Category Archives: Business News

By Jennifer Farnsworth

After decades of sitting vacant, Wallie’s of Greenwich is once again open for business.

Owner Ted Bearor said the restaurant and pub has gone through a complete restoration on both the interior and exterior of the building at 52-54 Main St., while still maintaining the charm for which it was once known.

Bearor said renovating and re-establishing the business was something he felt confident in taking on because of his industry related background. Taking his experience in the restaurant business, Bearor said, and opening up his own place with a silent partner, felt risky at times, but it was well worth the wait.

“I have been director of food and beverage at the Whiteface Lodge in Lake Placid as well as the director of operations at the Lodge at Six Flags.  Following my hotel work, my business partner and I have been involved in other area restaurants, notably the iconic George’s in Lake George from 2013 to 2020, and finally opening Wallie’s.  We have been challenged, along with many other businesses, during this time due to the pandemic, however we have been fortunate to have great staff and community support,” said Bearor.

First-floor renovations included taking out apartments to make room for what is now the pub area. He said during the demolition phase, the building was discovered to have had five to six additions over the past century or so. Other renovations included replacing the roof, kitchen, bathrooms, ventilation equipment, along with adding in a separate walk-in cooler that can hold up to 12 kegs

By Christine Graf

Country Cottages & Motel in Diamond Point has been sold to Country Cabins LLC for $2,750,000. 

Sellers Ceaser (Charlie) and Virginia Portes enlisted Mitch Muroff of Muroff Hospitality Group to handle the sale. The real estate firm specializes in the brokerage and sale of hotels, motels, resorts, campgrounds and inns throughout New England and New York state.

The transaction closed on Dec. 28, just over two months after the property was listed for sale.

“The Country Cottages is an extremely well-built property,” said Muroff.  “When Charlie and Ginny Portes acquired the property 30 years ago, there was a three-bedroom log cabin on the property and not much else. He and his father built each of the cabins by hand by themselves over the course of the last 30 years.”

The 3.38-property has 17 private one-, two-, and three-bedroom fully winterized cottages, four motel rooms, and a 3,600-square-foot private residence that was owner occupied by the Portes. 

There is also a heated swimming pool, children’s play area, fitness center, and veranda.

 “As it turns out, the buyer of the Country Cottages & Motel is the individual who I sold Lake George Suites to in June,” said Muroff. “The properties are very close to each other—probably a quarter or a third of a mile away from each other.”

Muroff Hospitality Group announced the sale of The Flamingo Resort on Lake George.

Chris Kozaczka, a Massachusetts real estate investor and tax analyst, and his family purchased the 65-year-old Flamingo Resort located at 3914 Lake Shore Drive, Diamond Point.

The seller was Flamingo Resort Holding LLC and Flamingo Lake George Inc., which is George Pasternak and his sister Chrystyna Panycia, whose parents started the business.

The sales price was $6,5 million.  

Mitch Muroff of Muroff Hospitality Group represented the Seller and secured the buyer in an exclusive listing. The business transaction closed on Tuesday, Nov. 30 in Glens Falls.

The Flamingo Resort is in the prestigious Diamond Point section of Lake George. Muroff  said the resort has been family owned for nearly 65 years, and the sellers were successful in finding a buyer that would continue their legacy of maintaining a traditional family resort. 

The 4.63-acre property features 59 one-, two- and three-bedroom cabins, most with full kitchens, in addition to a spacious owner’s home, all with views of Lake George.  

Other features include a private sandy beach, two full-size, heated swimming pools and a marina boasting 17 docks and five charter boat licenses.

By Jill Nagy

Mario DiSiena plans to return Suttons Marketplace in Queensbury to its former glory now that he owns the entire parcel.  

His Furniture House has been in the location since 2014. Now, he is updating the rest of the parcel and looking for a restaurant, gift shop, and other businesses to move in.

The existing buildings have “good bones,” he said, and only need painting and minor repairs to bring them up to speed. He has already had the roofs replaced.

Sutton’s Marketplace, he recalled, used to be an “unbelievable destination” that dominated the Glens Falls area. Buses pulled in for breakfast and lunch at the cafe and for people to patronize the gift shop.   

His core business, the Furniture House, has also undergone changes. The major American furniture companies whose products he used to sell are no longer in existence. Instead, he stocks “made in America” furniture from Amish sources, some of them small workshops and others, more substantial operations.   

They sell solid wood, “craftsman quality” furniture at prices competitive with Asian imports, he said. Most of the furniture is of contemporary design but, “We can build anything, any wood, any finish.”

If the standard dresser design is too long or the bedside table is too tall, that can be changed. In addition, Furniture House carries a line of “premium imports” from Vietnam which, DiSiena claims, is better than the goods coming from China.

With the transition to solar power, Queen Boat Co. in Lake George has completed a multi-year renovation that began when owners Rebecca and Matt O’Hara purchased the former Dunhams Bay Boat Co. in the fall of 2018. 

After taking ownership, they relocated their Freedom Boat Club franchise and embarked on a three-year overhaul of the marina and site.

Before tackling the marina building renovation, the new owners completed environmental upgrades including the excavation of an underground fuel tank and the development of a new wastewater system. 

In the spring of 2020, Adirondocks was hired to replace over 250 linear feet of aged docks. When those projects were completed, renovation began on the site and building. 

Phinney Design Group in Saratoga Springs was tasked with modernizing the marina, combining Adirondack and nautical-inspired aesthetics, while upgrading the amenities available to guests. Construction was completed by BBL Construction Services. The centerpiece of the project is an over-the-water deck overlooking Dunhams Bay.

“We are very excited to now offer one of the most amenity-rich marinas in the region. From upgraded wifi to new bathrooms we have made the day-to-day experience better for our boaters,” said Rebecca O’Hara. “And now, with the over-the-water roof deck, we have a space that will allow us to connect and grow our community of boaters with a range of special events like brewery tastings, sunrise yoga classes, fishing seminars and much more.”

Zobel & Co. Kitchens, a custom kitchen design firm, received the Best Kitchen Design $120,000-plus award from the Capitol Region Builders and Remodelers Association (CRBRA) at the annual Best of Building Awards Night, held in November in Albany.   

The project recognized in the award was a renovation of an 1800s historic Victorian Farmhouse in Schuylerville.  

Typical of old houses, the existing kitchen was in a small room with limited storage, according to the company. By removing a long wall, owner/designer Arthur Zobel was able to create a large kitchen, complete with an expansive island, wine refrigerator, speed oven, wall oven, integrated refrigerator, dining area, and a hutch.

“Kitchens truly are the heart of the home. It’s the room we spend the most time in, the room where we want family and friends to gather, where we work, laugh and create”, said Zobel. “Transforming a kitchen to fit a family’s lifestyle and personality is something I thoroughly enjoy doing.”

The Hudson Headwaters Mobile Health Center will begin seeing patients in Lake Luzerne in December and Whitehall in January.

The mobile RV-type vehicle will be parked at the Lake Luzerne Town Hall at 539 Lake Ave. on alternate Thursdays beginning on Dec. 2 and at the Whitehall Recreation Center at 28 Williams St. on alternate Fridays starting on Jan. 14.

Hudson Headwaters launched its mobile health program in June with the first site in Salem — where it continues to see patients on Mondays and Tuesdays. A full calendar with site locations and times is available at hhhn.org/mobilehealth.

The Mobile Health Center will be on site for special community outreach days in Lake Luzerne this Wednesday and Thursday and in Whitehall on Dec. 9, 10, 17 and Jan. 7.

Hudson Headwaters CEO Dr. Tucker Slingerland said the Mobile Health Center is a mission-driven initiative to help expand health care access throughout the region.

“Like so many plans and projects at Hudson Headwaters, the dream of having a mobile health center started with a conversation about what we could do to bring primary care to rural patients struggling to get care and has evolved into what is now a reality — the ability to provide high-quality personalized care to patients in Salem and now to Whitehall and Lake Luzerne with more locations to come,” he said in a news release.