For example, as a long time Saratoga County resident and , I had no idea that Susan B. Anthony was a resident of a neighboring county AND that her distant cousin, Sarah Anthony Burtis, was the very first woman to work in a retail establishment in the City of Saratoga Springs. As I poked around some more seeking notable women of history, I took the time to learn more about who Katrina Trask was and her powerful influence on the haven and popular tourist attraction of Yaddo Gardens.

Fast forward to the present, it was that few minutes with Terri, a softer spoken but powerful personality, that opened my eyes to the women in Saratoga making history and shaping the course of Saratoga Springs today. Our Chamber of Commerce, our Economic Development figure heads, our specialty retail store and boutique owners: dynamic women. Creative, passionate and progressive….its very exciting when you look at what is happening behind the scenes.

As career women and moms, we are busy than ever, managing more than anyone ever thought possible, facing struggles that our great-grandmothers would never have dreamed of yet day in and day out, it has been my honor to meet and work along side women who embrace the neighborhood we call home and possess the determination and power of Susan Anthony Burtis and Katrina Trask. It is with hope that I should have the privilege of looking up Women’s History, in 25 years, and see records and memories of the women I’ve come to know in this neighborhood over the past year.

Angela McFarland
Owner and Publisher

Free Yourself Concepts is a full service Administrative and Organizational services company. Inspiration came from talking to friends, many of whom are solo entrepreneurs and consultants. They all complained that they spent so much time doing administrative and organizational work they didn’t have time to actually do their business. Seeing a need and an easy solution, therefore Free Yourself Concepts was formed. Giving you the Freedom to Focus on What You Do Best!

Q. Are you known for anything special?

My willingness to help, and efficiency

Q. What do you like most about your business?

I love what I do. Just to help small business owners be able to have the freedom to concentrate and grow their business is such a great feeling. My Client’s just know that they can pass off any task to me and know that it will be accomplished in a efficient timely manner. Its great to leave a client’s office and know that you have helped them with tasks that they feel are taking up their time when they could be focusing on developing their business.

Q. What do you feel is your biggest challenge with your business?

Trying to appeal to the “do it yourself” entrepreneurs. They are not used to asking for help and some people have a hard time with that. Therefore by time some people contact me they are beyond stressed out and overwhelmed.

Q. What do you want the community to know about you?

I try to support the local economy as much as possible. When I started Free Yourself Concepts last year I realized how hard small business owners work and I have a new found appreciation for their work and products.

Q. Anything Else?

I am constantly volunteering in my spare time. I am a Committee Chair for Rebuilding Together Saratoga County and I work with H.O.P.E. on various projects.

Ali R. Anechiarico
Free Yourself Concepts
73 Trottingham Road
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
518-538-5941
www.freeyourselfconcepts.com
info@freeyourselfconcepts.com

This time of year sees many of us setting worthy goals for ourselves: eat less, exercise more, read more books, volunteer our time, double our advertising budgets and spend more on Our Towne Saratoga…

Okay, okay….so I’m getting carried away here…..

There’s just something so fresh, so clean and so “together”about the New Year; I can’t help but dream BIG in spite of all the “doom and gloom” we seem to hear about in the news lately…Think about it: we have so much to look forward to in the coming year, so many exciting things happening, so much to choose from, so much to be a part of…is the glass really half empty or is it really truly half full? Is the change in our economy and how it may be effecting us really such a bad thing or a great opportunity to reach out and live our lives in a way we just haven’t tried yet?

So, perhaps this should be our shared community resolution for the new year – that we will work a little harder on doing it differently because we can. At least, we promise to think about it…

Failing that, well, we can always eat less and exercise more,right?

Warmest and heartfelt wishes for an astounding New Year!
Angela McFarland
Owner and Publisher

Each year, we all celebrate, reflect, and become just a little softer and a little kinder. I like to think we all categorically reflect on Christmas past, believing in magic, gorging on cookies, ripping open presents on Christmas morning and talk ourselves out of the cynicism that tends to come with age.

Its another difficult year for many because of the recession, that’s no doubt. Some will struggle, some will feel overwhelmed and others will question what to believe. Depending on your spirituality, wouldn’t it seem that the many that may face challenges are the purest reflection of what the holiday season should mean? Joseph worried terribly, he and Mary made a journey to an unknown destination and capped it all off by birthing a child. Somehow, it was all okay. Hmph.

Do you believe? I want to and hope you do too. Enjoy the magic and mystery of the season thru your children’s eyes and with your adult experiences. This season is the most important time to pick your behavior in spite of your feelings. You may find YOURSELF on a journey to an unknown destination and who knows what celebration may lie in store.

As Andy Rooney once said, “One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.”

Happy Holidays to you and yours,
Angela McFarland
Publisher

What has impacted me the most about these people is just how modest, humble and truly comfortable to serve behind the scenes they truly are.These are not folks who seek praise or recognition, these are not folks who look to “get” before “give” and most certainly, these are not folks with an attitude of “can’t or won’t” rather “can and will”.

So, a Happy Thanksgiving, and a cornucopia filled with gratitude is in order, to the countless individuals serving on our Fire Departments, our Emergency Corp squads, in our Community Centers,The Lions Club,The Rotary, the staff of the National Military Museum and Children’s Museum and the countless other non-profit and volunteer organizations in town.

We’d be remiss not to thank the folks serving in our local government as well as the folks who have recently run for elected positions.Thanks to each individual for making the choice to serve our communities and play an active role in improving our quality of life.

A bottomless thank you to our teachers, our special ed service providers, our church leaders who day in and day out find ways to go above and beyond what is expected for our kids, our seniors and our community as a whole.

To our veterans and current military personnel: Is there truly a Thanksgiving wish that could possibly be expressed that would run deep enough or sincerely enough?

Last but not least, a very personal and specific thank you to each and every merchant who has embraced Our Towne Saratoga as their choice for local advertising. We’re still carving our niche and it is their patronage and commitment to keep services and products local, that make each and every edition possible.

Enjoy the Thanksgiving Holiday!
Angela McFarland, Owner and Publisher

Are you known for anything special?  When it comes to wine, our specialty is our Melomels.  The definition of a Melomel wine is “wine made from fruit and honey.”  We use grapes as our fruit and keep the entire fermentation process as natural as possible. We go straight to the farmers in the Finger Lakes to hand select our grapes and use honey from an apiary in Round Lake. The honey and pressed grape juice is married together in natural oak bourbon barrels that we have shipped straight from distilleries in Kentucky such as Jim Beam and Four Roses. Our Melomels ferment and age in these barrels for 18 months to 3 years depending on the wine that we are making. The only filtration that we use is a process called racking, were the wine is transferred from barrel to barrel, leaving the mash in the bottom. Not to be wasted; we make a wine out of the mash called Hillbilly Mountain Mash. We never add any sulfites or preservatives to our Melomels. Honey preserves the wine while adding health benefits and a nice touch of sweetness. Our Melomels are one of a kind and absolutely delicious.  

 What do you like most about your business?   I like the fact that I can work with my husband in a low stress environment. Everyone comes to see us because they want to. They walk in happy, enjoy their experience and leave happy. In turn this makes us very happy. We are both passionate about the business, we love to make people smile, and we know that this is what we want to do for life.  We laugh a lot, meet new people every day, and share our product that we have put so much time into with people who truly enjoy it.

What do you feel is your biggest challenge with your business?  The most challenging task so far is that in the wine business the paper work, laws and deadlines are multiplied. We are not only manufacturing our own product for consumption but we are serving and selling alcohol. Reports need to be submitted with payment every two weeks, also quarterly and annual reports are due for state and federal, on top of the “standard” tax obligations. We decided to delegate the responsibility to one person who is educated in the area to ensure consistency.  I guess that I am the lucky one who drew the shortest straw. However if this is the most challenging aspect to my business, I think I will survive.

What do you want the community to know about you? We are huge supporters of small local farms and businesses. We have a growing selection of local products that we get straight from area farms, bake shops, and home businesses. We want people to walk in our doors and find non commercialized specialty products, made from scratch, by hand and by real people in our community.  Some of these products include Whalen’s horseradish products and cheese spreads, Willow Marsh flavored cheddars, Saratoga salsa, Saratoga Peanut butter, Saratoga Sweets, home roasted coffee and fresh baked pies from The Little Bakery in the Grove, Maple Syrup from my families farm, maple cream and candy, and Honey from Double A’s Bees.

Anything else: To sum up our business I would say that we are driven by passion that is easy to recognize when you walk in the door. We stand behind quality products made the old fashion way, and the hard working people in our community who supply these products. We plan to be here for a long time raising a family in a family run business, and setting a good example for our community and neighbors.  And by the way, Rich is still cancer free and we are expecting our first child in February.  Cheers!

Owner Name   Rich and Tara Nimmo

Business Name:  The Saratoga Winery

Address:              462 Route 29 West

                                 Saratoga Springs, New York 12866

Phone:                 518-584-WINE (9463)

Website:             www.thesaratogawinery.com

After losing 95lbs in only 18 weeks on the Ideal Protein program, I established LiveWell ADK in order to offer this amazing lifestyle program to everyone.  I changed my life in such a positive way that I needed to share my experience with my patients and the public at large.  I am a doctor who talks the talk and walks the walk.  I find the cause of the patients negative issues and repair them instead of just treating the symptoms.

Are you known for anything special?

Making positive changes in peoples’ lives and helping my patient’s to succeed with their weight loss goals.  Listening to my patients fully and understanding exactly what is ailing them before we begin care.  Treating each and every individual the way I would treat my own parents – professionalism, respect and honesty.

What do you like most about your business?

Helping my patients and clients make positive, healthy changes in their lives.  Enjoying my patients’ success and appreciating the part that I played in it. When I arrive at the office it is always a new journey for me, between having new patients, seeing the positive results with existing patients and learning from my patients.  I go home at night and rest knowing that my patients are well taken care of and getting the positive results they are looking for.

What do you feel is your biggest challenge with your business?

I feel that the biggest challenge in my business is squashing the diet myths that have hurt people in the past.  Diets are made to fail.  Just look at the first three letters, quite negative.  If you think about it, a “diet” is with you for your whole life.  Whatever you put into your mouth, whether it’s tofu or twinkies, water or soda, that’s your diet.  My program is looked at as a life changing experience which people have not achieved in the past.  Changing society’s outlook on this can be challenging with some but even more, doubters become believers.

What do you want the community to know about you?

I want the community to know that I truly care about my patients both personally and professionally, and want them to attain the goals they set for themselves.  I give my patients the tools to succeed.  My staff coaches them on their journey to success and well being.  I personally just don’t know the program; I live it day in and day out.  This is very special to the community, for them to see me before and now … what a statement.

Owner Name:   Dr. Jonathan C. Gerber

Business Name:  LiveWell Saratoga

Address:              78B Church Street

                                 Saratoga Springs, New York 12866

Phone:                 518-306-5322

Website:             www.LiveWellADK.com

Facebook:           Gerber LiveWell

Its truly fascinating to me to watch the neighborhood energizes and transform, to prepare and service, the pending onslaught of tourism while maintaining the neighborhood culture that unites residents all year round.  Its “hope” mixed with adrenaline that I am most drawn to:  the small business owners that get on the roller-coaster of Saratoga economics, hoping for a great tourist season, fearing what will happen without it, and still want to go on the ride anyway.   Love those folks!

Now looking at Saratoga thru the eyes of a business owner, versus a neighboring resident, I’ve spent time really discovering more and more about assumed tourist-y things that are actually pretty terrific year round venues.  We hear so much about the racing and summer entertainment season that its been a delightful journey to really LOOK at all of the venues, the museums, the walking tours, the green spaces that we, as residents, can take advantage of all year long.  Makes me wonder why we ship our kids to the outside for field trips…

And can I say:  the Saratoga Springs Public Library has the most incredible selection of activities, events and education that I’ve yet to see rivaled in other community libraries.  Who’d have thought the public library could be such a “hub” of personal enrichment and family entertainment beyond borrowing a book to read?  To top it off, almost every single solitary activity and event is free, free, free…in today’s troubled times, you just can’t beat that!

I know of  local families that like to avoid the Saratoga season for whatever reason and I say embrace it….be your own tourist and really take the time to get out and explore the town with a visitor point-of-view.  Its fun, its refreshing and a fabulous way to teach your children about where they live and the heritage that surrounds them all year long.  You’ll be glad you did.

See you in September!