Millerton Business Association re-energizes

MILLERTON — Business leaders from around the village joined together on Wednesday, May 6, for the inaugural meeting of what promises to be a fresh take on the Millerton Business Association. Though the association is not new it’s new to many, and facilitator Dick Hermans is hoping to drum up as much interest in the group as possible.

“I’m really optimistic that we can, as a little small business community, create, dare I say the word — synergy — to get us a multiplying effect of everybody’s energy,” he said a couple of days after the meeting. “It was a really good meeting. We had about 50 people there from at least 30 businesses and quite a number of people have contacted me since to say they couldn’t make it. A lot of people were interested in getting the business group revitalized.”

The meeting was held at the old Irondale Schoolhouse at the head entrance to the Rail Trail. It was the first public meeting held there since the 1930s, though the schoolhouse association meets there regularly. Hermans said the setting was ideal for stimulating, good conversation, though not all at once.

“It’s a live room and really encourages people to speak one at a time,” he said. “It was a nice, focused meeting.”

Those who attended said it was encouraging to see so many there, and good to talk about future opportunities.

“I think there’s just a general optimistic feeling in the community,” said Moviehouse owner Carol Sadlon. “A lot of positive things are going on, and we want to keep that going.”

Sadlon’s husband, Robert, said getting the business association going after this year’s rough winter was especially important.

“We finally realized we can do more linked together than as individual businesses,” he said. “Linking together increases our customer base. We’re not little islands in a big ocean if we join together. And after the long, horrible winter we had, everyone is revitalized.

“It was a tough winter for businesses,” he added. “Everyone finally realized when business is bad we’ve got to do something. If we can unite we can all work together.”

“We all need each other,” added Lewis Saperstein, owner of the eponymous store, adding that the business association is just getting organized.

And it is. According to Hermans there is a group focused on marketing within the association. That group will work on updating the website and possibly even creating a brochure, though that has not been decided yet.

There’s another group working on membership and administrative issues.

“I think it’s all really positive,” said Hermans. “Everybody is happy … We have a good group, with 25 maybe 30 members. We have to double that, triple that for sure.”

There are already plans in the work for a second meeting on Thursday, June 4, though time and location have not been determined as of yet.

“I think there’s enough energy that there’s going to be momentum,” said Hermans. “The question is two years down the road we have to be way ahead of where we are now, and if not we’ll have to reassemble.

“The bottom line is we have to see if people’s businesses grow,” he added. “I’ll be looking at mine to see where the numbers are. We’re trending up at the moment, though it’s been a while.”

Hermans said the goal is to get more people to visit Millerton more often.

“We want to reach out to that massive population to the south, and really in any direction,” he said. “The level of awareness of Millerton is so much higher now than 15 years ago, so we can build on that.”

What helps are amenities like the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, the Irondale Schoolhouse, local restaurants and other businesses. And there’s been consistency, for the most part. Just in the past few months, Hermans said, three new businesses have moved into what were empty spaces within 50 feet of his store, Oblong Books and Music.

“That’s really good for us,” he said. “It might be competitive, but people totally welcome that because it means more of a customer base. Any new business that comes to town [brings customers] and that’s what keeps things growing.”

In the final analysis, Hermans said he’s encouraged as a business owner in Millerton.

“It’s fun to be in business in Millerton, and after doing it for almost 40 years I’m excited,” he said.

For more information on the Millerton Business Association call Hermans at 518-789-3797 or email him at dick@oblongbooks.com.