Category Archives: Uncategorized

By Jennifer Farnsworth

After working for 20 years as a psychiatrist, Dr. Manuel Astruc  has found his niche in providing motivational coaching to entrepreneurs.

The Saratoga Springs-based physician said he remembers the day he made the decision to change course, pivoting into a new way of promoting mental health awareness. He, himself, was suffering from a sense of burnout.

“I remember looking at my twin sister’s picture and thinking it was time to make the commitment to myself to enjoy things more, to enjoy life more,” said Dr. Astruc.

Astruc’s sister had recently died and he was reflecting on the way she lived her life during her final years. He said she lived a life filled with happiness and grace, something he wanted to emulate. It was then he decided the stress from his career was taking away from his quality of life.

Astruc explored different paths before landing on the one that felt right. He created Your Next Act, in which he teaches resilience and leadership. He said the goal is to improve mental fitness and well-being so that entrepreneurs can start enjoying their dream.

“I wanted to find a way to take my expertise and have a bigger, more meaningful impact on the world, and this feels like a good way for me to do that,” said Astruc.

By Michael Cruz

Most businesspeople believe that success is bred by doing more. And more and more. And many times, that makes things worse.

Success comes from being the best at what we do. Doing tasks we are good at brings energy to all of the people in your company. Success breeds success. Repeating success is easier than struggling to do things we may not be as good at. So, what am I talking about here? I am suggesting that you may become even more successful by figuring out what not to do.

Look at your products and services. List them out on a sheet of paper. Which ones are profitable? What percentage of the revenue for that sale do you keep? Which ones are always a struggle to break even with? And, it’s a sure thing that some have no profit at all—or are performed at a loss. We begin to add services or products for lots of reasons. Many of them are to add to the top line. It will increase our revenue.

However, remember that you did not get into business to sell things. You got into your business to make money. So, using critical thinking, you want to figure out where you make the most money.

This focus on profitability will help you get rid of activities that do not make you money. That frees up time to focus on the things that make you money.

There are good reasons to add to your product or service offerings. Helping to offer a more complete solution to your customers is a good one. That adds in client retention. And it should make you more money because you have expertise and a relationship that make your offering less price sensitive.

Moving into areas without that expertise has the opposite effect. When people push you into areas that you should not go, learn to say “no.”

By Susan Elise Campbell

A new bar called Lucy’s is on a fast track to open in mid-June at 5 Caroline St. in Saratoga Springs, according to co-owner Zach VanEarden.

As recently as only eight months ago, VanEarden had never even imagined owning a retail business in his native city.

VanEarden received a call from his long-time friend and restaurateur Kelsey Whalen, owner of Whole Harvest, a downtown Saratoga Springs establishment that was located at 5 Caroline St. Whalen was preparing to relocate that business to 419 Broadway, and did so in April.

Whalen suggested the idea of opening the bar.

VanEarden owns and operates VanEarden Brothers Painting LLC with his brother Ben. A painter for more than 15 years, VanEarden started the company in 2018 after leaving the Marine Corps and a year-long deployment in Japan, returning to the area with his fiancée, Lucy Rivas, to be closer to his aging parents.

By Jill Nagy

Saratoga’s Community Federal Credit Union has opened a new office in Ballston Spa and added new services, including  a new mortgage service division.

The Ballston Spa office opened in February. The new branch is located at 444 Geyser Road, at the intersection of Geyser and Roland Street, in the center of the town of Milton.

The Geyser Road office is a full-service branch, including a drive-through window, a 24-hour ATM and an Interactive Teller Machine (ITM).

The new office is a single-story, red brick building with 2,500 square of space. Interior renovations were completed by Munter Enterprises Inc. of Middle Grove. Work began in December and was completed in February.

This is the credit union’s second location; the first is at 23 Division Street in Saratoga Springs.

The ITM is an enhanced ATM. On the system, a customer can get a staff person, live, on a  video screen by pressing a “help” button. The ITM hours will be longer than regular branch hours, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays.

While an ATM is intended for cash withdrawals, balance inquiries and transfers, customers can call up an ITM online teller for deposits, credit card payments, loan payments, as well as questions.

The new machine has not yet gotten much of a workout, according to Megan Armstrong, chief operations officer for the credit union, because “members are coming in the front door to see the new building and say hello.”

By Jennifer Farnsworth

The Little Market at 5 Points in Saratoga Springs is now open on the city’s east side.

Business partners Michele Morris and Jim Morris are not related. They opened the store at 42 Park Place in late March and they are ready to serve the community they love.

The new owners say the “quintessential” corner store deli is more than a place to grab a quick bite to eat. Michele and Jim said they are “refreshed, re-imagined and ready to bring you delicious eats, everyday conveniences, thoughtful gifts and fast and friendly service.”

The new store is on a site that was a deli and market for many years.

“It is with gratitude that we continue in the spirit of those who came before us,” said Jim Morris. “We look forward to getting to know you and your families over a warm breakfast sandwich and cappuccino, a hotdog, or a deli sandwich made your way.”

The Little Market at 5 Points is a place with many necessities, including milk, fresh produce, candy bars, ice cream, craft beers and hard seltzers. It also has a gift shop with items like dish towels, speciality soaps and artwork.

Michele Morris said  they have 10 employees ready to serve people inside the store and through a take-out window.

A new Indian restaurant is open in Clifton Park.

Spice Malabar, 7 Southside Drive, opened in The Shops at Village Plaza on March 16.

The owners also operate  Karavalli of Latham, also an Indian restaurant.

The cuisine at Spice Malabar is influenced by  the flavors of north and south Indian.

Vince George, chef and owner of Spice Malabar, said North Indian cuisine includes dishes and breads cooked in the tandoor, a cylindrical clay oven. Traditionally, meats and vegetables slowly cook in tomato, onion, and tree nut-based sauces, which are seasoned to each dish.

South Indian cuisine brings together the cuisines of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Mangalore and Goa with a range of healthy dishes.

Seafood is at the heart of Spice Malabar’s menu, which also includes poultry, game and vegetarian selections.

Visitors to Spice Malabar can experience a  lunch buffet that includes tandoor, vegan, vegetarian, and non-vegetarian specialties.  Convenient take-out lunch box specials and other à la carte menu options are also offered mid-day.

By Jill Nagy

KPM Restoration, a company that cleans up and repairs premises after fires, floods and other disasters, moved in January to a new facility in Malta.

It consists of a large warehouse and 12 offices. It replaces a facility at 211 Maple St. in Saratoga Springs.

The company is still in the process of moving out of the Saratoga Springs location, according to business owner Jamie Kennedy. Only six years old, KPM outgrew its former quarters, he said.

The company is on-call 24 hours a day and, all 13 of its trucks are kept busy, said Kennedy. The company repairs damages from water pipe bursts, fixes other water damage, does mold  remediation and commercial cleaning .

A large part of the business these days involves COVID-19 cases. Kennedy said the company has done more than 200 COVID cleanups, which include cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing. As a community service, they have done several free clean-ups for schools and firehouses.

Kennedy came to the area from Milbrook, a downstate town near Poughkeepsie, where he had three businesses, a property management company (Kennedy Property Management), a landscaping service and a tree service. He sold them all and moved north.

By Christine Graf

Matt Snyder is proud to call himself a second generation broom maker.

His grandparents, George and Ann Snyder, started making brooms in the 1970s after purchasing several pieces of 19th century broom-making equipment at an auction. Matt began working in their broom shop, Snyder’s Brooms, when he was 8 and also traveled with them to arts and crafts fairs where they sold their products.

“I love the brooms and started collecting them when I was adult,” said 34-year-old Snyder. “As soon as I started to see my grandparents get older, I realized that when they stop doing this, that Snyder’s Brooms will no longer exist. I can’t let that happen. I’m doing this to keep it going.”

For that reason, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when much of the world was shut down, Snyder decided the timing was perfect to establish Snyder’s Handmade Brooms of Saratoga. He started making brooms out of his home and sold them at the Farmer’s Market.

“It was a hit. I ended up selling about 300 brooms last year, and it just started to expand. It went full tilt from there,” said Snyder who works full-time in sales.

“The demand is there because it’s something you can’t get anywhere else in the world. There are some broom makers out there, but they don’t make brooms like we make. The dyed broom corn and the braiding makes them unique. They are functional pieces of art and will last a lifetime.

By Joan Taub

What’s going on in real estate? That’s the question everyone asks when they learn I’m a Realtor.   

People want to know if it’s a buyer’s market, a seller’s market. They want to know what the interest rates are. Are there any “deals”? How long does it take to close? What’s my house worth?

Because no one has an accurate crystal ball, the answers  to those questions can change moment to moment. The information provided is always just a “snapshot in time.”

So, what is happening in real estate and, more specifically, what’s happening with real estate in Saratoga County? If you’re a seller, it’s great. If you’re a buyer, it’s a bit less great.

The basic reason is that there is so little inventory, all the buyers are vying for the same place.

Realtors usually price properties based upon similar properties, similar features, similar schools, the competition and the condition.  There is a process to determine a price range  where a house may sell and where it should be appraised by a bank. Most houses in today’s market have been priced via a method using historic data.

By Andrea Harwood Palmer

Whole Harvest has moved from a small space at 5 Caroline St. in Saratoga Springs to a larger storefront location at 419 Broadway, a spot  previously occupied by Plum Dandy frozen yogurt shop.

“The move to Broadway just made sense,” said co-owner Kelsey Whalen. “The change to our overhead didn’t change drastically, but the change in foot traffic and sales has quadruples—sometimes five times the amount. It’s reaffirmed my decision to move locations.”

Whalen grew up in Saratoga and was living in Boston after going to school for dietetics. After moving back home to Saratoga, Whalen was disappointed at the lack of healthy options for a full set menu, as she had grown accustomed to living in Boston.

“We have health in our tag line along with history and horses,” she said of Saratoga Springs.  “Yet there were no healthy full menus for people to enjoy. So I decided to go and do it myself.”

Whalen already had restaurant experience in food and liquor sales.