Category Archives: Business News

In accordance with the announcement made last week by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Aviation Mall will opened July 10 for on-property retail, dining and eligible entertainment following the official New York Phase Four guidance.
As part of its re-opening, Aviation Mall introduced significant changes to its safety and sanitizing policies and procedures, along with Healthy Shopper Guidelines with Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations everyone must follow prior to entering the property, mall officials said.
Aviation Mall will operate under modified hours of operation, Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

By Christine Graf
Fort Worth-based WL Plastics, a subsidiary of Carson, Calif.-based Ineos Olefins & Polymers USA, has abandoned plans to acquire more than 25-acres of property at the former General Electric dewatering site in Fort Edward.
GE ceased operations there in 2015 after spending 8 years and approximately $1.7 billion to dredge PCB-tainted sediment from the Hudson River.
WL Plastics, one of North America’s largest manufacturers of high density polyethylene pipe, first expressed interest in the property two years ago. It would have been their ninth location.
In December 2019, the Warren-Washington County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) voted unanimously to offer the company approximately $2 million in incentives. The package included  up to $871,500 in sales tax incentives and $1.19 million in property tax breaks. WL Plastics planned to invest $17 million in the property and create 50 well-paying jobs.
According to a written statement released by the company, their plans to build a new plant in Fort Edward were no longer “economically viable” a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The company relies heavily on the oil and gas industries which have slowed considerably in recent months due to COVID-related industrial declines and travel restrictions.
Dave O’Brien, chairman of the IDA, said he was expecting WL Plastics to close on the property in the coming weeks. No one at the IDA was aware the deal was in jeopardy.

By Jennifer Farnsworth
Local, a gift shop in Bolton Landing, has just opened a second gift shop in downtown Lake George.
The Canada Street shop offers all of the sought-after goods they’ve been selling in their Bolton Landing store since 2014.
Co-owners Matt Peterson and Domenick Pfau took part in a ribbon cutting ceremony last month to celebrate the opening.
“For us, we wanted to be more accessible to our customers that live more near the southern end of Lake George. We know as well as anyone that the drive up (state Route) 9N in either summer or winter can be harrowing so we wanted to make it just a little bit easier for those locals,” said Pfau.
He said they felt the time was right to make their mark in Lake George, where they expect to see a lot of foot traffic from both local residents and visitors.
“Lake George Village is a much larger market than Bolton Landing, based on sheer population, and we thought it was time to become an addition to their boardwalk. We’re excited to not be another T-shirt shop in a tourist town, but a lifestyle brand that adds value to the shopping experience and community,” said Pfau.

By Jennifer Farnsworth
Interest in bicycling has grown as a safe alternative for transportation, combating boredom and staying in shape during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Local bike shops, like Grey Ghost Bicycles in Glens Falls and Saratoga Springs, didn’t anticipate what that would mean for them. They have worked tirelessly to keep us with customer demand.
“I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined the spring we had,” said Grey Ghost manager Steve Fairchild.
With an established business in Glens Falls, Grey Ghost opened its second location in the plaza at 60 West Ave. in Saratoga Springs just before the pandemic hit. They were deemed by the state as an essential business, a determination that Fairchild said he thought may bring some challenges.
But he never expected to experience the demand that he saw almost immediately.
“As soon as the weather started to warm up in late March, early April, the demand just skyrocketed. Our inventory was almost immediately cleared out. Many of the bikes we sell are made in China and since most of the manufacturers closed, we couldn’t even order bikes. They just were not being made,” said Fairchild.