Month: November 2025

The Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce  kicked off its Love Our Locals $20.25 campaign, an initiative that emphasizes the importance of supporting local businesses and nonprofit organizations.

The campaign began Oct. 30 and continues throughout the remainder of the year. During this time, residents and tourists who support any business or nonprofit in Saratoga County by spending or donating $20.25 or more are eligible to enter a gift card giveaway.  

Individuals are encouraged to submit their receipts of $20.25 or more online at www.saratoga.org/love-our-locals to enter. Each week, the Chamber will randomly select winners for $100 in gift cards to businesses across the county.

While the campaign takes place during the holiday shopping season, it is designed to support a wide variety of businesses and organizations from the retail, dining, service, entertainment and nonprofit sectors. Eligible purchases can include a chiropractor adjustment, teeth cleaning, eye exam, hair care appointment, car repairs, home improvement projects, dry cleaning, hotel stays, dining at restaurants, concert tickets, landscaping, snow removal, fitness club memberships, floral deliveries, toys and holiday decorations. Donations made to area charitable organizations are also eligible for entry. Spending $20.25 or more at any locally owned Saratoga County business or nonprofit gives folks a chance to win in this months-long giveaway campaign with unlimited entries, multiple weekly winners and a variety of gift card prizes!

Love Our Locals $20.25 is generously sponsored by many area businesses that donate gift cards as the prizes.

Now in its fifth year, this campaign started during the pandemic as Save Our Locals $20.21, which resulted in more than 2,000 entries from locals whose purchases directly aided in the county’s economic rebound from COVID-19 restrictions. In 2022, the Save Our Locals program was recognized with a New York State Tourism Excellence Award from the New York State Tourism Industry Association. 

By LEE COLEMAN

West Mountain ski center in Queensbury is preparing to open early this season with a larger variety of trails to offer skiers.

“We are really going to try to open early, but it depends on the weather,” said Spencer Montgomery, co-owner and managing member.

He said 4,000 feet of new snowmaking pipeline has been added on the Frolic trail to replace older piping that was in disrepair. The goal is to open more terrain on the Northwest Base area along with the Main Base, which traditionally opens first. The mountain also offers a large snow-tubing park for young people.

Ski center workers have been running compressors on the snow guns, testing pipelines, checking power and lighting for the popular night skiing, and cutting back the trail edges. All is ready to make snow when the temperature allows.

In recent years, West Mountain has offered year-round programming, with adventure courses, mountain-biking trails and scenic rides to promote use of the mountain in spring, summer and fall.

Saratoga Springs will soon welcome a new entertainment destination built around teamwork, storytelling, and immersive problem-solving. Saratoga Escape Rooms, founded by local entrepreneurs Tess and Brian Goodge, will officially open Nov. 14 on Gardner Lane in downtown Saratoga Springs.

The concept grew naturally from the couple’s complementary strengths. “We realized Brian had the engineering talent to bring these rooms to life, and I had the business acumen to make the venture possible, so we decided to take the leap,” said co-owner Tess Goodge. “Saratoga is home for us, and after visiting other cities with escape rooms, we were surprised no one had brought one to downtown yet.”

The Goodges have spent the past year designing themed adventures that blend atmospheric sets, engineered automation, and interactive puzzles. Each 60-minute experience is built for groups of two to eight players, who must work together to uncover clues, decipher riddles, and solve layered challenges before time runs out.

“We’re very proud of how automated and interactive the rooms are,” Goodge said. “Guests will be pleasantly surprised by the level of engagement our games require. Our third room will feature custom props we’re building ourselves, which is a whole new adventure.”

The venue opens with two completed rooms and a third scheduled for summer 2026. Saratoga School of Magic immerses players in a spell-casting challenge, while Echoes of the Lost Jungle uses hand-painted props and vibrant scenery to transport guests into an uncharted wilderness. A third room, Whispers Beneath Broadway, is under development and will introduce a more detective-style experience.

Ray O’Conor, Chief Executive Officer; Jeffrey Reale, Chief Financial Officer; and Lori Eddy, Administrative Secretary of the Saratoga County Capital Resource Corporation (SCCRC) were recognized recently by the SCCRC board of directors for their twelve years of service. All three members of the management team will retire from their respective roles at year end 2025.

During their years of service, the SCCRC has supported several Saratoga County not for profit organizations by issuing more than $400 million in tax exempt bonds for capital projects related to health care, education and affordable housing. The organization provides grants to local not for profit organizations as well.

Succeeding O’Conor as CEO will be Matthew Veitch, long time Saratoga County Supervisor from Saratoga Springs, who chose not to run for reelection this year. Michael Sharp will serve as the new CFO and Katherine Tiedemann has been appointed to the position of Administrative Secretary.

By Susan Elise Campbell

Whoever coined, “Life is Short. Eat desert first,” knew that a little sugar is good for the soul.

That’s a philosophy of Elise Soto, new owner of Indulgence Bakery at 63 Putnam Street in Saratoga Springs.

Members of the Saratoga Chamber, family and friends, former associates from Putnam Market, Mayor John Safford, and Senator James Tedisco all attended the bakery’s grand opening and ribbon cutting on November 6th. 

It’s a full-circle moment for Soto. She was a pastry chef at Putnam Market on and off for 10 years, she said. Now her shop occupies the original site of the gourmet deli.

Soto left Putnam Market and started a custom cake business, Yours Truly Cake Designs, in 2021, she said. She had been employed there since 2008 as an intern after culinary school and had been promoted to kitchen manager by the end of the pandemic.

By Rod Bacon

A hospitality venue that was once part of a larger hotel complex that included the now-demolished United States Hotel has undergone a complete renovation and rebranding.

The St. Charles Motel, which was purchased in March 2024 by Saratoga Springs-based Weekender Hotels, opened in September with a new look and amenities.

“Saratoga is a continually growing market and we liked the urban nature of the property’s proximity on South Broadway to what downtown has to offer, as well as the Saratoga Race Course, mineral springs, and SPAC,” said Keir Weimer, founder/CEO of Weekender Hotels. “We had the vision to take it from what it was, which was a bit of a distressed, older, under-optimized property to Weekender Hotel standards.” 

Renamed The Ambler, the building was completely gutted and reimagined to what Weimer described as “a Palm Springs desert retro feel with pops of color and layouts that bring in sunlight.”

“We wanted to achieve a creative concept that was something different and unavailable in the local and regional areas,” he said.  

The two-story building has 18 guest rooms that were given new floors, bathrooms, and unique color schemes. State-of-the-art technology provides voice enabled Wi-Fi, thermostats, and streaming televisions. There are also two suites, one of which has an Alaskan king bed. The exterior brick has been painted white.

Weimer said rooms are priced from $160 per night to $500-$600 for suites during the summer season.