is increasingly becoming more than just a seasonal attraction.
“SPAC’s now got a year-round agenda and schedule of events. Live Nation has often now moved into September. This year they’re moving into May so they’ve spread out,” Shimkus said. “And then you can’t count out the City Center. This is the first year where the City Center has been full virtually every day. This is twelve months of success for the leisure and group tourism business.”
With the Belmont Stakes coming to town this spring, horse racing season is also kicking off ahead of schedule. “The Belmont coming here is going to have a huge impact in the month of June, if not a little earlier,” Shimkus said.
The most sought-after bookings might be downtown, but hotels throughout the region continue to profit from the deluge of visitors. “We don’t have enough lodging capacity to handle everyone who is going to want to be here,” Shimkus said. “So they’re going to have to stay in places outside the area.”
Hotels in Malta, Clifton Park, Glens Falls, Queensbury, Lake George, and even Albany benefit from the lodging shortage in Saratoga proper.
Within city limits, developers are working to create more accommodations. A Marriott AC Hotel is set to open on South Broadway sometime in the next 12 to 18 months. The Brookmere Hotel is expected to open late next year at the former site of the Longfellows Hotel and Restaurant. The Adelphi Hotel is also in the midst of an expansion.
TROY — WMHT Public Media announced the election of its board leaders and new trustee. The new slate of officers elected include: Shelby Schneider, Deputy Director, New York State Economic Development council, has been re-elected Chair; Del Salmon, Attorney, The Salmon Law Firm, has been elected Vice Chair; Gwen Wright, Community Leader, has been elected Secretary, and Karen Carpenter, President and CEO, Vanderheyden, Inc., has been elected Treasurer.
“I am both honored and humbled to be re-elected to the position of Board Chair,” said Shelby Snyder, in a statement. “WMHT’s mission to enrich our communities with programs and services that advance education, culture and civic engagement, empower individuals, celebrate our diversity, and reveal what we have in common – has never been more relevant than it is today.”
The officer slate will be joined by newly elected trustee and health coach and former WNYT anchor Dr. Benita Zahn. Zahn joins the WMHT board with 40 years of commercial TV news experience, that included a previous stint as host WMHT’s long-running HEALTH LINK program. After earning her MS and DPS/ Bioethics from the Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College, she now works as a nationally certified health coach for Capital Cardiology, co-hosts the podcast EVERYTHING THEATER and writes about health for a number of local magazines/newspapers.
The officers and trustees began their terms Dec. 1, and bring the number of board members to 24.
SARATOGA SPRINGS —Discover Saratoga has announced that the convention and tourism bureau has been selected as a 2023 Smart Meetings Platinum Choice Awards winner.
“We are incredibly honored to receive the esteemed 2023 Smart Meetings Platinum Choice Award,” said Darryl Leggieri, Discover Saratoga president in a statement. “This achievement reflects our unwavering commitment to hospitality in Saratoga County. I would like to thank our dedicated hospitality partners for their outstanding service, and everyone who contributes to making Saratoga a premier destination for meetings and events.”
Now in its 21st year, the prestigious Platinum Choice Awards have honored the hospitality industry’s top-ranked hotels, venues, and destinations every December with a list of hospitality partners that deliver the highest standards of overall excellence. These outstanding performers were nominated and voted on by meeting professionals and judged to be the best-of-the-best by the Smart Meetings editorial team and travel industry professionals.
Platinum Choice winners are featured in the December issue of Smart Meetings and will be showcased on the award-winning smartmeetings.com website.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Julie & Co. Realty announce Lillyann (Lilly) Hansen as the newest member of its brokerage in Saratoga Springs.
Born and raised in the southern region of New York, Hansen has a background in medicine and science with a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology/PreMed.
Hansen has joined the Julie & Co. Realty team as a Residential Licensed Real Estate Salesperson. She is also a member of the National Association of Realtors and Greater Capital Association of Realtors.
For more on Julie & Co. Realty visit juliecorealty.com.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — Forged on the roads and trails that cross this country, The Local Branch has now opened at 447 Broadway, in Saratoga Springs, selling Americana that touches on the nation’s culture and folklore.
Founded in San Franciso in 2009 by Blaine and Mackenzie Vossler, The Local Branch specializes in small-batch, American-made products. Working with more than 100 vendors, the space is stocked with handmade pieces that resonate with nostalgia.
“It’s sourcing with a story – items with a soul,” said Mackenzie.
A Shared Experience
Located in the former home of Saratoga Coffee Traders (which originally opened in 2006, and closed in October), The Local Branch’s soft opening on Saturday came after just one month of renovations to the building.
“I love making sure people feel welcome and inspired by the products. I set the palette and the tone so that it has a communal soul similar to what a coffee shop does,” said Mackenzie.
While structural supports were added and the floors refinished, most of the changes to the shop have been cosmetic. By layering colors and textures amid aged wood displays and salvaged antique light fixtures, Mackenzie’s grandmother’s rugs ground the space, while in the back corner a brass National Cash Register (like the one her father had) sits refurbished and ready to ring up this curated assortment of consciously-made products.
Conscious Consumerism
In an effort to move away from the pitfalls of fast fashion and overconsumption, before having their two children, Hawk, 6, and Wylie, 2, the Vossler’s spent two years traveling the country and creating goods from a mobile workshop inside an Airstream trailer.
“I’m inspired by outdoor adventures, hiking, camping, farming, and those activities that are part of our shared identity as a people,” said Blaine, who, after a brief stint studying at New York University, turned his artistic talents to screen printing apparel.
Influenced by Indigenous American ideals, rituals, and values, Blaine’s hand-drawn designs honor their heritage with bold bison, detailed images of the moon, and natural elements.
Stylish, Functional Heirlooms
After finding a free sewing machine by the side of the road, Blaine began creating functional, heirloom-quality items by applying the traditional skill of leatherworking to solve modern problems.
Tired of sitting on his wallet during those long hours on the road, Blaine made The Local Branch’s stylish underarm holsters, which provide a unique utilitarian way to carry your phone, wallet, passport, or other essentials, so that they’re easily accessible when you’re on the go – whether you’re sitting or standing.
Before leaving for a four-month excursion on the Pacific Coast Trail, Blaine created the Crossroads Backpack Tote – a leather tote bag that seamlessly transitions into a backpack.
The Local Branch’s blanket capes (with leather buckle closures) are also extremely versatile – they can be worn as a scarf, then laid on the ground to watch concerts and festivals.
A Caring Community of Creators
In 2018, the Vossler’s traded their mobile workshop for a brick-and-mortar store in Skaneateles (located in Central New York). Finding their dream home nearby, the 1854 Kester Homestead Barn, a rambling Victorian on 10 acres in Onondaga County, also once housed their leatherworking shop, but now operates exclusively as a wedding venue. The Local Brand’s manufacturing has been moved to a warehouse in the area that once belonged to Mackenzie’s parents (who were also entrepreneurs).
Introduced to Saratoga by friends who attended Skidmore College, it has been the city’s vibrant music scene, happening night life, historic charm, and small town feel that keeps them coming back, said Blaine.
The Local Branch, which emphasizes the importance of shopping small and buying local, is currently looking to hire a store manager and shop keepers for their Saratoga store.
“Here, you get to work with friends who care about the products and the stories behind them,” said Brand Manager Sidney Glass.
Just in Time for the Holidays
In addition to Blaine’s work, The Local Branch collaborates with a network of blacksmiths, weavers, jewelry makers, and other craftsmen to offer an assortment of sustainable items for the outdoorsman or homesteader in your life.
Stop in and start an in-store Wish List filled with super soft tees, sweatshirts, socks and other apparel, cabin blankets, belts, wallets, canvas bags, candles, books, kitchen provisions, apothecary items, and more, or grab a few goodies from the Stocking Stuffer Bar (including leather ornaments and key clips) just in time for the holidays. Customized initials and monogramming can be completed on leather items in 2-3 weeks.
The Local Branch, 447 Broadway, Saratoga Springs is open every day 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Follow them @TheLocal Branch on Instagram, on Facebook @TheLocalBranchApparel, and order online at thelocalbranch.co
BALLSTON SPA —The Saratoga County Career Center in conjunction with the Greater Capital Region Career Centers will hold the following free virtual career workshops:
Dec. 12 at 10:30 a.m.: Interview Preparation. Learn how to articulate your strengths, what questions to expect, how to address difficult topics, and ace the interviewing process. Facilitated by Schenectady.
Dec. 13 at 10 a.m.: Goal Setting. This workshop explores how goal setting works, why goals are important, and provides helpful resources to get you started to reach your dreams. Facilitated by Washington and Albany.
Dec. 21 at 11 a.m.: Completing Job Applications. Statistics show approximately 50% of mid-sized companies and almost all large corporations use an applicant tracking system to screen candidates for job opportunities. Learn how to prepare your online application to get the most visibility from hiring managers. Facilitated by Warren and Washington.
Dec. 26 at 11 a.m.: Overcoming Barriers. Join an informal discussion about how to overcome potential stumbling blocks to finding a job. Whether you’re facing transportation needs, childcare needs, prior justice system involvement, inexperience, health concerns or more, this workshop will provide you with resources and strategies to help you meet your goals. Facilitated by Saratoga and Fulton-Montgomery-Schoharie.
Dec. 28 at 1:30 p.m.: Social Media. Your social media presence can make or break your ability to find a job. Learn how to use social media to your advantage in searching for a job and marketing yourself to land the job or career you’ve always wanted. Facilitated by Schenectady.
Registration is required for all workshops. Visit https://thejoblink.org/calendar/ to register or call the Saratoga County Career Center at 518-884-4170 for more information. The workshops are offered as part of the Saratoga County Career Center’s WorkPays! workforce education campaign.
