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Photo by Ryan Keegan<\/p><\/div>\n
But Ellenville found its economic salvation elsewhere and, a decade later, is once again on the upswing. Since the pandemic, the village has received a steady influx of newcomers who have helped breathe new life into the community. A wave of fresh businesses, along with the revitalization of existing ones, has kindled a palpable sense of hope, and you can feel the buzz of excitement in the air.<\/p>\n
What sets Ellenville’s revival apart is the harmonious collaboration between long-time residents and the new faces on the scene. \u201cWe have a mentality of being very welcoming when someone comes in and wants to open a business,\u201d says Mayor Jeff Kaplan. \u201cWe’ve tried to limit the bureaucracy that you have to go through to get approval, and we\u2019ll work with any business that wants to open up within the village. We\u2019ve found it to be very beneficial.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Four-foot, bronze \u201cBoy with the Boot\u201d statue in Liberty Square at the center of Ellenville. Photo by Ryan Keegan<\/p><\/div>\n
Helping to unify the new and old voices is the Coalition for Forward Facing Ellenville<\/a>. The Coalition, also known as COFFE, is working to uplift and refresh Ellenville’s image while including existing residents and business owners in the vision. Some of COFFE\u2019s accomplishments include installing street lights in dark areas, distributing the Destination Ellenville Tourism Guide and managing a tourism-focused social media account, and organizing community cleanups, including an Earth Day Community Clean Up with over 100 volunteers.<\/p>\n COFFE president Victoria Messner admits that the coalition was met with trepidation at first. \u201cFor the first year that COFFE was around, there was some hesitation from long-timers who weren’t directly involved or didn’t know the Board of Directors personally,\u201d says Messner. However, skepticism diminished as the group put their plans into action. \u201cThe only way to change the perception was to get as many people involved as possible and to just keep working, knowing that over time, people would see that we\u2019re trying to do good,\u201d says Messner.<\/p>\n Artist Adi Oren, an Ellenville resident, painted this mural on the Sook House. Photo by Ryan Keegan<\/p><\/div>\n Messner is not only the force behind COFFE but also the co-founder of Reservoir Studio<\/a>, a full-service photography, branding, and marketing firm she founded with her wife Natalia Moena. Reservoir Studio has served as a creative powerhouse that’s been instrumental in branding new businesses, including home goods store Inland Objects<\/a> and the Sideways<\/a> wine bar. The studio has also done rebranding for existing businesses, such as tapas and wine bar Marbella<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ellenville has seen a flurry of small businesses popping up over the last few years. Besides Inland <\/a>and Sideways<\/a>, other newcomers to the walkable downtown include M & C Jamaican Cuisine, Everything Nice<\/a> record and book shop, clothing designer Alpana Bawa<\/a>, the 81 North<\/a> boutique inn, and the Morning Sunshine<\/a> cafe and market.<\/p>\n Courtesy of Morning Sunshine<\/p><\/div>\n Many of the new businesses also owe part of their success to Slutsky Lumber<\/a>, which has provided the building materials for much of Ellenville\u2019s recent renovations. Jonathan and Rebecca Falcon purchased the lumberyard and building supply store from World War II veteran George Slutsky in June 2021 (and also rebranded with Reservoir Studio).<\/p>\n Since taking over Slutsky Lumber, the Falcons\u2014like most newcomers\u2014are grateful to have been showered with support from the community. \u201cWe have the best group of friends we\u2019ve ever had,\u201d says Jonathan Falcon. \u201cAfter a week of being here, we met so many interesting people who have become a part of our lives. Everyone in the community really supports each other and wants other businesses to succeed. Other places aren’t as accepting to outsiders coming in.\u201d<\/p>\n Scarecrows set up around Ellenville by COFFE in preparation for the Harvest Festival. Photo by Ryan Keegan<\/p><\/div>\n Supporting their sense of the community is Kelly Collins. Collins, who has managed Slutsky Lumber for 40 years, agreed to stick around for another three to help with the ownership transition. As they anticipate further growth, the Falcons\u2019 aim is to update the business while preserving its tradition of high-quality lumber and personalized service. \u201cWe\u2019ve slowly been modernizing the business,\u201d says Falcon. \u201cWhen we got here, there was no website or computer to ring up customers. But we\u2019re staying true to keeping the high-quality lumber, and we also offer someone to actually talk to, who can answer questions and help you design.\u201d<\/p>\n Inland Objects<\/a>, which recruited the services of both Slutsky Lumber and Reservoir Studio, is a prime example of an exciting new business. Co-owner Eric Springer owns several properties in Ellenville, both solo and with some silent business partners. Besides Inland, Springer is also the landlord for Sideways<\/a>, clothing designer Alpana Bawa<\/a>, and the long-established Publik House<\/a> pub.<\/p>\n Moo Duk Kwan Academy Showcases Blue Devil pride. Photo by Ryan Keegan<\/p><\/div>\n Springer hopes that housing a diverse spread of new and old businesses can enrich the village. \u201cOne of the things that we’re really big on is harkening back to 1960s counterculture,\u201d says Springer. \u201cLike West Village or Greenwich Village having all these different artists from different mediums gathering in the same space sharing ideas. We’re contemplating a modern version of that. We want people saying that Ellenville is a place that is always surprising, or always new, or always fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n Another key player in the village\u2019s resurgence is Barbara Hoff, affectionately nicknamed the \u201cfairy godmother of Ellenville.\u201d Born and raised in Ellenville, Hoff has run Top Shelf Jewelry<\/a>, which manufactures custom jewelry on a wholesale level, for 42 years. Hoff was recently named Citizen of the Year by Ellenville\u2019s Noonday Club<\/a> for her advocacy for the village. She\u2019s been praised for facilitating local relationships and projects such as Ellenville StrEATs, which allows the restaurants on Ellenville’s Canal Street to set up tables out on the street to serve food accompanied by live music. “She is such a champion for connecting people,\u201d says Springer. Her involvement makes everything that much more exciting.”<\/p>\n Part of the Borscht Belt Museum\u2019s “Vacationland!” pop-up exhibition. Photo by Ryan Keegan<\/p><\/div>\n Hoff\u2019s dedication to Ellenville also involves preserving the town’s history. Top Shelf is located within the former site of an 1892 train station. Hoff restored the station, including replacing a huge slate roof with an entirely new one. While she retrofitted the space to fit the needs of her business, she\u2019s proud to have kept its identity intact. \u201cIf you look at an old postcard of the station, and you look at my building, they look just the same,\u201d says Hoff.<\/p>\n She\u2019s also pleased that Ellenville’s other historic buildings continue to stand as new businesses take root in the area. \u201cI\u2019m passionate about keeping all the old buildings we have here,\u201d says Hoff. \u201cDuring urban renewal, we lost a lot of them. But now, people are coming in and rescuing them, and that’s not the easier route. It\u2019s heartwarming to see that people are not degrading the town.\u201d<\/p>\n Letters from Museum attendees about their experiences with the Borscht Belt. Photo by Ryan Keegan.<\/p><\/div>\n Historic preservation is a shared sentiment among Ellenville’s residents. The village\u2019s public library<\/a> contains a museum showcasing local history from as far back as the pre-colonial era. There\u2019s also the recently opened Borscht Belt Museum<\/a>. Housed in the village\u2019s c.1928 Home National Bank, the museum celebrates the golden age of the Catskills resort era. While the permanent museum is projected to open in 2025, the space debuted with a pop-up show in July to preview what the full museum will offer. The pop-up showcases artifacts from the Borscht Belt era and includes a recording booth as part of its oral history project, where participants can share their personal stories of the Borscht Belt.<\/p>\n Beyond the well-known Jewish resort history, the museum sheds light on the diverse backgrounds that have contributed to the region’s colorful past. \u201cPeople think of the Borscht Belt as just a Jewish resort area,\u201d says museum board member Elliott Auerbach. \u201cBut when you come into the museum, you’ll recognize that there were a number of African American, Polish, Ukrainian, and Italian resorts.\u201d<\/p>\n One Finished Facade of the Shadowland mural by Amy Park. Photo by Amy Park.<\/p><\/div>\n Born and raised in Ellenville, Auerbach asserts that the village\u2019s multicultural history is one of its defining features, rather than just a buzzword. \u201cThe one thing I\u2019ve always embraced is the diversity in the community,\u201d says Auerbach. \u201cI know that’s a word that we’re probably overusing a lot of times, but this truly was, and is, the center of a diverse community.\u201d He also understands firsthand the role of the immigrant experience in the village\u2019s identity. \u201cMy mother is an immigrant,\u201d says Auerbach. \u201cFirst generation on her side, she came to this country, worked really hard, and taught herself English. She used to borrow my spelling book when I was a kid to learn how to spell.\u201d<\/p>\n Auerbach, along with several others in the village, highlights Ganero Garcia as an embodiment of successful immigration. Born in Mexico City, Garcia has been the proprietor of Gaby\u2019s Cafe<\/a> in Ellenville since 2008. When the historic Cohen’s Bakery, a local staple since the early 1920s, faced difficulties after changing ownership multiple times, Garcia swept in to purchase and revive the beloved bakery. \u201cFrom immigrant to immigrant,\u201d says Auerbach. \u201cThat\u2019s truly an Ellenville story.\u201d<\/p>\n Space connecting Ellenville\u2019s Library and Museum. Photo by Ryan Keegan.<\/p><\/div>\n Ellenville will also be modernizing several key institutions that have contributed to the village\u2019s vitality. One such cornerstone is the historic theater Shadowland Stages<\/a>, which has been instrumental in sustaining Ellenville by attracting thousands of visitors each year. The theater not only offers regular performances, but also hosts an academy providing a diverse array of classes in acting, dance, and music for individuals of all ages.<\/p>\n Presently, Shadowland’s three-building campus is undergoing a transformation with the addition of an expansive mural. The mural, designed by artist Amy Park<\/a>, serves to harmonize the facades of the campus\u2019s buildings, which have vastly different architectural styles. Park and her partner, sculptor Paul Villinski<\/a>, transformed a 1970s department store downtown into Market Street Studio<\/a>, a studio\/exhibition space. Park has recently used the studio to plan and showcase the design of the mural. \u201cI’m thrilled to help create an exciting and memorable identity for the Shadowland campus and, by extension, signify that the Village of Ellenville is home to a vibrant and growing community with the theater at its core,\u201d says Park.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upstater.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ellenville-ny-ryan-keegan3.jpg\")
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