Category Archives: Business News

By Susan Elise Campbell

The husband and wife team of Doug and Alison Bohannon, owners of Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center in South Glens Falls, added a second location to their business portfolio with the purchase of Spare Time bowling alley and arcade at 375 Troy-Schenectady Road in Latham.

The Bohannons said they closed the transaction on Nov. 30 for $3.2 million.

“I have been in the bowling business since 1999, starting out as a pin changer and working my way up through management,” he said.

In 2013 the opportunity was presented to purchase the Spare Time lanes in South Glens Falls. The Bohannans re-named the business Kingpin’s Alley Family Fun Center and in February 2022 was approached by Spare Time Entertainment about purchasing the Latham location.

“This is a company I was employed by for 13 years and who sold us our South Glens Falls alleys 10 years ago, so we are very familiar with each other,” said Bohannon. “Negotiations went pretty quickly.”

The Bohannons changed the name of the center but have no plans to renovate at this time. Neither will there be staff changes among the 30-plus employees.

The Glens Falls Collaborative will host its annual Wing Fest event on Saturday, April 29,  in downtown Glens Falls. 

The event is a competition between restaurants for the best wings. Tasting is from noon to 3 p.m. and an awards ceremony at the bandstand in City Park at 3:30 p.m. will close out the event. There will be multiple categories that restaurants can win. 

There will also be entertainment in City Park.

The second annual Michael DuBray Inferno Wing Eating Competition will also takes place at 2 p.m. on Glen Street.  Competitors will pay a registration fee of $25 that will go into a Michael DuBray Scholarship Fund and will determine who can eat the most hot wings. The winner will receive a trophy and bragging rights. 

The contest honors Michael DuBray, also known as DeeJay DuBray, who helped found the event and served as its chair and champion for many years. Register for the eating contest at www.glensfallscollaborative.com.

The Collaborative is still seeking  participating restaurants for the event. Restaurants are invited to apply online at www.glensfallscollaborative.com.

By Christine Graf

At the beginning of 2023, Express Pack N Ship in Hudson Falls became a franchisee of Package Hub Business Center. There are more than 1,000 independently owned and operated Package Hub franchises throughout the country.

Located at 3316 Route 4, Express Pack N Ship is a full-service packaging and shipping company that operates out of the same space as Document Solutions of the North Country. 

Both businesses are owned by Rick Gallup who established Document Solutions more than 20 years ago. In addition to selling and servicing office equipment including copiers and printers, the company offers cloud solutions, computer network support, and managed print services.

According to Gallup, before becoming a franchisee of Package Hub, Express Pack N Ship offered Federal Express shipping only. They are now able to offer UPS shipping as well as a variety of virtual office services designed to meet the needs of the growing number of individuals who work from home. 

By Paul Post

How important is maple production to Warren County’s tourism economy?

Just look at where people come from.

Last spring, thousands of visitors flocked to Thurman for its annual Maple Days, spread out over three weekends, to enjoy one of nature’s sweetest taste treats.

Most, of course, made day trips from the Capital Region, but many others traveled hundreds of miles to celebrate this annual rite of spring. Points of origin, based on electronic transaction data, ranged from Boston to Buffalo and cities throughout Pennsylvania, while some visitors were on hand from Norfolk, Va., and St. Paul, Minn.

“We get literally thousands of people over the course of those three weekends,” said Randy Galusha, co-owner Toad Hill Maple Farm with his wife, Jill. “It accounts for about 20-25 percent of our annual sales. The promotion from Warren County Tourism, Lake George Chamber of Commerce and others out there really pays off and gives us repeat customers. People that learn about us keeping coming back.”

This year’s dates are Saturdays and Sundays March 11-12, 18-19 and 24-25. Guests are invited to visit five different maple operations to see how syrup is made, take tours, talk to producers, enjoy samples and buy a variety of pure Adirondack maple goods.

CDTA, which oversees public transportation in the Capital District, is working hard in 2023 to expand its services. In a State of CDTA meeting on March 2, officials said merging with the Glens Falls Transit District was among its priorities.

A new transit line and electric bikes and an expansion are also among the changes on the horizon, officials said.

The event recognized how CDTA is “entering 2023 from a position of strength, innovation, and confidence,” officials said. 

According to CDTA, “ridership is rebounding quickly. For the past year, ridership is up 20 percent, fueled by universal access agreements with even more major employers, colleges and other partners.”

 Total ridership for the first 10 months of the CDTA fiscal year is 11.4 million. This brings the CDTA ridership count to more than 90 percent  of what it was before the COVID pandemic began, officials said. 

Establishing new regional mobility hubs remains a top priority for the transit association. Merging with the Glens Falls Transit District to provide transportation services would make  Warren County its sixth county partner. The partnership would provide Warren County residents with access to other municipalities.

By Susan Elise Campbell

The Depe Dene Resort, sitting on 750 feet of prime Lake George waterfront, has been sold to husband and wife team Christopher Menter and Jessica Ferguson for $11.4 million.

The Depe Dene was part of the estate of Ken Ermiger, a local businessman who operated the resort for 45 years.

“We knew of a few potential buyers who were aggressively trying to put in a bid,” Menter said. “But we came up with the right number in the right time frame.”

He said that the executor of the estate was hoping to finalize a sale before the year ended.

By Paul Post

Binley Florist has been there for its customers’ best and worst of times, welcoming new life to the world, weddings, milestone anniversaries, and painful loss when flowers voice expressions of sympathy.

But after decades on the job, owner Wally Hirsch has sold the iconic, 130-year-old business to long-time employee and general manager Tami Field and her husband, Dave.

“I’m 75,” Hirsch said. “I’ve probably been doing this for 60 years. It’s time. Tami has really earned her place at the helm. She’s been a good, faithful employee. I’ve had a lot of good employees over the years. They’ve been loyal to us through recessions, through pandemics. This is an old business. We’ve seen it all.”