The Christmas tree that will stand in Rockefeller  Center in midtown Manhattan for the 2022-23 holiday season is one that was grown in Queensbury.

Standing at 82 feet tall, 50 feet wide and weighing in at 14 tons, the approximately 90-year-old Norway Spruce was selected from a private property, not a tree stand.

It is arriving at Rockefeller Center in New York City on Nov. 12, according to center officials.

They said last year’s tree, from Maryland, was only 79 feet tall and weight 12 tons, but was decked out with 50,000 lights and topped with a star weighing 900 pounds.

This year’s spruce will be topped with a star made from 3 million Swarovski crystals, designed by architect Daniel Libeskind in 2018.

The iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree tradition dates back to 1933 and has endured for eight decades as a catalyst for some metropolis holiday spirit.

The annual tree lighting ceremony will be televised on “Christmas at Rockefeller Center” on Nov. 30, courtesy of NBC at 8 p.m.

By Christine Graf

Capital Region native and real estate company owner Marcia Murray recently opened her third office at 56 Clifton Country Road, Suite 102A, in Clifton Park. 

Murray, a former ReMax agent, has 20 years of real estate experience. Four years ago, she ventured out on her own and opened Marcia Murray Realty & Associates on Putnam Street in Saratoga Springs. Last year, she opened a second office in Albany.

When Murray announced plans to open a third office in Clifton Park, many people questioned her timing, she said. The real estate market had cooled and interest rates were on the rise. 

“No one would have opened an office in this market. But I’ve always looked around, and what everyone else is doing, I don’t do. And it’s always been successful for me,” said Murray, noting that the Clifton Park office is now her busiest.

According to Murray, she had no idea what to expect when she opened her own real estate company just four short years ago. 

By Jill Nagy

Inspired by a perceived commonality between coffee and motorcycles, Jamie Rock and Ray Newberry opened the Kickstart Cafe at 33 Ferry St. in Schuylerville. 

According to their website, “Coffee and motorcycles share many fundamental values. Everyone has their own personal taste and the two things bring everyone together.”

Although, “there is a sprinkle of motorcycle people” among the clientele, the cafe is attracting mainly a family-oriented crowd, according to Rock. 

They specialize in coffee and breakfast sandwiches, he said. The coffee comes from Iron Coffee Co., in Hoosick Falls whose owner, Mike Milliron, provided advice and taught the new barristas how to brew and serve coffee. 

“I guarantee it’s some of the best coffee you ever had,” Rock said, adding that it is a bold Italian roast. They also offer a full menu of teas.

By Christine Graf

Bill and Judy Morris, owners of MORR-IS-Stored, have responded to the increase in demand for self-storage units by expanding their storage facility at 210 Old Gick Road in Wilton. 

They opened their storage business in 2000 and now have two locations.

“We started out with four buildings. The facility that we built was nicer than average, and it really took off right away,” said Bill Morris. “We continued to expand slowly. We started out with 100 units, and we will be up to around 1,800 units. This was our fourth expansion.”

Their flagship location at 210 Old Gick Road is a nonclimate-controlled storage facility. When the expansion is complete, it will be home to 800 units. 

“We got approved by the Town of Wilton for 100,000 square feet a little over a year ago. That included our boat and RV expansion. We completed half of that in May of this year. We’re going to let that fill up, and then our next go around will probably be next spring,” he said. “The problem with self-storage is that you build a building with absolutely no tenants. We take a fairly conservative approach. As it fills up, we will move on.”

By Christine Graf

Local builder and real estate broker Cecil Provost has relocated his company’s headquarters to 570 Maple Ave. on Route 9.

Provost is the owner of Saratoga Construction, Saratoga Modular Homes, Saratoga Log Homes, and ProRealty New York Inc. He specializes in building energy-efficient custom and modular homes at affordable prices.

Before making the move to the new headquarters, the company spent 10 years in a leased space on Lake Avenue. Prior to that, they were located on Putnam Street.

According to Provost, the decision to relocate occurred after the perfect property became available. It was purchased in May for $610,000.

“This opportunity came along, and it’s a great location. The building needed some renovations, but we think it will be a nice investment.”

As part of the renovations, Provost transformed the four-bedroom residential home into an office. A 45×50 foot metal garage is now being used as a warehouse.

By Andrea Harwood

The owners of Robinson Ace Hardware have expanded by acquiring a third store, Crescent Ace Hardware, located at 135 Lapp Road in Clifton Park.

The two other stores are located at 1874 West Ave in Albany and 1900 New Scotland Road in Slingerlands.

The purchase came about as the partners were looking for opportunities to expand.

 “We did a whole-store renovation inside, doing a complete reset with design, fixtures and products,” said McDonnell. 

He said the partners wanted a store with up-to-date inventory, with a layout design that flowed well. The reset took around three months. McDonnell said all has been running smoothly  and the store anticipates having a strong finish to the year. 

The partners teamed up with Ace Hardware directly for design and renovations, with many local subcontractors being used. Inventory was updated based on demographic research.

A Saratoga PLAN fundraiser event last month raised over $100,000, organization officials said.

The first PLAN For the Future event took place Oct. 20 at Juniper Springs Event Barn in Corinth, with over 150 guests attending.

The money raised supports Saratoga PLAN’s ongoing land conservation and stewardship efforts across Saratoga County.

Guests were treated to an expansive selection of food and drinks including honeycrisp vodka from regional distillery 1911 Spirits; local craft beer and wine from Artisanal Beer Works, Common Roots Brewery, Adirondack Winery and Old Tavern Farm; and offerings from chef David Britton’s roving food truck, Pies on Wheels.

Those offerings included such as wood-fired pizza and farm-to-fork dishes like zucchini parmesan with ingredients from Pleasant Valley Farm in Argyle, and chicken with tikka masala rub from Full Circle Farm in the Hudson Valley. Jazz music was provided by lGrand Boubousse. The evening concluded with sweet treats donated by local baker Leah Stein of Leah’s Cakery in Round Lake. 

PLAN’s new executive director, Rob Davies, welcomed guests. He spoke about his transition earlier this year from the DEC state forester for 22 years, to working in nonprofit land conservation in the Saratoga region. 

“The future of conservation today is protecting family farms and wood lots in our communities across the state,” he said. “It is protecting those special open spaces in our backyards where we live, work, and play every day that form the character and quality of life of our communities that are under so much pressure today.”