People: March 2009 Archives

Looks like the long Winter has finally broken and Spring is here.  One sure sign that Spring has Sprung is the return of the Maple Weekends.  We are fortunate to have the producers of the finest sweetener on the planet right here in our backyard.  Of course, I'm talking about the annual ritual of Maple sap collection to create Maple syrup.  Checkout the article "March Maple Madness" in my previous blog post here at Saratoga.com and read about some of the characters involved in this right of Spring.

by Donna Pochaski of Vintage Chic Furniture

I started painting distressed furniture "shabby chic style" first out of necessity. I pulled a piece of furniture off the curb that someone was throwing away. I just moved into a small and super cute old cottage style house and I realized I needed more furniture.  I found great candidate that somebody had left on the curb. I loaded into my vehicle, went to home depot, bought some paint, a brush, and some sandpaper and went to work. I chose white paint - I love white, and it's the cheapest paint to buy!  After priming and painting, I proceeded to sand the edges to give it that aged distressed look. I loved the way it came out.  Then it hit me - this is how I'm going to decorate my whole house!! The white finish was light and bright and I just loved it.

Virgil's House came onto the Saratoga scene two years ago when the old auto parts store on Lake Ave, next the Parting Glass Pub, was rehabbed for new commercial use.  Opening another coffee shop and eatery in the already crowded marketplace of downtown Saratoga Springs would seem a bit crazy, but not to Kathleen Quartararo. Having been burned out from the techno-gadget world of telecom, she and partner James Hahn wanted a place where they and others could defrag from the "connected" world.   Full of ideas and freed from the corporate rulebook, Kathleen and James gathered their collection of old furniture, board games and hodge-podge of coffee mugs and opened Virgil's House.  Virgil's has become that tech-free haven and a whole lot more.  When you come to Virgil's, turn off your cell phone; leave your laptop in the car.  Instead, engage a conversation, make a new friend and play a game of cards.  The giant chess board may beckon, and you just might stay awhile.  Welcome to Kathland.