HotSeatInterviewWithMr.Fink
by Lilah Groff and Izzy DoranMF:Anythingbyfatboyslim
R:Howareyousopatientwithkids?
MF:I'mnot That'soneofmyNewYear's resolutions
R:Who’syourfavoriteDisneyprince?
MF:Kristoffbecausehe’sfunny.
R:Who’syourfavoriteDisneyprincess?
MF:Belle,becauseshe’sagreatstudent,she likestoread.
continued on page 2
Highlights
● ReadaboutMr.FinkinthelatestHotSeat Interview
● Checkoutfeaturearticles:
○ G.Wilikers,p.2
○ Bijou,p.3
Check out Lilah’s and Izzy’s Hot Seat Interview with Mr. Fink! To find out what Mr. Fink would do if he won the lottery, who his favorite soccer team is, or if pineapple belongs on pizza, keep reading!
Rambler:Whatwouldyoudoifyoufounda penguininthefreezer?
MrFink:Iwouldchecktoseeifit'sok Because youknow,penguinslikecoldweather Youcan't justassumeit'sfrozen
R:Ifyoucouldspendadayanywhereinthe world,wherewouldyougo?
MF:IwouldgobacktoSitka,Alaska
R:What’syourfavoritesong?
○ KMA, p.5
○ KatonahCrossword,p.6
○ ReadingRoom,p.7
○ Editor’sPage,p.8
PlusthefirsteverPublicationsPizzaTour!
HotSeatInterview
byLilahGroffandIzzyDorancontinued from page 1
R:Whatcamefirst,thechickenortheegg?
MF:Theeggdid.
R:Ifyoudiedandcamebackasananimal, whatanimalwoulditbe?
MF:Adog.BecauseIthinkI’mloyalanddogs areloyal.
R:Doyoupreferwarmorcold?
MF:Idon'tprefereither.Ilikeall4seasons.
R:Whatwouldyoudoifyouwonthelottery?
MF:Iwouldtrytobegenerous.Iwouldalso buytripletaxfreemunicipalbonds.
R:Whatfontsdoyouuseonyourquizzes?
MF:It’seitherCalibriorTimesNewRoman.
R:Whatotherjobshaveyoudone?
MF:Alot Ididinternetadvertising,Iwasa stockbroker,Ididavolunteerprogramfora yearinAlaska,andIworkedinadrugand alcoholtreatmentcenter
R:Howtallareyou?
MF:Iam6feettall
R:Ifyoucouldchangeyournamewhat woulditbe?
MF:Ilikemyname Idon’twanttochangeit Doespineapplebelongonpizza?
MF:No Idon’twanttooffendanyone,butI thinkit'sgross
Ifyoucouldliveinanyotherplacewhere woulditbe?
MF:IwouldliketoliveinCapeCodandfishall day”
What’syourfavoriteshoebrand?
MF:Hokaismyfavoriteshoebrand. IfyoucouldmakeaHollywoodmovie,what woulditbeabout?
MF:Iwouldmakemyselfasafailedsuperhero anditwouldbecalled Ordinary Man.Welldon't weallwanttodosomethinggreatbutintheend, wemightfindoutwe’rejustordinary?
R:What'syourfavoritesoccerteam?
MF:IliketheUSnationalteams.
The End; Thank you Mr Fink!
G.Wilikers
by Jack CampagnaYoumayhaveheardofthesayingG. Willikers,buthaveyoueverbeentothetoy store?G.WillikersislocatedinKatonahandwe hadthechancetovisitwiththeowner,Meghan McGrathBazaaronJanuary5th.G.Willikers wasonceacommonlyused phrasethatmeans astonishmentordelight,whichisexactlylikethe toystore!Sobesuretovisit,becauseyouwill notbedisappointed!
Rambler,Jack:Canyoushareabitabout whyyoudecidedtostartyourbusiness,who isinvolved,howlonghaveyoubeenin businessandwhyKatonah?
MeghanMcGrathBazaar:Okay,soin Katonahwe havebee openfor almost1 yearsbu mymom hasaG
Willikers
Saratoga Springs, NewYor She'sbee open30
years,soshehelpedmestartthisstore Jayismy managerandshehasbeenheresinceweopened andIhavefourotheremployees Whenmykids Riley,whoisincollege,andDylanarearound theywillworkaswell Myotherdaughter Claire,who'selevenyearsold,willcomeinand takevideosforinstagramandshealsodoesthe
register.MymomalsohasanotherG.Willikers storeoutsideAlbanythat'sbeenopen15years. Thestorenamewasthoughtofbymombecause thephrasewasanoldfashionedwayofsaying ‘ohwow’!Shethoughtitwascuteandwechose toopenastoreinKatonahbecausewemoved outofNewYorkcitytoraiseourfamily Wejust thoughtKatonahwasagreatlittletown!
Rambler,Jack:Whatcanyoushareaboutyour store?Whyisyourstoreunique?
MMB:Iwouldsayweareuniquebecauseofall thedifferentplaceswesourcetoysfrom;wetry tosellEuropeantoysandselltoysthatare eco-friendly Thisisimportanttome Honestly, learningfrommymomandherexperienceinthe businessisgreatbecauseshehasbeenaroundso longthatsheknowswhatworks;whatgamesare good,whichgamessell,andshehasareally goodeye Thepeoplewhoworkherearesuper knowledgeableandweareuniqueinthatwetry tohavegoodcustomerservice.Weremember people'snames,sohopefullywecreateanice feelingwhenyoucometothestore!
Rambler,Jack:Whatistheprocessyouhadto gothroughtostartyourbusiness?
MMB:Becausetherewasalreadyapre-existing business,aG.Willikerswasalreadyopen,the processwasalittlesimplerforme.Wehadto findaspacethatwouldbegood.Welookedata fewdifferentspacesuntilwefoundthislocation. Then,findinggoodpeopletohelpandwork, alongwithcreatingthespaceintowhatwe wantedwasnext.Orderingtheinventorythatwe wantedwaskey.Whenyoustartastoreyou havetohaverelationshipswithvendorsand oftentimesthereisarequiredminimumthatyou havetobuy.Saythedolls,Ican'tjustgoand purchase15dolls Ihavetoopenanaccount withthecompanyandbuy$10,000worthof dolls ThegreatthingwasthatmyMomalready hadherbusinesssoshehadarelationshipwith thevendorsanditwasveryeasyforus to piggybackoffthataccount,soitwasalittlebit easierforustogetstarted
Rambler,Jack:Whatisacustomerfavoriteand whatisyourfavoriteitem?
MMB:Sothisreallydependsonthekidandit dependsontheage,butIwouldsayBriotrains aresuperpopularandareaclassic Theyhave beenaroundforaverylongtimeandtheyarein myopinionthebesttrainswecanbuy
Rambler,Jack:Whatadvicewouldyougiveto youngentrepreneursorpeoplewhomightwant tostarttheirownbusiness?
MMB:Well,ifyouwanttodosomethingbadly enough,putyourmindtoit!Ihadlittlekids whenweopenedthisstore Idon'tthinkIhada lotofextratimeandenergytodosomethingbut Iwasdetermined Surroundyourselfwithgood peoplewhichIthinkissomethingthatcanmake anythingdoable
Ifyouwouldliketolearnmoreabout thetoystorevisit: https://wwwgwillikerstoyscom/
TheRamblerteamthanksMegan McGrathBazaarfortakingthetimetomeetwith usduringtheirbusydayandforprovidingus withinformationabouttheawesomestore
GroffYoucannotgointoKatonahwithout visitingthejewelrystoreBijou!Fromtheir14k yellowgoldearringstothedazzlingrings,this jewelrystoreisoneyouwon’twanttomiss.We interviewedtheownerofthislovelybusiness, Casey,tofindoutanswerstoallthequestions youmayhavebeenasking.
Rambler,Lilah:Whyandwhendidyoudecide tobecomeajeweler?
Casey:IbecameajewelerafterIgraduatedhigh school.Kindofalongstory,butIdidn'twantto gotoatraditionalcollege,itjustwasn’tforme. SoIwasabletogointoatradeschoolprogram, graduatedattheageof20,andthenIgotmy firstjobthefollowingyearafter.SoI’vebeen
workingwithjewelryeversince2000.Asto whythough,Idon'tknow.Ilikeshinythings, theyarekindoffascinating!
Rambler,Lilah:Whattypeofgoldismost popular?
C:RightnowIwouldsayyellowgold Within thatcategorywouldbe14kyellowgold
Rambler,Lilah:Doyouindividuallypickout whatjewelrygetsdisplayedandsold?
C:Ido Ipersonallychoosealmosteverythingin thestore Idoconsultwiththeotheremployees hereaboutcertaincollectionsandcertainlines butingeneral,it’smainlymyself
Rambler,Lilah:Whatqualitiesdoyoulookfor inapieceofjewelry?
C:Wearability,accessibility,craftsmanship,and reallystyle IlookatpiecesandItrytothinkof aclientwhowouldpurchasethemandthenbase decisionsfromthat;howmanyotherpeople couldwearthis,orhowmanywoulditlook goodon?Mybuyingisbuiltoffofthatthought process.
Rambler,Lilah:Howlonghaveyoubeenin business?
C:We’vehadthestorehereinKatonahfor10 yearsinJune,butI’vebeeninthisbusinessfor 23yearsasofFebruary1st.
Rambler,Lilah:Whydidyoudecidetostart yourbusiness?
C:IgrewupinBedford.Iworkedin Connecticutforaverylongperiodoftime.I cametoKatonahnotonlyformyownstore,I workedforsomebodyelseandthenthe opportunitycameupformetohavemyown store.Ireallywantedtosolidifymypersonal tasteandstyleforthecommunity.IfeltthatI couldbringadifferenteyeandadifferentlook tomyclientsandtothecommunityitself
Rambler,Lilah:Whatwasyourgoalwhen startingyourownbusiness?
C:Tomakebeautifulthingsandseethemon people Therewasnomotive Itwasn’tabout money,itwasmoreaboutbeauty,craftsmanship, anddoingwhatIlove Aslongasitpaidmy salaryandmybills,that'sallthatwasimportant tome
Rambler,Lilah:Howdoyouadviseacustomer whenfindingtherightpieceofjewelryfor them?
C:Itdependsonwhattheirneedsare If somebody’slookingforanengagementringit’s
allaboutgoingthroughtheimportanceofwhat makesadiamondvaluable.Whenitcomestoa pieceofjewelrythatistobejusttobewornona dailybasis,orevenforagift,it’stakinginto considerationeachperson’spersonalstyleand wearabilityfactor
Rambler,Lilah:Whodesignsthewindow displays?
C:Thatwouldbeme!
Rambler,Lilah:Isbeingapartofthejewelry marketdifficultwhencompetingagainstlarger companies?
C:Inpreviousjobs/storesyes,hereno Katonah hasthisverysupportivecommunitywhichis alsooneofthereasonswhyIwantedtobehere Peopleappreciatetheartistry,theyappreciatethe personaltouch,theyappreciatethecurative selection,andthat’swhatseparatesusfromthe bigboxstores Wehavelowermargins,wedon’t haveashighcostsforrentsormarketing,soit allowsustoreallycurateabeautifulspace.That makesusverydifferentfromotherpeopleand otherbigboxretailers.
Rambler,Lilah:Doyouofferanyotherservice besidessellingjewelry?
C:Wedojewelryrepair,wedowatchrepair,we docustomdesignedpieces,andwedostyling services.
Rambler,Lilah:Doestheartworkchange?
C:Theartworkchanges.WhenIbuiltoutthe spaceIwantedittobekindofashowcasenot onlyforjewelrybutalsobyfillingthewallswith artbylocalartistsaswell.Soalltheartislocal, donebylocalartists.Thebigpieceupfrontisa littletricky,it’sonlyswitchedtwiceinthe10 yearperiodbecauseit’salargescalework.The painteddeerheadisnewforholiday,he’smy favorite!Heneedsaname,hekindofwatches overus It’sjustlikeourlittlegoodluckcharm, ourlittle spirit animal, ourlittle! Andthen every onceina whileI doa showcase oflocal artistsinourwindowaswell,becausethe
productthatwesellissosmallit'salittletricky tocurateagiantwindowsoyouneedabig dramaticpiecetodrawyoureyetowardit It’s notliketraditionaljewelrystores,wherethey havetheselittlewindows,foryoutoaccess,but it’salsothereasonwhyIwantedthisspace The naturallightissowonderfulduringtheday
Thankyou Caseyfor answeringour questions!
celebratedits50thanniversaryanditisaspecial placeforthetownofKatonah.
AccordingtoMargaretAdasko,the museum’sCuratorofEducation,themuseumis a“non-collectingartmuseum,meaningthatwe don'towntheartwork,wedon'thavea collection Mostbigmuseumsthatyoumight thinkofhavetheirowncollectionsandtheyare alwaysexhibitingtheworkthattheyown But becausewedon'townourowncollectionswe havechangingexhibitions”Ms Adaskogoeson toexplainthat“usuallywehaveaboutthree mainexhibitionseveryyearandthenthefourth oneistheYoungArtistexhibition,featuring highschoolstudents Theartworkrangesintime periods,differenttechniquesandstyles,and differentculturesaroundtheworld”Ofthe exhibitions,Adaskostatesthat“someare curatedbyourstaff,somebyanoutsidecurator andsomearetravelingexhibitions.
OnJanuary19ththeRamblerteam decidedtointerviewtheKatonahMuseumof Art.Youmayhaveheardofit,itisrightdown thestreetfromHarvey.Continuereadingto learnallaboutthehistoryofthemuseum,the exhibits,andevenaboutwhathappenedtothe museumduringtheCovidpandemic
TheKatonahGallerywasfoundedin 1954anditsfirstpresidentwasIngeBrouard Brown In1969theKatonahGallerybecamethe KatonahMuseumofArt Themuseumalso providedmorespace,morearteducation activities,andagreatervarietyofpublic programs Schoolsvisitthemuseum'slearning center,aswellasthepublic TheMuseum
MA:Itisstilltraumatictothinkofthatmoment becauseinMarchof2020wewerepreparingfor thisamazingexhibition.TheartistwasBisa Butler.Shedidtheselife-sizequiltportraitsand inthelearningcenter,wewerepreparingtohave thisartistTijayMohammeddoaninstallation WewereduetoopentheseexhibitsonMarch 18thandweshutdownonFriday,March13thso thatwholeweekpriorwewerepreparingforthe opening Itwasreallyreallyshockingtous As soonastheshutdownhappenedwequickly transferredtodoingonlinethings;theeducation andworkshopsweremovedtovideoandvirtual talksweregiven Weendedupre-openingthe weekof July20th-26th Luckilytheshowthat wehadpreparedtoopeninmarchthe(Bisa Butlershow)wasabletohappenandwewere abletokeepitthroughoutthesummer,sopeople cametothemuseuminpersonanditwasoneof
ourmostwellseenshows.
Rambler,Izzy:Canyoutellmealittlebitabout thelearningexperienceatthemuseum?
MA:Thelearningcenterisadropinsortof galleryandartmakingspace It'susedforschool groups,soifyouweretocomeasaclassyou wouldhaveasortofhands-onactivityaspartof yourtour Whenit'snotbeingusedbyschools it'sopentothepublic,againitisadropin,sowe alwayshaveanactivityorafewactivitiesthat youcandoonyourown Wealsotrytohavea varietyofexhibitionsinthelearningcenter So inanyyearwecouldhaveawholedifferent bunchofthingsavailable WhatNaomi LeiseroffandIdoishelpmakeallofthat
accessibletothepublicthroughthelearning center.
Ifyouwouldliketolearnmoreabout themuseumvisit https://wwwkatonahmuseumorg/ Themuseum isrightdownthestreetand thelearningcenter providesagreatexperienceforkidsand families
TheRamblerteamthanksMargaret AdaskoandNaomiLeiserofffortakingthetime tomeetwithusduringtheirbusydayandfor providinguswithinformationaboutthe awesomemuseum
by Jack Campagna
