Category Archives: New Businesses

As an entrepreneur and part-time truck driver, Mark Miller observed a trucking industry trend that he saw creating an unnecessarily heavy workload for Capital Region businesses. He saw a promising opportunity for his next business venture.

More and more businesses were turning to freight brokers and “load boards,” online marketplaces where companies could search for carriers to ship their products.

“Why would they go through all that when they could just call a local trucking company and work directly with the owners?” said Miller.

Enter Magnet Transport Group, the Kingsbury-based business started by Miller and his stepson Drew Trombley to provide cargo and freight solutions to businesses seeking to move their product around the region and across North America.

Magnet offers FTL (full truckload) and LTL (less- than-truckload) service, as well as flatbed, step-deck, and hotshot deliveries. They have expertise in carrying over-sized loads, both long and wide.

By Susan Elise Campbell

When Hillary Williams and Melanie Weber were pregnant with their first children, they used to walk and talk about their hopes and dreams. The new moms parlayed their conversations and friendship into a support group for parents, and now have a retail kids shop called (g)row for kids at 18 Exchange St. in Glens Falls.

“We want to always live like we have children in tow,” Weber said. “That means knowing which restaurants have changing tables and what shops make it easy to bring strollers.”

Noticing that “Glens Falls didn’t have many classes available for parents,” the pair formed a collaborative they call “row” after the names of their two baby boys and the common first letter of their last names, Weber said. “row” would become a resource for parents like them.

“Our mission is to grow connections among parents and the community,” said Williams. “We make all caregivers feel welcome no matter which child-rearing book they are using.”

By Jill Nagy

At the new Sleep and Spas location at 1851 Route 9 in Lake George, they are selling almost as many hot tubs as mattresses, according to sales manager Kevin King. 

Maybe a few more mattresses, he admitted, but dollar-wise, “it’s really even.” This is a good time of year for hot tubs, he said, noting that the company had just delivered two tubs to customers in Queensbury that day.

Business, so far, has been “very good,” King said. 

The Lake George location, at the Log Jam Outlet Center just off Route 9, opened two months ago and it is the fifth location for the business. They also have stores in Saratoga Springs, Latham, North Greenbush, and Kingston. 

King pointed out that the store is easy to find. It shares a parking lot with the Log Jam restaurant, a Lake George landmark. 

In addition to mattresses and hot tubs, Sleep and Spas sells massage chairs, patio furniture, and swimming pool supplies.

by jennifer farnsworth

It has been just over a year since David Brindle first broke ground on his business venture, The Luxury Box. The Queensbury-based indoor sports and entertainment facility  opened in the fall, and since then, Brindle said they have been growing at a steady pace.

“Business started slow in October when we first opened.  The week of Thanksgiving things increased.  December was slow with people playing but we sold a lot of gift certificates.  January really picked up with players coming in to use the facility,” said Brindle.

The facility is for any age and skill level, and can be utilized any time of year. Brindle said they have seen the units used for family nights, girls nights and game nights. He expects there will be more weekly golf tournaments starting this month. 

He said all of the sports simulators are popular, with golf in particular.

MG Sales has opened at Aviation Mall across from Regal Cinema. 

The 6,100-square-foot store offers overstock, close-out and discontinued items including toys, housewares, electronics, furniture and more. The store will be replenished with new product inventory every two weeks.

Patty Guilder and John McClure are the co-owners of MG Sales. 

“We are committed to bringing affordable products to this community, and we are looking forward to working with the mall to grow our business,” said Guilder.

James Griffith, general manager of Aviation Mall said, “We are very excited for the opportunity to work with another local entrepreneur, as local business operators are the backbone of our community.” 

MG Sales will be open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

By Jennifer Farnsworth

The Log Jam Outlet Center Route 9 in Lake George has a new tenant that is adding a spark to the shopping center.  

Lake George Wine Outlet had their official grand opening in mid-February. Store manager and marketing strategist Andrew Meager said the store will give bargain shoppers a chance to enjoy some discounted pricing on their favorite wine and spirits. The store doesn’t carry just wine. Various bottles of liquor are available.

Delivery service is being planned for the spring.

“We will try to offer as many specials as we can to our customers. If we are able to get cases of something at a good price, we will then extend that to our customers,” he said.

Zachary Moore, who owns the 3,000-square-foot space, said they consider themselves lucky to have Meader running the store because he has a lot of experience in marketing. 

Moore is a managing partner of Spruce Hospitality which operates the Queensbury Hotel and Fairfield Inn and Suites. He is also third party manager of the Ticonderoga Country Club and property manager for French Mountain Commons and the Log Jam Outlet Center. 

The Outlets are also home to his other entrepreneurial ventures, Coastal Society and The Candy Space.

By Susan Elise Campbell

Laurie Bell has started a business that takes advantage of her love of animals and 32 acres of her family home at 61 Baldwin Corners on the border of Fort Ann and Kingsbury.

Faced with changes in her life and the opportunity to start a new career, the idea for Mountain View K-9 Retreat originally came from Bell’s daughters.

“We are animal people,” she said. “My daughters suggested dog boarding and day care and the property is zoned for just about any use.”

While one daughter, Caitlin, works toward her RN degree, daughter Courtney is involved in the new venture.

The Bells believe pets are beloved members of a family and photo portraits are on their roster of services for boarders and non-boarders.

She said her daughter also pursued a marketing degree, and those skills are being used to advertise the business on social media. Bell is also studying to be a dog trainer so that the business can add training to its offerings.

By Jennifer Farnsworth

Bill Maher, owner of Bluebird Auto, 134 Saratoga Ave., South Glens Falls, said he, his wife Tina, and his father William, have one goal: to sell quality pre-owned vehicles. 

Maher, who also runs Compton’s Restaurant in Saratoga Springs, said he has always worked in some capacity in the auto industry. With the help of his wife, he decided it was time to open up his own business. 

“I was always working for others in the car business. My wife said, ‘Why don’t you try this on your own? So here we are. The people in the South Glens Falls community could not be nicer people. So easy to talk to. We are so happy to be doing business here,” said Maher.

When Maher is not at Compton’s he is at Bluebird. When he can’t be there, his father works the lot. 

“My dad is there almost all the time, running the place, taking care of the buying and selling,” said Maher.

Bluebird’s Saratoga location used to be a hot dog restaurant.

By Ginny Brandreth

Flight Wine Bar and Restaurant is a new restaurant at 11 South St. in Glens Falls.

The restaurant offers an elegant culinary experience in a fashionable, mid-century modern atmosphere. From the décor to the flight attendant uniforms, to the menu, the restaurant has an aviation theme.

Owners John Homkey and Melissa Brennan have been wanting to bring a new twist to the area’s restaurant scene for years.  Flight Wine Bar got its start when the pandemic was just beginning, giving the owners time to fully develop their vision. The result is a restaurant they say is thriving as it takes guests on a new culinary adventure.

“Several years ago, I was traveling in Portugal and noticed how the locals savored life. How they took their time to enjoy food, drink, and culture. I decided then that I wanted to bring this experience home,” said Brennan.

“I had always wanted to have a bar and restaurant and knew it would be best to find a business partner,” Homkey said.  “I quickly fell in love with Melissa’s vision and the thought  building this business together was a big bonus.”

“As we started designing our restaurant, we knew we want to focus on the theme of travel’, said Brennan.  “At Flight, our guests are treated to different cultures through international cuisine, wines and beers in a way that mirrors a dinner in a foreign country”.

by Andrea Harwood Palmer

Michael Murray has launched Bailiwick Marketing, a digital marketing agency based in Glens Falls.

Murray is the owner and creative director. The firm officially opened its doors Oct. 29.

Bailiwick Marketing focuses on the website as the marketing base. Adjacent marketing avenues and concepts work in conjunction with the website, said Murray. However, the website should always be the home base.

“There’s social media marketing, content marketing, email or list-building marketing – these three are the predominantly successful campaigns used in marketing, and they are all important. And to be successful, they’re all tied together at the website. Because Bailiwick Marketing has such a strong background with all these facets of marketing, it just makes sense for the marketing and the website to go together,” said Murray.

His  background and education is in architecture. As a self-described “technology geek”, he shifted his career toward CAD management, customization and training for the computer-aided design software and processes utilized by architects. After finding himself burnt out, he pivoted toward marketing and web design.

Murray began building websites as a hobby to relax after a long day. In 2007, he got serious about it, taking on professional clients and exclusively focusing on web development and marketing for small businesses.