Photos by Ben Walton for NYRA.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — As probably every Saratogian knows, the 2026 Belmont Stakes will be the last iteration of the Triple Crown race to be held at the historic Saratoga Race Course. In 2027, the event will return home to the newly built Belmont Park.

When the New York Racing Association (NYRA) revealed its 2026 Belmont Stakes logo a couple weeks ago in a video posted to its social media accounts, it decided to highlight the storied legacy of the Spa. To aid in that endeavor, it contacted the Saratoga-based Pavoldi brothers, who are the keepers of a vintage letterpress that is nearly as old as the track itself.

“[NYRA] wanted to feature local guys with a local business, local craftsmen doing things in Saratoga that were really antique,” Nick Pavoldi told Saratoga TODAY. “Belmont [Park], apparently, is being renovated to be super futuristic, very clean and very modern. Whereas Saratoga has a real antique look. That’s its vibe. Its whole thing is this antique, Victorian style. The letterpress is from 1886, and it happens to fit right in the wheelhouse with what they were looking for.”

NYRA commissioned the creation of 300 fliers that featured its new Belmont logo. To fulfill the order, the Pavoldis had to have a special ink made to match Belmont’s distinct green color. The brothers then used their letterpress and hand-set hundreds of fliers. A NYRA film crew captured the process, and next thing they knew, the Pavoldis were being directed as if they were Vogue models.

“[The film crew was] like, ‘Oh, now we’re gonna get another beauty shot of you two doing this,’” Nick recalled. “Jim and I thought that was the funniest thing because this is kind of a hobby. It’s not really our day jobs. But it was super fun. We both really knew our process and what we were doing.”

The brothers’ interest in the niche hobby of letterpressing began when Nick, the owner of Bodywork Professionals, wanted to create some extra-fancy gift certificates for his massage business. He heard about the art of letterpressing, and then found an antique letterpress at the Architectural Parts Warehouse in Albany. He took a few lessons on how to operate the machine. Before long, he was making his own gift certificates. When the previous owner of the letterpress offered to sell it, Nick eagerly jumped at the opportunity.

“I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is a dream come true,’” Nick said. “At that point, I was just head over heels in love with the letterpress. I don’t know why. It just delights me and tickles me.”

Nick needed a place to stash his bulky new toy, and it ended up at a distillery that became Artisanal Brew Works. To help pay his rent, Nick started making liquor and beer labels for the craft brewery.

“[The letterpress] became a real feature of this distillery and Artisanal Brew Works,” he said. “People would see it down there and sometimes I’d give people tours. They’d want to see it and touch it.”

The letterpress then bounced around a bit, from the brewery to a garage to a storage space, before eventually finding a home on Maple Avenue. Although Nick now has his letterpress in a convenient location, the work of actually using it for bulk production is both time and labor intensive. Every gift certificate Nick makes has to be pressed several times. So, 1,000 gift certificates with one envelope apiece equals 5,000 separate prints. It’s tiring work, and it’s why Nick’s Saratoga Letterpress business doesn’t really seek out new clients.

“If NYRA wants me to do another one, I will,” Nick said. “If you’re a big, prestige organization and you want somebody to do this, then maybe we will. But for just regular odds and end jobs, it’s not really our thing.”

Though it may not be in constant use, the Pavoldis’ letterpress has already made its stylish mark on Saratoga Springs history.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — In a series of recent Facebook posts, Compton’s Restaurant said that it’s being sued and threatened with eviction by its landlord.

The popular Broadway eatery that serves classic American breakfast and diner fare has been a Spa City institution for more than four decades, prompting supportive messages from many locals.

“Closing is not an option for us,” Compton’s stated in one post. “We love the business and the customers.”

The restaurant also vowed to “fight hard to continue to do what we have always done.”

Court records obtained by Saratoga TODAY showed that the building’s owner 457 Broadway LLC alleged that Shortorder Inc. (Compton’s co-owners William Maher, Sandra Compton, and Tina Maher) materially breached their lease, failed to allow the owner to enter the restaurant to perform work and make improvements, and failed to vacate pursuant to a termination notice.

457 Broadway also alleged that on July 1, 2025, Shortorder failed to pay its rent on time. (“We have provided proof that we have paid every month,” Compton’s said in one of its Facebook posts.)

As a result of these alleged breaches, 457 Broadway believes it’s entitled to a judgment of accelerated rent and additional rent owed in an amount exceeding $475,000 to be determined at trial, plus interest and attorney’s fees. (“If we lose, we are looking at eviction and around $500,000,” Compton’s said.)

According to the court documents, 457 Broadway LLC’s work on the building would result in the temporary removal of four restaurant tables. Shortorder sought compensation of $700 per day in exchange for removing the tables. After some back-and-forth that involved a lease amendment offered in exchange for a $700 per day rent credit, the two sides ultimately couldn’t reach an agreement. (In a Facebook post, Compton’s described the proposed lease amendment as “very unfavorable to us.”)

“We would not sign and just agreed to allow them to do the work with no compensation because we did not want to be evicted or sued,” Compton’s said. “At this time, they said [they] would not agree unless we signed the new lease. They decided we breached the lease.”

Compton’s also alleged that their restaurant has been dealing with frozen pipes, water leaks, dirt, fumes, and other issues as a result of construction work being done above them.

Compton’s called the whole affair “incredibly difficult, both emotionally and financially” and estimated that it could cost them more than $50,000 to fight their landlord.

“We were going back and forth for 6 months trying to figure out how we are going to handle it,” said Compton’s. “Deciding if we just wanted to relieve stress and not fight. Just look for a new location. The extra support we have felt over the last couple days made the decision easier for us. We are going to fight. We believe we have done nothing wrong. It will be a long battle and we are preparing for it.”

A GoFundMe campaign launched by William Maher in support of Compton’s had raised more than $2,400 as of Feb. 17. Presumably in an effort to raise more funds, the restaurant also announced that starting in March, it would be open seven days a week, from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m.