Millerton businesses come and go

On Sept. 22, Millerton’s Salsa Fresca will be closing shop and heading south to Westchester County. After five years in town, the three co-owners have decided not to renew for another five-year lease. “[We want] to move to an area that’s busier, with more foot traffic and population,” explained co-owner Marc Miles. Miles, along with his business partners Seth Hirschel and John Tucker, already has two locations in the greater Westchester region, in Yorktown Heights and in Bedford Hills. The Millerton operation will reopen in Mamaroneck. The owners launched Salsa Fresca as Dutchess County residents with close ties to the region. Miles’ father, Marshall Miles, runs Robin Hood Radio (WHDD) in Sharon, Conn.; his wife Lindsey’s father, Thomas Coons, owns Coons Trucking and State Line Car Wash in Millerton. Miles, an Amenia resident, described the departure as bittersweet.“It’s a combination of [slower] business in Millerton and [better] business in Westchester. We love the area, however there have been some economic challenges due to it being a seasonal area. It makes it difficult in winter months,” Miles said.The Salsa Fresca owners tried combatting this seasonal impediment with Soup N Scoop, an entrepreneurial restaurant brand that adapts to the weather — soup in the winter, ice cream in the summer. Maintaining the enterprise proved challenging, however, alongside the ambition to grow Salsa Fresca. Miles explained that though Soup N Scoop is closing, the owners will preserve the brand name for future opportunities.Oblong Books & Music owner Dick Hermans contended that the winter actually brings success to his business. “I’ve gotten past the worrying point. Christmas will come and that usually makes the whole year work,” Hermans said in response to the town’s recently quiet business, though he admitted the weather does play its part.“Several shops are closing right now which is bizarre,” he added. “[But] it’s always happened, we’ve seen a lot come and go. Millerton has a lot of business, so for someone interested in starting, there will be space. And people move around a lot — I am sure there will be somebody to fill in the empty spaces.”In addition to Salsa Fresca and Soup N Scoop, high-end clothing store, Kate Carty, which was just around the corner, also closed at the end of August. Hermans, whose store has been open for 23 years, encouraged townspeople to buy locally in order to secure healthy business in the future. “Even if you see something online, think of what it means to your community,” he said.State Senator Terry Gipson (D-41) also offered a solution, in rallying public support.“When I see the public interested in doing something, I say ‘I better get on board with this.’ Me beating my drum is not enough, I need the public to get behind me,” he said. Gipson — once a business owner himself (Gipson Design Group Inc.) — attributed the economic struggles of smaller villages like Millerton to the state’s high tax rates for businesses and property owners. According to the senator, the cost of running a New York business is linked directly to school taxes, which all property owners are required to pay whether they lease or rent. “We have to find a way to lower the high cost of owning a home, which prohibits people from moving to or staying in an area,” he explained.Gipson said he is comparing other states’ systems in research for a permanent solution. As Salsa Fresca moves out, business owners like Hermans remain optimistic for what will move in. “[It is a] pretty high profile location,” he affirmed, “and adds to what is interesting in Millerton.”