Category Archives: local business

No Lilacs, But a Nice Visit

I have been wanting to be more consistent about getting exercise, so was determined to walk or run today. My preference was to walk and take pictures for a Pedestrian Post. After I got home I finished a couple of letters so I could multi-task by taking them to the post office. Full disclosure: I noticed a third letter I had meant to finish but decided to leave it for tomorrow. I am such a one for starting things and not finishing them!

I had seen a Facebook post from Grand Colonial Bed and Breakfast reminding us to stop and smell the lilacs. They have lilacs? I thought. It was very little out of my way to go by the Grand Colonial. I like to smell lilacs. I smelled some in a neighbor’s house but did not take a picture.

As it happens, the person who made the post was just speaking in general. The Grand Colonial has no lilacs. However, I was glad I stopped by, because I had a nice chat with one of the owners, who happened to be outside at the time.

I took a picture of the flowers they did have.

They are planning some major landscaping in June. I was invited to return and take more pictures. I will certainly do that. Additionally, I am trying to talk my husband Steven into going to the Colonial to stay a night, just for something fun and different. I took a picture of the side porch to entice him.

Picture it: relaxing on the porch!

I don’t know if I ever mentioned that I wrote an article about the Grand Colonial for Mohawk Valley Living magazine. At that time they showed me around the place, and I was enchanted.

Yes, we could be sleeping here.

The Grand Colonial Bed and Breakfast is located at 112 W. German St., Herkimer NY, phone number 315-982-5004.

I shall write about the rest of my walk tomorrow.

I Wasn’t a Heel at Heelpath

I noticed in a picture on Facebook that Heelpath Brewing in Frankfort, NY, now has plastic bubbles for outdoor seating in inclement weather. I suggested to my friend Kim that we check it out. For another reason, Heelpath serves wine from Rustic Ridge Winery of Burlington Flats. Yum!

We noticed as we approached the building that there is also an enclosure attached to the side of the building. Some people were in it at the time. After they left, I suggested we move there, but by then we were comfortable at the bar and chatting up the bartender.

The obligatory picture of Kim with a drink.

I did take a picture of the new seating options.

The butt receptacle is usually outside.
Looks summery to me.

Heelpath was doing a good Saturday afternoon business. Some of the patrons graciously allowed me to take their pictures for blogging purposes.

I did not get names.
The tap in the center of that table is for decorative purposes only.

Everybody was having a good time, including me. Heelpath Brewing is located at 122 Marina Park, Frankfort, NY, phone number 315-444-9005. They are open 2 to 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 2 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Any Excuse for a Good Time!

I have been trying to support my local businesses lately. Or is that just my handy excuse for going out and having a good time? In either case, we had a good time this afternoon at the End Zone Pub and Grub in Herkimer, NY.

We wore our masks in, and put them back on if we left our seats. They have their barstools spaced the required six feet apart, but Steve and I were allowed to move ours closer together, since we are of the same household.

Steve and our delightful bartender.

We drank some wine and ate French fries and boneless chicken wings. I feared I would regret consuming deep fried stuff, both from an upset tummy and weight gain aspects, but, yum.

Our friend Kim joined us. Brianna, the bartender, saved her our mini wine bottles. Kim recently started making trolls using them.

She’s so creative.

I’ll have to get a few shots of the finished product. In the meantime, I am happy to contribute to Kim’s creative endeavors with my cabernet consumption. Or is that another handy excuse?

And They Have a Dog!

I began my Valentine’s Day weekend by shopping at a new place for a gift for my husband Steven: Grand Colonial Bed and Breakfast in Herkimer, NY.

One does not usually think about a bed and breakfast as a shopping destination, but I saw on Facebook that Grand Colonial was opening their gift shop to the public on Friday and Saturday just for the occasion. I was naturally delighted to check it out, especially as they said they carried locally sourced items. Additionally, I am seeking a topic for an article for Mohawk Valley Living magazine. A local B&B might fit the bill.

The first thing I saw when I walked in the door was the nicest dog! I barely remembered to shut the door before I went over to let him. His name is Brick, and he loves people.

A rare still moment.

Linda Costanza and Michael Martin, two of the owners, could not have been nicer. When I told them I wanted to write about their place, they showed me around and answered all my questions. I took a lot of pictures. If I can’t write the article, I can definitely get another blog post or two out of it.

A lovely display.

I also accomplished my intention of purchasing a present for my husband.

I almost purchased something for myself as well.

They said they could offer testers of the Berkman 1802 products, but such things could not be left just out these days, due to COVID. Sadly, COVID has wrought havoc on their business. Problems continue as, for example, the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown goes virtual for their annual inductions. Obviously, these kinds of precautions are necessary during a pandemic, but I feel we are justified in saying, this really sucks (pardon my French).

Just a few more choices.

I think it was pretty smart of the folks at Grand Colonial to use Valentine’s Day to call attention to themselves and bring in a little gift shop business. I asked if the shop was open to the public at other times. Linda said anybody interested could give them a call and they would be glad to open.

“Ooh, private shopping by appointment,” I said. That would actually be a perfect way to shop during COVID times.

For anybody who wants to stop in for Valentine’s Day, the Grand Colonial will be open tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 13, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. They are located at 112 W. German St., Herkimer, NY, phone number 315-982-5004. You can visit their website at https://grand-colonial.com/. You can also Like them on Facebook.

Fun at the Waterfront

I love the Waterfront Grille in Herkimer, NY. My friend Kim and I had a delightful time there last Saturday.

There were no seats at the bar, my favorite place to sit. However, the owner pointed out a tall table near the bar. Perfect! Kim ordered her usual Moscato. I enjoyed a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, which you can’t get just anywhere. We decided to split an order of calimari. Yum!

Sweet wine, sweet girl!

We took pictures of each other for my blog post. Kim had to maneuver a little to get one of me, because I had my back to the window.

I like wine, yes.

A lady who was having lunch with friends offered to take a picture of both of us. How nice!

They should put us in an ad.

We had a fun time, munching, sipping, and chatting. We looked out the window at the bandstand and thought longingly of warm weather. We hope circumstances permit bands to play there this summer. It would also be nice to go on a canal cruise. However, we enjoyed ourselves at the time, and admired the partially frozen canal. Alas, I forgot to walk around the building and take a picture when we left.

The Waterfront Grille is located at 800 Mohawk St., Herkimer, phone number 315-717-0700.

I Loves Me Some Antiques

My friend Kim and I tried to help out the local economy yesterday with a couple of Mohawk Valley Adventures. We do love to get together on a Saturday. Additionally, I needed some post cards.

They had a million of them!

We started at Mohawk Antiques Mall, on Main Street in Mohawk, NY. I have talked about their huge collection of post cards. However, I like to send my post cards to people, and these are better for collectors. We browsed the rest of the antiques.

I love this sort of thing.

I admired some handmade incidental tables. There were also a couple of great retro kitchen tables which I did not get a picture of. We saw a lot of glassware we liked. Kim purchased a set of four cocktail glasses. She promised to use them at a party, to which she will certainly invite me, when such things are possible again.

We looked for Superman.

The other thing that caught our eyes was the old phone booth. I love antique stores, even if I don’t have the money or space to buy everything I would like. This was a fun first stop. I’ll save our other two stops for future posts.

I Forgot the Cow Bell!

My sister Cheryl gave me the most appropriate present for Mohawk Valley Girl: a basket of local stuff.

I should have taken the picture as soon as I opened it.

Of course I was not surprised to see items from the So Sweet Candy Cafe, our friend Margaret’s wonderful store.  I am surprised the Santa and Mrs. Claus sugar cookies lasted long enough for me to get a picture, and we have not eaten the Egg Nog Fudge, either.

Aren’t they cute?

I was delighted to see a card from local artist Maria Vallese of Retro Sorrento, whose works were recently added to the So Sweet inventory.  However, the item that made me do back flips (figuratively speaking, of course), were the turkey joints.

I must get more to send to my correspondents!

Turkey joints, for non-local readers, are a marvelous confection made in Rome, NY, where I grew up.  Steven had never had one, but now he is a true believer.

Lots of yum!

Other goodies included a big jar of garlic pickles and smaller jars with jellies and honey.  The whole thing was wrapped in a beautiful Christmas dish towel.

Cheryl loves dogs as much as I do.

I immediately made up my mind to take pictures for a blog post but got distracted (hey, it was Christmas morning!).  I luckily remembered to snap before Steven had eaten all the turkey joints.

Cheryl told me the pickles and jellies came from a place in Booneville called Awesome Country.  Sounds like a good place for Mohawk Valley Girl to visit!  The towel and ornament came from Newport Marketplace, another of my favorite places.

Ah yes, the ornament!  I forgot the ornament when I took my pictures, because I had right away placed it among our Christmas display on the mantle.  It is a very adorable cowbell.  I actually remembered it before I wrote this post, but I thought “I Forgot the Cow Bell!”  would be an excellent title.  Now I am wondering if “Cow Bell to Follow” would be more appropriate.  You may notice I am late in making my Monday post.  I dare not delay further for more photography.  Let’s just say I owe you a cow bell!

 

Slacking at the Pub

It is after 11 p.m. on Saturday, according to my clock (I know my WordPress timestamp disagrees). Time enough to make a Slacker Saturday Post.

The height of pandemic fashion.

Earlier today my friend Kim and I went to the End Zone Pub and Grub for a drink. I wore the mask she gave me for Christmas so naturally asked her to take my picture. I took one of her and the bartender.

A little backlit, but nice.

I also took a shot of the ceiling, which I always admire.

I think it is the original ceiling.

No, I really did take a picture of the ceiling. I did not drink too much and end up flat on my back staring upward. That may have happened a time or two back on the ’80’s, but We’re not talking about that now.

You may have come to the conclusion that I have slacked today as a result of wine consumed at the pub. I must confess, I slacked before that. But at least I made a blog post.

End Zone Pub and Grub is located at 129 N. Main St., Herkimer. They are open 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Monday, noon to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday, 12 to 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

Plugging Away at the Blog

Yesterday I said I was not too tired for monsters. Today, I think I am. What a big baby I am! Four lousy days of work, what’s my problem? At least tomorrow is Friday. TGTF. Hmmm… doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Be all that as it may, I still want to make a blog post. I think I will speculate on some of the things I could do this weekend. The last Saturday before Christmas! Yikes! I have purchased very few Christmas presents for anyone.

Can Santa Claus help me now?

I could go to Mohawk Valley Community Market on North Main Street. I saw some sweet tree ornaments there as well as jewelry and other handcrafts. I admired some gorgeous handmade wood furniture by One of a Kind by GS. The beauty part about that is that after I shop, I can bop across the street for a drink at the End Zone Pub and Grub.

Gorgeous stuff by GS.
Animals and skulls at the Rose Quartz Stand.

Another Herkimer business I have not been in a while is the Rose Quartz Stand on Mohawk Street. I especially love the carved stone animals. Right down the street from that is the Emporium, another vendor market. After that I just may head on down to Valley Wine and Liquor for a nice bottle of wine.

How is that for a few plugs of local businesses?

Two in Utica

I took a drive to Utica today and went to two spots, one new, one familiar: Joseph Putrello Coffee and So Sweet Candy Cafe. This time I took pictures.

I had never been to a Barista Bar.

The Barista Bar is located on Genessee Street, in a space with glass walls. I sat in a mezzanine area and looked out as I enjoyed my coffee and croissant.

My view.
My view if I turned around.

I had parked behind the building. When I left I took an unfamiliar turn and soon found myself heading toward the Boilermaker finish line. I know where that is near! My friend Margaret’s shop on the corner of Varick and Columbia streets, the So Sweet Candy Cafe.

Yummy stuff!

I foolishly did not take a picture of the outside or the sign, but here is one of the tempting displays of treats. I noticed the Turkey Joints on top, a local seasonal treat. I wandered around wondering what I should indulge in. Nothing, really, considering my weight loss goals, but I do like to support a local business.

These Bombs seem to be all the rage this year.
Ooh, no calories here!

I had seen on Facebook that Margaret is now carrying items from Maria Vallese of Retro Sorrento. I was not familiar with her work, but I see I have been missing some beautiful stuff.

I greatly enjoyed my visit to Utica. I may have to make the trip on a more regular basis.

Joseph Putrello Coffee Barista Bar is located at 268 Genessee St., phone number 315-790-6719. They are open 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

So Sweet Candy Cafe is located at 531 Varick St., phone number 315-765-6463. They are open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.