New owners at former Terni’s hope to become Main St. staple

Terni’s General Store, located at 42 Main St., was founded in 1919 by Leopoldo “Paul” Terni. The location now is the site of the Dutchess Trading Co.
File photo

Terni’s General Store, located at 42 Main St., was founded in 1919 by Leopoldo “Paul” Terni. The location now is the site of the Dutchess Trading Co.
MILLERTON — On Thursday, July 4, The Dutchess Trading Co. hosted a soft opening in the former Terni’s General Store.
“We had the full range of reactions, people saying ‘Oh, I love the store,’ not knowing the story, and people who were almost emotional and crying,” said Jason Jobson, one of The Dutchess Trading Co. partners.
The new business has three partners: Jason Jobson, Christophe Pourny, and Richard Lambertson, all residents of Sharon. They have been working together for two years to prepare the building for the community.
“There was a lot to do,” Jobson said. “We had to rebuild the foundation and do a lot of structural stuff. We bought the building two years ago and it’s been a labor of love.”
Terni’s General Store was founded in 1919 by Leopoldo “Paul” Terni. Paul suddenly passed away in 1927, and his wife, Assunta, took over the store with their two sons, Arthur and Stephen. The business remained in the family with Arthur’s son, Phil, taking over in 1971 and worked until he retired in 2020, later passing away in March.
“We love the building,” Jobson said. “Christophe and I are antique restorers in New York City. That is really why we fell in love with the building.”
The three partners have been considering the building’s history when renovating and restoring what was found inside. Jobson said that some people were worried that they may “gut the place” and modernize it.
“We tried to keep as much as we could,” Jobson said. “We took many layers of paint off one of the rooms but kept the floorboards and really tried to keep the spirit of what it felt like in there and honor the legacy of what it was.”
Above the store is a seven-bedroom home that has not been renovated yet, where the Terni family lived. Jobson said that the space has a lot of potential and is looking into options to support the community.
“We’d love to eventually see it as a part of the community, maybe like a doctor’s office or something that the town would need, and we could provide that for them,” Jobson said.
The Dutchess Trading Co. sells homemade tonics and waxes alongside a selection of household goods. The store is open Friday through Monday, but the partners hope to expand its hours to be involved with the community every day of the week.
“Hopefully we will become a staple here,” Jobson said. “Hopefully people will talk about us like they did for Terni’s.”
MILLERTON — James (Jimmy) Cookingham, 51, a lifelong local resident, passed away on Jan. 19, 2026.
James was born on April 17, 1972 in Sharon, the son of Robert Cookingham and the late Joanne Cookingham.
He attended Webutuck Central School.
Jimmy was an avid farmer since a very young age at Daisey Hill and eventually had joint ownership of Daisey Hill Farm in Millerton with his wife Jessica.
He took great pride in growing pumpkins and sweet corn.
He was very outdoorsy and besides farming, loved to ride four wheelers, fish, and deer hunt. He also loved to make a roaring bonfire.
He was a farmer, friend, husband, father, son and brother. He will be missed by many.
He is survived by his father, Robert Cookingham, wife Jessica (Ball) Cookingham, daughters, Hailey Cookingham-Loiodice (Matt), Taylor Ellis-Tanner (Jimmy) and sister Brenda Valyou, as well as many cousins, nieces and nephews.
He is predeceased by his mother, Joanne (Palmer) Cookingham.
His daughter, Hailey, will always keep his legacy alive by their father-daughter antics, such as their handshake, nicknames and making “quacking noises” at each other.
Services/Memorials will be held at a later date.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
SALISBURY — Herbert Raymond Franson, 94, passed away on Jan. 18, 2026. He was the loving husband of Evelyn Hansen Franson. Better known as Ray, within his family, and Herb elsewhere.
He was born on Feb. 11, 1931 in Brooklyn, New York.
When he was three years old, he emigrated to Sweden with his mother, Amy (Larson), father Carl Herbert and sister, Ruth. He was nurtured by members of his extended family. Being owners and managers of manufacturing plants in rural Sweden, they gave this curious “nuts and bolts kind of guy” access to machinery where he could satisfy his needs to repair and build parts for his kid-style projects. At 18 he returned to relatives in Marlborough, Connecticut who encouraged him to continue high school. He met classmate Evelyn, his English tutor and future wife, at East Hampton High School and they graduated in the class of 1949.
He joined the US Navy and served in the Mediterranean aboard the USS Midway and, during the Korean conflict, aboard the USS Pine Island. Upon discharge he attended Porter School of Machine and Tool Design under the GI Bill. He then apprenticed as a tool and die maker for Pratt Whitney Aircraft, then worked for Stirling Engineering, culminating as a mold engineer with Becton Dickinson, Canaan, Connecticut; much closer to his home on Twin Lakes. At B-D he was involved in molding technology and traveled to plants worldwide overseeing production of syringes used to deliver vaccines.
Along the way, he renovated and constructed three homes in Marlborough and Salisbury and in Rangeley, Maine.
Ray and Evelyn retired to Rangeley in 1992 after living at Twin Lakes for 25 years. He joined the Rangeley Congregational Church just in time to coordinate renovation of the church’s old barn into a community center. This led to the position of “clerk of the works” when the Rangeley Region Guides and Sportsmen’s Association renovated and enlarged their clubhouse in Oquossoc. RRG&SA honored his dedication with a Lifetime Membership. He also volunteered driving the RRHAT van and coordinated meal deliveries for the Housing Development. He served on various boards of the church chairing buildings and grounds for many years. In his eighties, Ray turned to designing and building scratch built wood models including the Drottningholm (on which he had emigrated), the USS Midway and the steamship Rangeley to mention a few.
Ray leaves his wife of 72 years, Evelyn (Hansen), his sister, Astrid F. Harrison of Cromwell, Connecticut, brother, Carl B. Franson of Lime Rock, son Kenneth and wife Christine of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire and Rangeley, Maine, daughter, Jean F. Bell and husband Rick of Salisbury. Grandchildren Kayla J. (Bell) Johnson and husband Brett of Salisbury, and Cody J. Franson, wife Maria and great granddaughter Francesca Evelyn Franson of Rangeley, Maine.
In lieu of flowers, monetary remembrances may be made to the Rangeley Congregational Church, PO Box 218, Rangeley, ME, 04970.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
AMENIA — Moses A. “Tony” Maillet, Sr., 78, a longtime resident of Amenia, New York, passed away on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026, at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, New York. Tony owned and operated T & M Lawn and Landscaping in Amenia.
Born on March 9, 1947, in St. Alphonse de Clare, Nova Scotia, he was the son of the late Leonard and Cora (Poirier) Maillet. Tony proudly served in the US Army during Vietnam as a heavy equipment operator. On May 12, 1996, in Amenia, he married Mary C. Carberry who survives at home.
Tony was a life member of the Amenia Fire Company with 51 years of dedicated service, actively driving fire trucks until his illness in Nov. of 2025. He was charter member of the Red Knights Motorcycle Club NY Chapter 33 in Pleasant Valley, New York and a member of the American Legion Post # 178 in Millerton, New York.
In addition to his loving wife, Tony is survived by a son, Moses A. Maillet, Jr. of Waterbury, Connecticut, and two brothers, Mark Maillet of New Port Richie, Florida and Bernard Ross of Cambridge, Ontario. He is also survived by two grandchildren, Moses A. Maillet, III and Jacob Maillet; a great-granddaughter, Mary Lillian Maillet and several nieces and nephews. Besides his parents, Tony was predeceased by three brothers, Theodore Poirier, Donald Maillet and Edward Maillet.
A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at Immaculate Conception Church, 4 Lavelle Rd., Amenia, New York with Rev. Andrew O’Connor officiating. Military honors and firematic services will follow the memorial mass at the church. Memorial contributions may be made to the Amenia Fire Company, 36 Mechanic Street, Amenia, NY 12501. For directions or to send the family a condolence, please visit www.hufcutfuneralhome.com
WINDHAM — George Martin Fischer, 70, of Windham, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on Jan. 15, 2026.
George was born in Velbert, Germany, to Elisabeth and Franz Fischer, and later grew up in New Jersey, the eldest of three brothers. He attended college in New York City before returning home to learn the mason’s craft under his father’s guidance. That early training became the foundation of a life defined by skill, integrity, and pride in building things that last. George went on to own his own masonry company before transitioning into corporate sales in the commercial brick industry. In that role, he worked closely with architects and builders, helping construct iconic buildings across cities throughout the Northeast—landmarks he would often point out during family travels.
On Aug. 23, 1980, George married the love of his life, Gail Susanne Miner. Married for 45 years, they built a life rooted in devotion, hard work, and shared purpose. Together, they built their first home in Lakeville, and later lovingly restored and fully remodeled two historic homes, one in Newport, New York—where they raised their daughters—and one in Windham, Connecticut. Together, they brought new life to old spaces with the same care George brought to everything he touched.
Above all else, George was—by every meaning of the word—an extraordinary father. He was the proud and joyful father of his two daughters, and those who knew him best often said they had never seen a man express such pure, unwavering delight in his children. His pride was constant, his love unmistakable, and his devotion absolute. Over the years, George also became a second father to many, offering wisdom and steady guidance through stories, humor, and an ever-watchful presence that was calm and steady, but never judgmental.
George is survived by his beloved wife, Gail; his daughters, Stefanie (and her fiancé, Thomas Moulton) and Victoria; his brother, Robert; and his nephew, Nicholas. He was predeceased by his brother, William.
A memorial service will be held at Salisbury Congregational Church on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at 12:30 p.m. Family and friends are invited afterward to a reception at The Interlaken from 2 to 5 p.m. to celebrate George’s life. If you are able to attend the reception, please R.S.V.P. to his daughter, Stefanie, at Stefanie.Dianna.Fischer@gmail.com by Feb. 20. If you have stories you would like shared during the service (which his family warmly invites), or photos you would like included at the reception, please email Stefanie at the address above.
Although flowers are appreciated, donations in George’s memory may be made to the American Cancer Society at donate.cancer.org.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.