
Erica Recto, owner of BES at 50 Main St. in Millerton. Photo submitted
MILLERTON — “Bes” is a word in Taglish—a mash-up of English and Tagalog, the most common languages spoken in the Phillipines—that means “best friend” or, more colloquially, “besties.”
It’s the name that artist Erica Recto chose for her store, BES at 50 Main St., a marketplace of specialty curated gift items made by local artists.
Recto started out in the fashion industry, designing clothes and accessories for various corporations—“all the shops you’d find in the mall,” she said. She said that while it was a good place to learn some structure and skills, the mass production and pace became anathema to her own creative process and vision.
“It was so far from the art that I wanted to make,” said Recto. “Everything gets watered down in [mass] production.”
Noticing her burnout, Recto’s husband, product and toy designer Greg Morris, bought her a gift card for an eight-week ceramic workshop to get her back to something tactile. Enchanted with ceramics, Recto quit her job a few months later and began her own business, “for better or for worse,” she said.
Recto began selling her work at markets and working in wholesale. She even had a few international clients right out of the gate, but again found herself working constantly and struggling to keep up with the rate of production that wholesale requires.
Recto and Morris decided moved from Brooklyn in 2017, cutting costs and allowing for Recto to have a home studio. Scaling back also allowed her to “start making things just for the sake of making things.” She was able to “get back to the basics and explore all the different ways of making stuff…and just slow it down.”
In 2021, Recto opened BES in the building behind Oakhurst Diner, now the spot of the zendo. She was a new mother and between the isolation that parenting can sometimes bring and being at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was deeply craving connection and community.
She partnered with Stella Yoon, whose company, Hudson River Exchange, offers an online shop where local makers sell their wares. Recto provided the ceramics and Yoon filled in the inventory for the rest of the store.
After a year together, Yoon had other projects in the works—she is now executive director of CREATE Council on the Arts based in Catskill—allowing her to “do what she does at a larger scale with funding,” said Recto.
Recto now does the curating of the shop herself. Much of the inventory is her own ceramic and textile work “because I can’t stop making things,” she laughed. The store is about 60% her work and the rest is all work of artists she’s crossed paths with along the way.
“Everyone in there is someone I personally know and almost everyone, except for maybe two or three people, are all local.”
BES is open Thursday to Monday, and Recto offers workshops for adults and children during the week. She recently hired a few helpers to ensure she still has time for studio days. Her studio is still in her home.
There is also a workspace at the back of the shop, so some of the items for sale are made in the BES location. There is a loom in the back of the shop, about which Recto said, “I’m dying to make rugs.” She buys wool from local sheep farm Caora Farm, and is hoping to get the loom up and running so that when there’s downtime in the shop, she’ll be able to work in-store.
She also incorporates textiles from other makers in the store in her work, creating low-waste products and adding to the store’s overall collaborative nature.
Recto has also made sure to be involved with other stores on Main Street. She said all the other shopkeepers have been very inviting, even urging her to move to her new location when it became available.
As for her own practice, Recto said, “Lately, I’m really excited. I’ve seen my pieces change from really utilitarian. I’ve been making bigger and more sculptural pieces.” Recto said she’s most excited right now about a new connection with Millbrook School, where she has use of the gas kiln. The gas kiln differs in its abilities from her own electric kiln and is opening up a whole new world of surface exploration. A self-taught ceramist, Recto still delights in the trial-and-error approach.
“I make a lot of mistakes, “she said. “Sometimes it’s frustrating. Sometimes it’s hilarious. Being self-taught, you don’t have the rigid, ‘can’t do.’ I don’t produce for other people anymore. I like to meander, and I’m just having so much fun.”
Spring has officially arrived with freezing night time temperatures forecast through the first week of April.
Victoria Kelly, Cary Institute Environmental Monitoring Program Manager and Senior Ecologist, prepared this report.
MILLBROOK — Since 1988 the weather station at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in the Town of Washington has been keeping track of our local weather — precipitation, temperature, wind, air quality, etc.
The News asked Cary’s Victoria Kelly what records showed about this winter. Were these months colder and snowier than last year? How do they compare to historic winters? Is this a normal winter?
December’s average temperature was 30.3 degrees Fahreneit, 1.3 degrees below the 1991-2020 average, which is what weather people refer to as “normal.” The January average temperature was 25.2 degrees, 1.1 degrees below normal, and the February average temperature was 28.4 degrees, 0.3 degrees below normal. So, it’s not your imagination, this has been a cold winter. Note that the 30-year average used to determine “normal” changes every 10 years and doesn’t include the warm winters of the last few years in the comparison.
The record high winter temperature was a balmy 78 degrees Fahrenheit on February 21, 2018, and the record low was a very chilly minus 27 degrees Fahrenheit on January 27, 1994.
Overall, the winter of 2024-2025 has been colder with less snowfall than normal. It’s not over yet though. Remember the blizzard on March 14, 2017? Or the April Fool’s Day blizzard March 31-April 1, 1997? March has been known to go out like a lion before, it could very well do it again. Total snowfall this winter so far is 22 inches. Our last accumulating snow was February 15-16. As with many of our events this winter, it began as snow and changed to ice and then rain. We call that mixed precipitation. If we get no more accumulating snow this winter, it will be the fourth winter in a row with less than average snowfall. Our record low snowfall was 13 inches in the winter of 2015-2016. Our record high snowfall was 92 inches in the winter of 1994-1995.
Reports from the suppliers or heating oil and propane estimate that demand increased 15% to 30% so far this winter confirming the findings of the Cary Institute.
The North East Fire house on the south side of Century Boulevard.
MILLERTON — The commissioners of the North East Fire District recently held their monthly meeting at the firehouse to discuss their current needs and general business.
Discussion centered around the current work on the 2025 budget and proposed expenditures, which ranged from upgrading their heating/cooling system to the possibility of replacing car no. 3.
The possibility of obtaining a new vehicle, such as a pickup truck, was also considered. In the end, the discussion was put on hold with chair Dave McGhee saying, “We have time.”
Updates on planning and training were discussed. Fire chief Keith Roger reported that 15 calls for medical assistance came in for the previous month, two calls came in for motor vehicle accidents, one call for a fire and one call came in for a propane issue which was quickly resolved. There were 35 calls for downed wires.
Physicals were also a topic of conversation. The fire district currently has 47 members, some of whom still need physicals. The district’s plan is that all members will be caught up on physicals by autumn.
The Easter egg hunt to be held on April 19 was discussed in addition to the need to look into hay wagons for the event.
As part of the chief’s report, Roger discussed equipment. Hose-testing is scheduled to be conducted on April 9. He also stressed the need to order brush equipment and side mirrors. Roger stated he needs to figure out exactly what is needed to fill department needs, but “bib overalls, radios and wands,” are on his wish list as well as new labels for equipment.
The discussion then turned to two events. On March 27, assistant county executive Gregg Pulver will be holding a closed meeting to discuss EMS issues. On April 18, Kelly Roger will be utilizing the firehouse for an event. Building use was approved for both events.
The subject of air packs then came up as one had sustained damage. Chief Roger also reported he is looking into which responders are in need of new equipment. Additionally, he has been trying to meet with new vendors. He has also started a log book for recordkeeping purposes around equipment to enable the department to track its movement and usage throughout the department.
Responder Chris Reyes discussed his work on the annual dinner and requested that $15,000 be made available for associated expenses. A motion was made to allow, which was officially passed.
No new members have recently joined the fire department, but recruitment efforts remain ongoing with interested parties being encouraged to come to the fire district on Monday evenings at 6 p.m. to learn more.
The next meeting at the firehouse will be a workshop on April 1. A regular meeting will be held on April 15.
MILLBROOK — For the next two months beginning on April 1, the town will pick up brush placed streetside throughout the village, a free service for village residents. The service will continue until May 31. However, there are strict rules and prohibitions to follow.
Only brush is being picked up. The definition does not include leaves — leaf pickup begins on Oct. 1 — tree trunks, grass clippings or soil. Fines may be levied against property owners who attempt to discard these non-brush materials.
Definition of brush specifies that branches be less than 4 inches in diameter and shorter than 8 feet in length.
The brush pickup program is guided by additional specific instructions. For more information, go to www.villageofmillbrookny.com or phone the Public Works Department at 845-677-3022 before placing anything curbside.
MILLBROOK— Helping those in need in Dutchess County, the Village of Millbrook is teaming with the Millbrook Police Department collecting handbags and toiletries. Donated items can be dropped off at Village Hall until April 30.
The program is in collaboration with the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion, or LEAD, program and the “Taking it to the Streets” national nonprofit initiative. The latter volunteer group provides hot meals, clothing and hygiene projects locally in Dutchess County, with other chapters serving communities throughout the U.S.
Collected handbags filled with toiletries and hygiene products will be distributed during the month of May.
In addition to the call for new or slightly used handbags or purses, unused/unopened products being collected are toothpaste and toothbrushes, soap, deodorant, feminine products, make-up remover, face wash and creams, shampoo needs and lotions.