Category Archives: Business News

By Jill Nagy

Some horse-crazy young girls grow up to be horse-crazy women. Two them are Sharon Capraun, owner of Dancing Horses, who recently moved to Lake George, and Connie Welsh, her pony wrangler.

When Roaring Brook Ranch had to close because of its owner’s illness, Capraun moved from Schroon Lake with 20 horses, a handful of ponies, and a petting zoo, to look after the property and operate her business. 

Many of the horses were rescues from “not very good places,” Capraun said. Others were purchased at auction. While she may buy horses, Cabraun does not sell them. 

“When I get them, I keep them,” she said, “They‘re not going anywhere.” 

Capraun is 73 years old and retired. 

“As long as I can get up on a horse, I’ll be here,” she said. “I can’t see myself ever having enough of horses.”

By Ann Donnelly

A new dining option is proving to be a hit in the heart of the Adirondacks. The Guac Box, a fast-casual Mexican eatery, has quickly become a local favorite since its April opening. 

The restaurant, owned and operated by Adam and Kayley Geiser, offers a unique blend of authentic flavors and convenient service. 

“We have seen strong demand from locals and visitors traveling through the town to Gore and further north,” says Adam Geiser. “People had been looking for something different.”

An actual family operation, Kayley, runs the front of house, while Adam operates the kitchen with solid support from his father, Darren, who has decades of restaurant experience. Adam, who has had a passion for Mexican food for most of his life, has 14 years of experience in the restaurant business, most recently in Bolton Landing at Frederick’s and Cantina 32.

The Geisers offer a “fast-casual” experience that resembles an authentic taqueria. Customers order at the counter and receive their food in takeaway boxes. Initially, they did not offer table service, but as 70 percent of the business is for takeout, they now offer it to those who wish to eat in and enjoy the charming atmosphere.

The ongoing menu includes the staples of Mexican fare, including nachos, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and more, but they level up the quality with fresh ingredients. 

From the shores of Lake Champlain to the heights of Mount Defiance, Fort Ticonderoga continues to offer new opportunities and family fun this summer. 

Ticonderoga’s epic history and signature stories are highlighted through innovative story telling on a grand scale, historic trades, daily soldiers’ life programs, new and permanent premier museum exhibitions, Fife & Drum performances, thrilling weapons demos, boat cruises, endless outdoor activities, captivating special events, and premium exclusive experiences.

A new 2024 Heroic Corn Maze design offers six acres of fun as visitors navigate towering stalks of corn using history clues related to Fort Ticonderoga to guide them. The maze is divided into two phases, giving guests the chance to gain confidence in the smaller maze before tackling the main maze. The average journey will take from 20 minutes for the first phase and up to an hour for the second phase. 

The Family Guided Tour provides a kid-friendly overview of all of the exciting things to do during a visit. In addition to the tour, the new family scavenger hunt, In His Majesty’s Service, gives families a chance to work together to complete tasks as they explore Fort Ticonderoga and receive rewards for helping the soldiers with their daily duties. 

By Susan Elise Campbell

For decades, The Bargain Box thrift and consignment store has been a place to hunt for treasure and shop affordably in South Glens Falls. The store has been woman-owned and operated since its beginning more than 50 years ago.

“A woman started it in Ballston Spa and a few years later, in 1973, my aunt bought the business. I took it over from her in 2014,” said current owner Leslie Marciano.

Marciano has “been in love with the store, the people and the work” since she helped out her aunt on Saturdays as a teenager. 

“I would come home with lots of clothes for my pay and think, this is so cool,” she said. 

Thrift and consignment stores offer affordable, gently used merchandise. For some, thrifting is like hunting for treasure, according to Marciano.

“Someone may be looking to match a piece of clothing, piece together a costume, or maybe to ‘dress’ their new home,” she said. 

University of Vermont Medical Center and Hudson Headwaters Health Network have partnered to bring more dental residents to northern New York in an expansion of the Medical Center’s Dental Residency Program. Leaders from both organizations say the new partnership will increase access to preventive dental care and improve recruitment of dentists in rural communities across the Adirondacks.

The partnership between the two not-for-profits, UVM Medical Center and Hudson Headwaters – a Federally Qualified Health Center – adds Hudson Headwaters’ Warrensburg dental center to the training sites at which resident dentists practice during their rotation in the residency program. It is the program’s first New York state-based training site.

“We’re excited to expand and to be able to offer our residents more experiences providing dental care and services,” said Justin Hurlburt, DMD, MA, program director of UVM Medical Center’s Dental Residency Program. “Having a training site at Hudson Headwaters means our residents will have the opportunity to provide different care and treatment and, as a result, help even more people.”

By Susan Elise Campbell

Cerrone Builders has just broken ground on the model for a new maintenance-free residential development in Queensbury named The Village at Upper Sherman. The custom builders are about a month away from marketing 45 units starting at $550,000, according to Steven Cerrone, one of the company’s three managing partners and who is taking the lead on this project.

“We want to showcase what we do as a premier development company with The Village at Upper Sherman,” said Cerrone. 

The Cerrone family built The Village at Sweet Road in Queensbury several years ago and the new project mirrors that concept, he said.

“We like the concept of a village because we are creating a little community where everything is taken care of for you,” said Cerrone. “It’s a place that people can be proud to live in.”

The Village will have a homeowners’ association and monthly fee to maintain the common grounds and each lot’s lawn and landscaping, including mowing, mulching and trimming. Snow removal and trash pick-up are also provided.

Hudson Headwaters Family Health at Lake Placid, the network’s 24th health center, is now open. 

Family Health at Lake Placid has five exam rooms and will provide primary care to patients of all ages. The network will operate the practice on the first floor of the facility, located at 203 Old Military Road in Lake Placid and owned by Adirondack Health.

“As a non-profit, Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), our mission is to expand primary care access,” said Hudson Headwaters CEO Tucker Slingerland, M.D. “The new location in Lake Placid will be a helpful addition to the vital primary care access that has been provided by Adirondack Health, a fellow safety-net provider, and other providers for many years.”

“Adirondack Health appreciates the opportunity to collaborate with Hudson Headwaters Health Network to expand primary care access in Lake Placid and the surrounding communities,” said Aaron Kramer, Adirondack Health president and CEO. “Co-locating our services benefits both the patient experience and the continuum of care. We are pleased to welcome them to the neighborhood.”

The Adirondack Thunder, the ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils and Utica Comets, has announced that the club has signed Head Coach Pete MacArthur to a two-year contract extension through the 2025-26 season.

MacArthur, 39, helped lead the Thunder to the regular-season North Division Championship with the most wins (43) and points (97) in franchise history. Adirondack also advanced to the Eastern Conference Final before falling to Florida in six games. In two seasons behind the bench for the Thunder, MacArthur is 75-47-22 and qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs both years.

“My family and I are so grateful to continue with this amazing opportunity in Adirondack,” said MacArthur. “We look forward to continuing to improve on-and-off the ice and fight for a Kelly Cup Championship with the best fans in the league behind us. Go Thunder!”

On the ice, MacArthur played professionally for 14 years before his coaching career. The Clifton Park native played four seasons with Adirondack and sits third all-time in franchise history in points (175), second in assists (122), is fourth all-time in games played (202) and sixth in goals (53).  

“We are thrilled to be able to extend Pete’s contract” said Team President Jeff Mead. “He has proven in just two years that he is the right leader for our organization. We have seen amazing success on the ice, including 17 sellouts last season. We look forward to continuing our quest for the Kelly Cup under Pete’s leadership.”

On July 15, Peter’s Diner re-opened after a two-month hiatus.  The iconic Glens Falls business has been closed while the lead cook, Nia Miller, took time off to recuperate from a knee replacement.

Peter’s Diner was originally opened in 1961 by Peter Demas and his wife, Helen. It was the culmination of a dream for Peter. He was a Greek immigrant and proud US Navy veteran. The 2024 closure was the longest in the diner’s history. Helen still shows up for work every day as she has done for the past 63 years. 

“This is the longest I have not worked”, said Helen. “While I was able to spend time in my garden, I have to get back to our customers.”

Over the past two years, the diner has upgraded its counters, flooring and mechanicals. Now it was necessary to repair the knee of Nia Miller. Nia is Peter’s daughter in this all-family business.

There were many days when customers would see her grimace as she worked to prepare and serve their meals.

Nia said, “I went as long as I could on that knee. Eventually the pain got to be unbearable. It was time.” 

The surgery was more complicated than expected. Nia was not able to even bend her knee for over five weeks. Then physical therapy started. Now she is ready to return to making breakfast, lunch and full meals for her customers.