By Paul Post

Three new firms are coming to Queensbury Plaza on Upper Glen Street, triggering interest from other retailers that could fill the site’s remaining vacancies.

Construction is underway for a 7 Brew drive-through-only coffee kiosk, a Burlington clothing store will occupy the former Joann Fabrics and Crafts space, and a Mexican restaurant, Mi Rancho Alegre, is taking over the former Red Lobster site.

“The business climate in Queensbury is quite strong right now,” said Michael Palumbo, chief operating officer of Rochester-based Flaum Management Co., the plaza’s owner. “Tourism in that area seems to be growing, driving traffic up there. That’s what is prompting these tenants to be looking for new locations. I think our shopping center is probably the most well-positioned in Queensbury.”

“We’ve got some other nationals looking at the plaza now, so we’re working on a couple deals for the last few vacancies,” he said. “Having the right mix of tenants, visibility and positioning — all of these things go into site selection by nationals and even the regionals.”

By Staff Writer

For 50 years, consistent management and operations have made The Log Jam Restaurant a landmark destination restaurant and steady economic contributor in one of New York’s most seasonal tourism markets.

“My biggest thing is consistency,” said Tony Grecco, who has spent nearly four decades with the business and more than 30 years in a management role. “I want people to know when they come, what they’re going to get, and it’s going to be the same every time.”

That consistency has translated into scale. The restaurant seats approximately 250 guests and, during peak August demand, turns tables three times per night while averaging about 600 dinners. Lunch service adds another 300 to 400 customers daily, bringing total volume to between 800 and 1,000 patrons on a typical summer day.

The menu remains rooted in steakhouse tradition, with custom-cut steaks prepared in-house alongside seafood and fish offerings. That consistent approach to quality, combined with the restaurant’s signature salad bar, has helped define its identity for generations of customers.

In a tourism-driven market like Lake George, where seasonal fluctuations can challenge staffing, pricing and operations, that level of sustained volume carries broader economic implications.

By Carol Ann Conover

Tim Ortiz spent four years, a small fortune in rent and a detour through the state Legislature before he finally made his first sale at Glens Falls Liquor, the downtown storefront he had long envisioned filling a conspicuous gap in the city’s retail landscape.

Ortiz, a musician and longtime resident of downtown Glens Falls, opened the shop on Glen Street in early March 2026 after signing a lease in July 2024 and paying full rent every month through a protracted licensing process. The store occupies a small, carefully curated space, where Ortiz said he deliberately chose not to expand into a larger adjacent unit.

“I wanted to open a business in Glens Falls since I live downtown, and I started thinking about what the area didn’t have yet,” Ortiz said. “What it didn’t have was a place to buy a bottle of wine or liquor downtown.”

The idea came to him after late nights playing gigs. The nearest option, he said, was a drive to another local store just outside town.