Category Archives: New Businesses

By Jennifer Farnsworth

Boats By George is expanding, as ownership has purchased a second marina on Lake George—this one on the east shore of Lake George.

The company made the move earlier this summer in an effort to meet the needs of their customers, particularly those who are looking for a place to dock their boats, said George Pensel, owner of Boats By George.

Prior to the new purchase, Boats By George had a marina on the east side of Lake George at 291 Cleverdale Road in Cleverdale; A showroom at 18 Route 149, Lake George, and a service center at 10018 Route 149 in Fort Ann.

Pensel paid $2.39 million to buy Warner Bay Dockage at 39 Rockhurst Road in Queensbury from Marion DeMarco. The transaction closed June 15,

By Susan E. Campbell

Hunter Werner, owner of Adirondack Knockerball, has introduced a new recreational sport to the region.

Called Bubble Soccer, the equipment is a four-foot inflatable “knockerball” that the player straps himself inside of, encasing their  body from the knee up. The sport is safe, fun, and even a novice can play, said Werner.

“You just need enough weight to hold up the ball,” said Werner,.

He said there is a smaller Knockerball for kids ages 8 through 12 and an extra large for above-average sized adults.

By Jennifer Farnsworth

A new Lake George attraction, Escape LG, provides its customers an opportunity to experience adventures like being on an African safari, visiting a speakeasy, being on a pirate ship, or make their way through a haunted forest—all indoors within the confines of its building.

The attraction also has themed mystery rooms that require visitors to think their way through an adventure. 

Owners Evan and Beth Jalazo said the these interactive adventures have been well received since the Memorial Day grand opening.

By Jill Nagy

Sans Souci, the iconic restaurant in Cleverdale, at the southeast end of Lake George, re-opened after a year’s hiatus, with new owners and a new chef. 

After a “soft” opening May 15, the establishment celebrated its grand opening on June 20. 

The restaurant, located at 92 Mason Road, is open seven days a week for a 4-6 p.m. happy hour through dinner and remaning open until 1 a.m. 

A local restaurant and informal community center for almost 100 years, the former owners of Sans Souci were about to convert the building into a house. A group of nine investors were able to purchase the property, which includes a small cottage as well as the restaurant building.

By Jennifer Farnsworth

It’s a little over a month since two couples came together to open up the Fitness Hangar in Queensbury.  

Michael and Meghan Howard, along with friends Earl and Jenny Canale, teamed up to create a gym that focuses on small-group fitness instruction, private training and education on proper nutrition.

The 4,000-square-foot spaces is located at 52 Main St. in Queensbury, just a half mile off of Northway Exit 18. 

By Jill Nagy

In a short period of time, Cassandra Chiaravalle-Randall and Michael Latham transformed the former Grandma’s Back Porch restaurant into Christine’s at 3017 Lakeshore Drive, about half a mile from Lake George Village.

It opened over Memorial Day weekend.

“I’m really proud of how quickly we did get in there,” Chiaravalle-Randall said.

The walls went from several shades of green to a burgundy red. Bathrooms were painted and wall papered. A new service bar was added and new lights went up on the deck.

Business partners Sacha Cleavland and Andrew Lewis are making a name for themselves in an industry that most people might shy away from. 

Between their cleaning service, Hogwash, and their newly established port-a-potty business, Party Pooperz, the duo is helping the North Country stay clean.

“We recently started Party Pooperz as we found there was a need for such a service,” said Cleavland.

She said their approach to Party Pooperz is similar to Hogwash in that they want to make the experience unique and different. 

By Jill Nagy

Five couples, longtime friends with ties to the Village of Whitehall, have purchased the former Roma Restaurant at 209 Broadway  (Route 4) in the village and plan to “reopen the restaurant and give it back to the community,” said one of the new owners, Cheryl Putorti.

The restaurant has had a succession of owners since opening as Roma in 1927 and has been vacant for more than two years. 

The property was foreclosed upon and sold at auction for $71,000. 

Putorti said she and her friends had been thinking about buying the restaurant for some time, but the asking price was too high. When they heard about the auction, they made up their minds to bid on it. The group was one of two bidders at the auction.

By Jennifer Farnsworth

Bug-U Pest Control  has found a new home in downtown Hudson Falls. Owner Brent Brewer said it was time to move into an actual office space and out of his home, where he was previously located. 

As owner and operator of the pest control business, serving both residential and commercial properties, opening the new location on 162 Main St. in Hudson Falls, is something Brewer had been contemplating for a while.

“I am now centrally located, by the park. Hudson Falls is really an area that is growing, especially downtown. There are alot of good things going and the area is really undergoing quite a revitalization. Everyone has been so nice and so welcoming,” said Brewer.

By Jennifer Farnsworth

Fans of The Pizza Shop in Warrensburg are enjoying the benefits of the new 3918 Main St. location. 

Owners Maggie and Giobanni Canepa purchased the space in May. 

The new spot, right down the street from their previous location, has a completely renovated kitchen and a spacious dining room that Maggie Giobanni said meets the needs of their growing business that reopened earlier this month. 

“We are really happy with the new space. It really seems to be working well,” said Canepa.