Many small scale manufacturing businesses don’t necessarily have to be situated close to the raw materials that they use or near the markets that they serve. What they do need however, is access to a skilled or trainable labor force, and to be located in a desirable community. This week’s Doers and Dreamers have not […]
Not everyone moves to Kingston by way of Brooklyn which may surprise some people and often it’s from somewhere not too far away. Consistently, I hear the same remarks from people who have moved here from other parts of the Hudson Valley. They all seem to feel that Kingston has much more of a sense […]
New retail stores are a harbinger of confidence in a local economy and when the goods sold by that store are made locally(in this case, the backroom) the economic benefit becomes even more significant. There is also a benefit based on serving as some additional eye-candy to local shoppers and tourists in a commercial district […]
I think it is an encouraging sign to see more of a focus on not just ‘health’, but also on ‘fitness’ in our society. Obviously, being free of disease impacts our physical and mental state, but developing the ability to accomplish physical tasks which you may not have been able to have done before, has […]
It’s been my pleasure to have met many of the people that are health and fitness professionals here in the Kingston area and the enthusiasm, dedication. and sheer exuberance that they bring to their work and project to their clientele is just amazing to watch. Whether it’s teaching yoga, martial arts, power lifting, parkour, zumba, […]
Things aren’t always as they appear. Take for instance, a narrow storefront on Broadway in the commercial district on the Rondout. One would never know that tons of deliciousness ships out to dozens of locations throughout New York and New Jersey from a very large warehouse situated behind that storefront. There is elegance in simplicity, […]
It’s hard to ‘fly under the radar’ for 17 years in a small city but some people manage to in a section of town that had been ignored for so long. The large industrial buildings of Midtown Kingston have been re-occupied and not by companies like the textile and light manufacturing companies of old, but […]
One of the encouraging local economic indicators in the area is the investment being made in commercial real estate. The Broadmor building in Midtown, Mansion House on the Rondout, and the New York State Bank building (most recently occupied by the Tonnor Doll Co.) in Uptown are examples of properties where investments have recently been made. […]
Seeing a new business sprout up that just caters to kids is a welcome sign of vibrancy in the community and although retail shops can be risky endeavors, people are finding ways to adapt the traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ to a model that works. So, if you’re like this week’s Doer and Dreamer and have […]
I never tire of tales of circuitous routes taken by people in their lives which have landed them here in our backyard. Of all the places that many have had an opportunity to settle in, they’ve gotten sucked in by the natural beauty of the Hudson Valley and Catskills as well as the vibe of […]
Take a great resource like an old building with great ‘bones’, add some imagination, a heaping dose of talent, and execute a plan with a high degree of professionalism and you’ve got a business that hits the floor running. Many of the ‘newbies’ in the Kingston area are recognizing potential business opportunities, bringing their skills […]
Retail shops are a critical component to every business district because they help to make it that area a destination to draw local residents and tourists and entice them to spend more time there. If you look closely, small retail businesses are opening up in each of Kingston’s three business districts (Uptown, Midtown, and the […]
Hopefully, the realization that art can drive economic development is becoming apparent to those in this community that may have previously thought of art as one of those luxuries only certain people benefited from. However, the value of art as a method of healing and community development may not be quite as visible right now. […]
Broadway in Kingston has long been perceived to be mostly a thoroughfare to get between Uptown Kingston and the Rondout. If you look closely however, it is becoming fertile ground for entrepreneurs who are seeing an opportunity for the Broadway corridor to become a vibrant business district serving the needs of the communities adjacent to […]
“More fun than a barrel of monkeys” is the expression that comes to mind when I think of this week’s Doers and Dreamer’s endeavour. Swinging from bars to bars, vaulting over obstacles, jumping to one object from another would be tasks that lower primates do instinctively and out of necessity. Now, humans are getting into […]