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Owner Of ‘42⁰’ Shop In Glens Falls Opens A Second Similar Shop In Malta

Posted onDecember 11, 2020January 5, 2021
Robin Barkenhagen opened 42°, a glass gallery and smoke shop located in Ellsworth Plaza on Route 9 in Malta. He also owns a similar shop in Glens Falls.

By Christine Graf
Glens Falls business owner Robin Barkenhagen recently opened a second location of his 42° ventures. The new glass gallery and smoke shop is located in Ellsworth Plaza on Route 9 in Malta.
Last year, he relocated his Glens Falls store from Park Street to the Colvin Building at 206 Glen St. The building was purchased for $945,000 in January 2019 by Brian Bronzino, part owner of 42°. Barkenhagen and Bronzino entered into their partnership in 2018.
The first 42° opened in 2010, and the move to the larger store on Glen Street allowed Barkenhagen to expand his product line.
Both stores feature glass products that are handmade by more than 100 independent glass artists throughout the United States, he said. Convenience store items are also sold at the Glens Falls location.
“We sell things like cigarettes and vape products,” he said. “Our glass gallery features high-end glass. We have pipes ranging from $15 to $80, and our most expensive piece is $40,000. It’s a glass chess board that’s in our window in Glens Falls.
“Some people buy our glass and use it as decorations. There are collectors around the country that will seek out some of these blowers that we have that are nationally and internationally known,” Barkenhagen said.
42° also sells a full line of CBD products. They carry several brands including their own proprietary product line of pain creams, tinctures, and candies. It is produced with CBD that was harvested in 2019 during Barkenhagen’s brief foray into hemp farming, he said.
Although the market is flooded with CBD products, Barkenhagen said not all products are equal. The 42° brand of products are made with strains that have a very high CBD count, are competitively priced, and “offer more for less.”

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With Business Growing At North Country Paws For Obedience, Owners Plan Expansion

Posted onDecember 11, 2020December 14, 2020
Brianna Rabine, left, and Lora Bacharach started North Country Paws for Obedience three years ago and are already expanding to a larger location at a site in Hudson Falls.
Courtesy North Country Paws for Obedience

By Susan Elise Campbell
Lora Bacharach and Brianna Rabine started North Country Paws for Obedience only three years ago and are already expanding into a second location.
The partners purchased a 31.8-acre parcel on Route 4 in Hudson Falls. At the new site, they will be able to train more pets in a wider variety of skills while giving them better opportunities for socialization and healthy play, Bacharach said.
What started as a small obedience school moved seven months later across the street to a space four times larger at 1638 Route 9 in South Glens Falls.
Since then, “we were looking for a space to buy before the pandemic hit because we wanted to get farther away from the road,” Bacharach said. “The current location limits the size of our classes as well as the services we can offer, such as off-leash training. Our long-term goal is always to accommodate our clients and the needs of the dogs.”
Bacharach said puppy preschool and training will continue at the Route 9 location for the foreseeable future. But the new space will be a “K-9 enrichment center promoting healthy adventures and relationships” between people and their pets, she said.
There will be more room for boarding, training and rehabilitation. There is a pond nearby for introducing dogs to the water and plenty of space for agility training. There are also miles of hiking trails.

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‘Something Secret Boutique’ Transitions From An Online Business To A Lake Luzerne Shop

Posted onDecember 11, 2020December 14, 2020
Something Secret Boutique was opened at 4 Bridge St., Lake Luzerne, by Jonie McCleary.
Courtesy Something Secret Boutique

By Jennifer Farnsworth
After a year of running a successful online boutique, Jonie McCleary has opened Something Secret Boutique at 4 Bridge St., Lake Luzerne.
McCleary said online sales were much stronger than she anticipated. But she was starting to long for the in-person experience and decided open the Bridget Street location. McCleary said there was some skepticism about opening a brick-and-mortar store during the COVID-19 crisis.
“Honestly, 2020 was the best year for online sales. I don’t know if it was because people were just home and couldn’t shop in the store. But whatever it was, I am more than grateful.”
“I didn’t want to be just restricted to being behind a computer screen. So I decided why not? I have had people tell me I am crazy for—number one, opening in the off season for my area—and number two, opening in the middle of a pandemic. I If I can make it now I should be able to make it through whatever,” she said.
It was January 2018 when McCleary said she decided to go back to school for business. A marketing professor noticed her knack for business and encouraged her to follow her dreams.
“He said to me ‘Jonie you have entrepreneur written all over you’ and at first I kind of just dismissed it. And then his words kept popping back into my head … I always knew I wanted to be my own boss. I’ve always had a drive and what I like to think is a good work ethic,” said McCleary.
She opened the online boutique in early March 2018, initially with a small group of friends and family. The business quickly began to grow. In 2019 she started Facebook Live and her 100-member group turned into nearly over 5,000. When she began shipping to at least 20 different states she realized she was outgrowing her then basement-based business.

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Amorak Youth Provides Art And Music Programs For Hudson Falls Area Students

Posted onDecember 11, 2020December 14, 2020
This mural from Amorak Youth was given to the American Legion Post 574.
Courtesy Amorak Youth

By Lisa Balschunat
This year, when many nonprofit organizations had to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Amorak Youth found a way to carry on to serve middle and high school students in Hudson Falls and Fort Edward in safe and fun ways.
Amorak offered Circus Smirkus magic classes via Zoom in late spring, Paintbrush Expedition painting classes at home in August, online music lessons throughout the summer and early fall, and the first Apples to Zucchini 1K Relay in October to encourage outdoor family activities and help stock local food pantries.
For 12 years, the small nonprofit has offered Hudson Falls and Fort Edward teens and younger children creative classes and programs that fosters self-awareness, self-confidence and a sense of community. Grants, corporate and individual contributions have supported its programs and classes so Amorak can offer its programs free of charge.
Run by a nine-person board and a part-time administrator, Amorak provides youths an alternative to the phrase “there isn’t anything to do.”
With a mission of “helping youths achieve positive life changes through recognizing their unique needs and capabilities while providing a sense of connection with the larger community,” Amorak designs programs or works with existing programs that draw upon the strengths of each person, fostering a sense of pride, loyalty and strength.

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‘Comfort Food’ Organization Helps Get Meals To People In Need Throughout The Region

Posted onDecember 11, 2020December 14, 2020
The Comfort Food Community recently received a $30,000 grant from the Marilyn Lichtman Foundation to help its mission of providing food for people of need in the region.
Courtesy Comfort Food Community

By Lisa Balschunat
Four years ago, armed with a social services degree, life experience in Colorado and a passion for fresh food, Devin Bulger returned to his roots in Greenwich. With others, he created Comfort Food Community to help those in need.
Based in Greenwich, Comfort Food helps people in Glens Falls and Queensbury.
Bulger, its executive director, said, “we’ve partnered with a network of local agencies to develop a weekly delivery system to distribute free, fresh produce to sites including senior living and community centers.”
The program, known as the Fresh Food Collective, delivers over 100,000 pounds of produce annually to those in need, he said.
While Warren County was originally identified as the service area, Washington County and Saratoga County communities are also on the group’s radar.
“We deliver food to senior centers and libraries, the Greenwich food pantry, Cossayuna food pantry and have a stand at the Glens Falls Farmers Market that serves individuals with chronic health conditions,” Bulger said.
The group has also partnered with Hudson Headwaters Health Network.

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‘Luzerne Productions’ Video Company Works With Nonprofits To Help With Fundraising

Posted onDecember 11, 2020December 14, 2020
Bob English owns and operates Luzerne Productions, a video production company he opened in 2002. The company helps nonprofit groups with fundraising efforts.
Newkey Media

By Andrea Harwood Palmer
“We do a lot of work for nonprofits,” said Bob English, who owns and operates Luzerne Productions, a video production company he opened in 2002.
“It’s such a necessary part of service. For nonprofits, especially right now with the COVID-19 problem, fundraising is a challenge. Everyone needs to raise money.”
He believes his company can help in that regard.
Luzerne Productions is responsible for many videos shown at area nonprofit fundraisers every year. Most recently they produced a fundraising video for Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
“What usually happens with annual fundraisers is: You get everybody in a room with some cocktails and food, you tell them about your service,” said English. “Then you show them a nice video and people say, ‘Wow, I wanna help’ because the people there are altruistic anyway or they wouldn’t be there to begin with. A video at a fundraiser is great because you have a captive audience. You show a video for 2-3 minutes, and if they’re wiping away a tear when you turn the lights back on, then I’ve done my job. That’s how I know I’ve been successful.”
With COVID-19, people can’t congregate in person.

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Business Report: Protect Your Biggest Investment

Posted onDecember 11, 2020December 14, 2020
Michael Cruz is president of Lighthouse Advisors LLC in Queensbury.

By Michael Cruz
When working on annual planning, we often look at the company’s strengths and its weaknesses. Most often, I see “our people” as a strength. I often see “bench depth” as a weakness.
My advice always is to build on your strengths. Then, do what is reasonable to mitigate your weaknesses. There is one simple thing you can do to reduce that bench depth pain. Invest in the people you already have. We already know that it costs less to keep our customers than it does to acquire new ones.
The same is true about the people that work for you. Hiring is difficult, it is expensive, and it is not a 100 percent solution. Many years ago, I worked for a very fast-growing software company. When I joined it, the company’s sales were $18 million. When I left, seven years later, sales topped $450 million.
One of the most stunning attributes of that industry was that we were all fairly young and inexperienced. We were a young company and we were a young management team. We worked to figure out our weaknesses and we brought in experts to address them. And that personal growth kept me loyal to the company even when I was offered more money to leave.

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Calm Urged By Advisors During COVID; Roth IRAs Among Strong Investment Options

Posted onDecember 11, 2020December 14, 2020

By Susan Elise Campbell
Retirement plan holders went on a historic roller coaster ride this past year, but to their credit they held on tight, said local investment professionals.
“Fortunately no one panicked in March,” said Mark Wells, CFP, co-founder of Three Buckets Wealth Management serving clients out of Fort Covington and Glens Falls.“In all aspects of life, when things are up in the air it’s easier to act irrationally.”
Uncertainty is what no one wants, said Wells.
The Three Buckets formula is to determine guaranteed income sources such as Social Security and pension, then calculate the gap between that amount and what the client wants to live on in their retired years, he said.
With a comprehensive plan and short, intermediate and long-term investment buckets in place, Wells said “clients understood how unexpected market swings can affect their overall goals and therefore did not act emotionally” when COVID-19 drove down the stock market.
“Who could know how the pandemic would play out?” said Conor Boyd, managing partner of Thoroughbred Advisors, which has a Queensbury office. “But we were prepared by being positioned in such a way that we could take advantage of opportunities.”
Boyd highlighted the need for a strong liquidity position in any portfolio, through cash equivalents and a guaranteed portion, which is traditionally fulfilled by insurance products.
“One end of the advisory spectrum is investment and the other is insurance, an area in which some advisers fall short,” said Boyd.
He promotes three factors to successful retirement planning. “The first is a focus on habit formation, which includes automated savings. Next are the tools, including investments and insurances. The third is the strategy that informs the habits to create and the tools to implement.”
At Minich MacGregor Wealth Management in Saratoga Springs, financial planner Cory Laird, CFP said the methodology is “to determine the risk profile and make sure clients are getting the growth rate they’re expecting and the amount of sleep that they want at night” using a sector rotation strategy.
“Even if we see a couple of down years, customers can still be comfortable,” he said.
With COVID’s striking impact on investments, Laird said “by the time clients got their statements the first week in June, the markets were already improving.”
Now, with a new year and a new administration ahead, professionals are focusing on planning techniques that help retirement account holders meet goals beyond simply accumulating money.

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Business Report: Your Retirement Plan Under A New Employer

Posted onDecember 11, 2020December 14, 2020
Meghan Murray is a financial advisor with
Edward Jones Financial in Queensbury.

By Meghan M. Murray
Your employer-sponsored retirement plan is a valuable asset. But sometimes things happen that can affect the status of your plan. So, for example, if you work for a hospital that changes ownership, and you have been participating in a 403(b), 457(b) or 401(k) retirement plan, what should you do with it now?
Basically, you have four options:
Cash out your plan. You can simply cash out your plan and take the money, but you’ll have to pay taxes on it, and possibly penalties as well. So, unless you really need the funds and you have no other alternative, you may want to avoid liquidating your account.
Roll your account into your new employer’s plan. If it’s allowed, you can roll over your old 403(b), 457(b) or 401(k) plan into your new employer’s plan. Before making this move, you’ll want to look at the new plan’s investment options (which should be numerous) and fees (which should be low). If you move the money directly to the new plan, you won’t be taxed at the time of the transfer, and your funds can continue to grow tax-deferred.
Leave your plan with your old employer. If your account balance is above a certain level, you may be able to leave your plan with your old employer’s plan administrator. You won’t be able to contribute any more money to the plan, but if you like the investment options you’ve chosen, keeping the money in your old plan might be a viable choice.

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Communications Technology Like Zoom Is Helping Business People Meet During COVID

Posted onDecember 11, 2020December 14, 2020

By Jill NAgy
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the dynamics of how offices run and how business meetings are held as companies work to meet health and safety standards.
“Everyone’s jumping on the Zoom,” said Rose Miller, head of Pinnacle Human Resources, an Albany company with an office in Saratoga Springs. Miller is quick to praise Zoom and other remote communication methods, but added, “We’re all looking forward to meeting face-to-face again.”
Saratoga attorney Debra Verni of Herzog Law has been presenting “webinars” on a regular basis covering such topics as “What To Do When A Loved One Dies,” “How Not To Pay For Services,” wills versus trusts, and “Aging in Place.” She has also mastered the complicated new rules for witnessing and notarizing documents remotely. Now she no longer has to meet with clients in a parking lot or back porch to have them execute documents.
“There were a few glitches in the beginning,” she said, but things are going smoothly now.
Patti Gray Whann, owner of Glens Falls Area Realty, said the real estate industry “was way ahead” using online resources for at least 10 years. In fact, one online source, Zillow, has revolutionized the industry.
“In the old days,” she said, “Realtors had the book,” which contained all the information on real estate listings. Clients had to come into the office to look at listings. Now, “Zillow took all the information we had and put it on the internet.”
COVID restrictions prevent real estate agents from attending closings, inspections, and other steps in the purchase and sale process. But transactions can now take place remotely. Also, mandatory continuing education courses are all online this year.
Tim Halliday, a Malta businessman and president of the Malta Business Association, said the current situation “put us three to five years ahead of where we would be anyway.”

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