Corning's Gaffer District Holiday Gift Guide by Mountain Home

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Corning’s Gaffer District

Holiday Gift Guide

 Cast

your vote for Com the Choic munity e Aw ard!

Celebrating beloved locations of Corning and the Finger Lakes ‒ in gingerbread! See this whimsical exhibition November 24, 2015 through January 4, 2016! Games

Art Hunts

Art Projects

Shopping

rockwellmuseum.org 111 Cedar Street, Corning | 607-937-5386 | @RockwellMuseum

Editors & Publishers Teresa Banik Capuzzo Michael Capuzzo Associate Publisher George Bochetto Design Tucker Worthington Elizabeth Young Advertising Director Ryan Oswald Administrative Assistant Amy Packard Contributing Writers Maggie Barnes, Patricia Brown Davis, Alison Fromme Contributing Photographers Pat Davis Sales Representatives Michael Banik, Alicia Blunk Corning’s Gaffer District Holiday Gift Guide is published by Beagle Media, LLC, 25 Main St., 2nd Floor, Wellsboro, PA 16901, in partnership with Corning’s Gaffer District. Copyright © 2015 Beagle Media, LLC. All rights reserved. E-mail info@mountainhomemag. com, or call (570) 724-3838. Corning’s Gaffer District Holiday Gift Guide is distributed at hundreds of locations in Tioga, Potter, Bradford, Lycoming, Union, and Clinton counties in PA and Steuben, Chemung, Schuyler, Yates, Seneca, Tioga, and Ontario counties in NY.

e are very excited to invite you to discover the extraordinary experiences in Corning’s Gaffer District over the holidays and beyond. Our downtown celebrates traditions like our many Crystal City Christmas events in addition to wonderful shopping, spas, award-winning restaurants, and remarkable museums and galleries. The true magic of Corning’s Gaffer District is in the sincere “welcome” to everyone. We are a downtown built on more than a century of entrepreneurship. Our 200-plus small businesses are complemented by national brands such as CORNINGWARE, CORELLE & more, Tommy Hilfiger, Van Heusen, and G. H. Bass & Co. Shoes. Both our small businesses and our large chains truly appreciate everyone who chooses to Shop Local and make a big difference! The variety of cuisines to tempt your taste buds is astounding for a city of our size. Enjoying a stroll to delight in the beautiful streetscape of holiday lighting and window displays guarantees room for dessert (perhaps from our Chocolate Trail?). Be sure to read the stories inside about our restaurants’ recognition as a part of the Bon Appetit Appalachian Trail and the launch of The Rockwell Museum’s Gingerbread House Invitational. If you are searching for a way to make a gift for someone special, we have everything from guided painting (think paint by numbers with a coach), to jewelry making, to making your own glass ornaments and your own chocolates. Each is a unique way to give a keepsake gift and have a great time doing it. Just about every shop and/or restaurant offers gift cards to make shopping easier if that’s your pleasure. Most of all, we want you to come and visit us. Please share your story with #explorecorning. We are so honored to be considered as one of the places you Shop Local for the holidays. It makes such a positive difference for everyone. On behalf of Corning’s Gaffer District, thank you for Shopping Local in 2015. Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season and a year filled with joy in 2016! Coleen R. Fabrizi Executive Director Corning’s Gaffer District

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Gaffer District istrict Guide uide

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Gaffer District istrict Guide uide

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Gaffer District Guide

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There’s no place like home for the holidays.

Our Centers spirit of Heart Health Home is never more evident than during the holidays – when we decorate our home, the smell of fresh baking is everywhere and we have company coming and going and exchanging gifts. This year we wanted to spread that spirit all over town, by becoming the title sponsor of Corning’s Gaffer District Crystal City Christmas Celebration. Call it our Christmas gift to all of our friends and neighbors. Come join us and bring the whole family to take in the fun and good cheer all season long. Let’s all enjoy the holidays together. Corning Center 205 E First Street Corning NY 14830

Steuben Center 7009 Rumsey Street Extension Bath, NY 14810

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Festivals & Events Crystal City Christmas Imagine being able to have a holiday celebration and invite everyone you know. Imagine a setting that brings your fondest childhood memories back to you. Imagine that moment when the child in your life smiles up at you with shining eyes and asks in an awed whisper, “Is that Santa?” It is time to close the laptop and forgo the insanity of mall crowds and homogenized gift buying. Reclaim the holidays as they should be—a time of warmth and light in the darkness of winter. A celebration of community and family. An opportunity to find a gift that makes you anticipate the joy of giving. A reconnection to the place you call home. Happily, one of America’s most storied downtowns brings you just such an experience. “Crystal City Christmas” offers the perfect combination of big-city sophistication and small-town charm in a magical welcome to the holiday season. For more than forty years, the Gaffer District has been the heart of Corning’s celebration.

EXPLORE A WONDERLAND OF GLASS FIND THE PERFECT GIFT MAKE LASTING MEMORIES CMOG.ORG/WONDERLAND

This year the District partners with the Corning and Steuben Centers for Rehabilitation and Healthcare to bring the community together for yuletide cheer. On Saturday, November 29 the downtown region of Corning becomes a Currier and Ives print, complete with beautifully decorated store windows and music in the air. Sing cherished carols and help Santa count down to the lighting of the official Gaffer District Christmas tree. Make a forever memory for that special child with a keepsake photo of them whispering their secrets to Kris Kringle. The party gets underway at 4 p.m. at Centerway Square with the Christmas tree lighting, followed by the Parade of Lights. This award-winning event challenges the region’s businesses, clubs, schools, churches, and civic groups to demonstrate their holiday spirit in lights. The result is a river of twinkling strands draping floats, trucks, bands, and even marchers! Visit with your hometown merchants—you won’t find nicer folks anywhere! The shops of the Gaffer District offer gifts as unique as the people on your list. Each doorway leads to a one-of-a-kind shopping experience. Gaffer District merchants have a passion for helping their customers find the perfect expression of love. It’s their “gift”! Shipping out of town? Not a skilled gift wrapper? Thinking a gift card is your surest path to a smile of thanks? No problem—think of these businesses as your personal secret Santa. Crystal City Christmas is the chance to reclaim the Christmas of our collective memory, when even the smiles of strangers could warm a snowy night, and your own secret wish is fulfilled with a hand-in-hand stroll through a holiday dream.

Corning’s a great place to visit AND a great place to live. When it’s time to cross THAT bridge, we’d be happy to help! Horizons Realty

Photo credit: Clayton Vargeson.

Internationally known, locally owned, Coldwell Banker Horizons Realty, with offices in Corning’s Gaffer District and in neighboring Horseheads, NY, can help you relocate to the Crystal City! 40 W. Market St., Corning NY 14830 607-936-2844

www.Cbhorizonsrealty.com

www.Coldwellbanker.com

2015 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. All Rights Reserved. Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated. Coldwell Banker and the Coldwell Banker Logo are registered service marks owned by Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC.

Festivals & Events The Gingerbread Invitational There is nothing intimidating about gingerbread. That nugget of unconventional thinking was the beginning of a new holiday event for the Gaffer District. The Gingerbread Invitational offers folks a festive reason to visit one of America’s unique art collections in the Rockwell Museum of Western Art. Willa Vogel, Marketing & Digital Communications Specialist, says a contest for gingerbread artists is a part of being a true “community center.” “People often assume that art museums are stuffy, serious places they would not feel comfortable in. We wanted to come up with an event that would encourage visitors to include the Rockwell in their holiday happenings.” The call went out for gingerbread designs based on local landmarks. Fifteen ideas came in and twelve were selected to become reality. Those dozen will compete for awards by a panel of judges and for the highly anticipated “Community Choice” title. Admission to the museum during the holiday season comes with a vote. “Let me tell you, the designs were elaborate. We cannot wait to see them actually constructed,” Willa says. How elaborate? How about a sweet rendition of the historic First Presbyterian Church in Bath, whose stunning Tiffany stained glass windows were completed in 1897? Or the pier at Seneca Harbor in the Finger Lakes? (Insider information reveals a plan to melt gummy bears to simulate lapping water. Genius!) The brains behind these baked beauties belong to an assorted group with varied talents. There are some traditional artists, some bakers, and even a group of coworkers whose company produces things you can bake in, but not food. Thanksgiving weekend will bring the unveiling of the entries for the Gingerbread Invitational, with an open house and award ceremony planned for December 3. Those will be the decisions by the panel of “celebrity” judges. The real bragging rights come after the first of the New Year, when votes will be counted for the People’s Choice. The staff at the Rockwell Museum has high hopes that this culinary contest will become a holiday tradition for families, who get the added bonus of seeing one of the leading collections of American art in the world. The building of the American West is depicted in stunning paintings and sculpture that portray the places, people, and way of life that helped our country grow. “We want people who live here to consider this their treasure too,” says Willa.

Buy

get one

half off

stop in the studio on Small Business Saturday buy one $35 gift certificate get the second half off!

Saturday November 28th 2015 10am-3pm 90 E Market St Corning NY

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Festivals & Events Sparkle In the dark days that followed the devastating 1972 flood, Corning struggled to find its footing. Norman Mintz, then executive director of Market Street Restoration Agency, came up with the idea of a holiday gathering to bring the community downtown, into the heart of the business district. And so “Sparkle” was born. Now celebrating its 41st year, it grew into the centerpiece of what is now Crystal City Christmas, complete with Father Christmas on hand in a shimmering conservatory. Norman himself summed up the magic of the day in this essay, published in 1985: Has it really been twelve years since the first sparkle of Christmas? Amazing. It’s hard to imagine how it lasts. After all, for those involved in the planning, the hours of work are endless. Meetings, advertising, music, food, the list goes on and on. As one who was deeply involved in the early Sparkle of Christmas I continually wondered if the success of this exiting event would ever fade. Would those who put so much effort into making it all happen finally burn out? Would people tire of the novelty? Could it keep up the momentum? Well, Twelve years of “Sparkle” will give you the answer. If anything, the Sparkle of Christmas seems to get better each year. Just how could that be? The response was given to me a couple of years ago when I asked someone if they could explain the throngs of people that continually turn out. “It’s easy,” she said. “It has become a tradition. People look forward to the Sparkle of Christmas and circle the date on their calendar. Why, you can’t miss Sparkle!” A tradition. Sounds pretty impressive. But when you look at it I guess it’s easy to explain. The Sparkle of Christmas is like no other street event or promotion. Its strength is in its theme—people. The intention from the very first Sparkle was to have an event that was designed to attract everyone. Residents from Corning and all of the neighboring communities were invited to town to share the joy of Christmas. Oh yes, there would be music and food. And costumes. But the real magic was to be seen in the spirit of the people, friends and relatives, young and old greeting one another, good tidings, children’s laughter, rosie cheeks—all to be seen in the heart of the community itself—Market Street (what better place?). And that quite simply is why “Sparkle” works. For those who work on it every year the reward is seeing people enjoying themselves. Seeing Market Street come alive with color and cheer is yet another incentive. And one thing is certain—the Corning spirit is something you can count on year after year. That’s quite a combination! So perhaps it should be no surprise at all that Corning’s Sparkle of Christmas has indeed become a tradition! Happy Holidays and Peace.

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The Gaffer Experience Wine & Design You would be hard pressed to find a place in the Gaffer District with more laughter than Wine and Design. Friends, coworkers, families, sports teams, brides-to-be, and couples on first dates gather around wine barrel tables adorned with art easels. A chosen image has been sketched onto each, and the group giggles their way through their best attempt at bringing that sketch to life with paint. Owner Kylene Kiah snapped up the first franchise in New York State, surprised that someone hadn’t done so sooner. As she says, “The combination of art and wine speaks to the heart of the Finger Lakes region.” Ah yes, the wine. These first-time artists are encouraged to bring food and drink to help move the creative process along. Some folks take that part seriously. “We have a lady who has done parties with us and she lugs in a blender for cocktails. It’s great fun.” And then there are the gentlemen who arrange artistic evenings for the new ladies in their lives. “Some guys bring elaborate place settings with all her favorites. It’s sweet to see them put such thought into it.” The Market Street storefront is open by appointment for classes, including during business hours. “We have companies that use this as a performance reward or a team building exercise.” Sounds like more fun that falling backwards into your teammate’s arms! There is often some frustration, though. Kylene says there is always one person who “wants to get the painting perfect. Then others really don’t care, they are just here for the fun.” Wine and Design offers something for everyone. There is the ArtBuzz Program for kids, a great alternative to the chaos that usually happens with a home birthday party. Paint It Forward offers unique fund raising for charities. A portion of the money raised goes to the selected local or national cause. The On Wheels program makes painting portable. Private homes, businesses, public settings, the ladies are willing to explore any opportunity for a special event. Hosting could not be easier. Kylene and her crew supply everything and do it all, including cleanup. Any artistic marriage proposals yet? “No!” Kylene exclaims with indignation. “A lot of the other locations in the country have had one. I want to do one here!” Romantics of the Southern Tier, take note. If this holiday season includes plans to ask the big question, call Kylene at Wine and Design. You will end up making two people very happy.

IS ACCEPTED HERE AND OVER 50 OTHER LOCATIONS The Corning Area gift card is available at the Corning Information Center on Market Street.

The Gaffer Experience Soulshine Studio Bead Shop Holiday gift giving can be stressful. A good number of the people on our lists already have a catalogue’s worth of material things. But what if you created a gift for them that reflects both their personality and your affection for them? Soulshine Studio Bead Shop on Market Street is a beader’s paradise, offering endless possibilities for those skilled at making necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. They also give those without an artistic background a place to try their hand at it. Ann Recotta launched her dream business five years ago. It is her belief that “everyone has creativity within them.” Wisely, Ann also recognizes some talent may need guidance, so her shop is set up for both the experienced artist and the bead-beginner. “This is a safe, non-judgmental atmosphere, without pressure or expectation. We just want our guest to enjoy the experience.” Beads and charms are available in a dizzying array of styles and colors and newcomers can be overwhelmed. Soulshine is ready for that, too, with prepackaged kits, based on themes and colors, that give a beginner confidence. There are classes to take and the chance to host your own gathering to assemble a project. Birthday parties, corporate gatherings, and girls-night-out can all include the creation of a beaded piece. One of Ann’s most memorable sessions was with a family who no longer lives in the area. They decided to have a reunion in Corning, and the ladies met at the shop. “It was great fun to host them and listen to them reminisce about their time here.” Munchies are encouraged. “We invite folks to bring their own refreshments. We set up and clean up. They take the first hour to work on their jewelry and then have time to just visit.” Those gatherings are a big hit with the youngsters, especially anything with the “Frozen” theme. “We use a lot of blue and white snowflakes with the little girls.” Ann laughs. Even if you don’t have much time, Soulshine has an “Inspiration Station” where thirty minutes will produce a beaded masterpiece. “For Sparkle we will offer special packages for customers who don’t want to miss any of the fun outside. They can put them together at their convenience,” says Ann. This year will also feature themed projects to tie into the Rockwell Museum’s Gingerbread Invitational (see page 16). Ann is entering a gingerbread creation, but no ballot stuffing!

The Gaffer Experience Rockwell Family Exploration Studio The thought of children squealing with joy and immersed in the creation of edible goodies is probably not the image you have when you think of a museum. The Rockwell Museum, out to earn a place on the holiday calendars of families throughout the area, is offering kids a unique museum experience during Corning’s Sparkle celebration. Beth Manwaring, director of marketing and communications, says, “We aren’t as visible to Market Street as some of the stops, so we wanted to make an extra effort to invite new visitors to experience the Rockwell.” During those festive days in December, the Rockwell will host a Family Sparkle, starting with free admission during their holiday open house. It is the perfect opportunity to take the kids for their first museum experience, not to mention prime voting time for your favorite creation in the Gingerbread Invitational. And that difficult person on your shopping list has met their match with the offerings in the museum gift shop. The concept of “look, but don’t touch” in the world of museums is completely suspended in the Family Exploration Studio. On December 5, from 3 to 6 p.m., the kids can demonstrate their artistic flair by decorating their own gingerbread man cookie to take home. That sweet treat rules the day as hands-on activities and craft project carry through on the theme. Even without the magic of the holidays, the Family Exploration Studio offers hands-on happenings like drawing on the light table, puzzle assembling, and book nook snuggling for reading time. Displays and activities change out often, encouraging return visits to find out what’s new. If your family hasn’t visited the Rockwell Museum before, there is no better time than December. Where else can you play “Bison Bingo?” Answer: “Nowhere!” The weekend of December 18-19 will give your kids a memory they will always cherish. The museum is hosting a movie party, complete with an invite to wear your jammies! The chosen film is none other than The Polar Express, and the true VIP in the room will be The Conductor himself! All aboard for two showings: Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 2 p.m. As the most important family members, kids get in for free and adults are just $5. Fun, creativity, family joy, and holiday magic are all on display at the Rockwell Museum, along with some of the finest western artwork in the world. And your kids won’t even realize how much they are learning in the process!

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Arts & Culture West End Gallery Daughters, do you love your Mom? Would you work for her? Would you have her work for you? This is not a theoretical discussion at the West End Gallery. Mom Lynn Gardner and daughter Jesse Gardner (left) pulled off an owner/employee flip earlier this year, and Mom now reports to daughter. They both admit that it’s not a scenario that would work for everyone. “I love it. But she and I have an especially close relationship. I know other people could not do this,” Lynn beams as she talks about her daughter/manager. Jesse worked in a Corning shop in her youth and left the region for a while. But home tugged at her heart and, a few years ago, she and husband John returned with a plan to assume the family business. “I loved Colorado, but a part of my soul was missing.” Jesse relates. “It was the gallery.” The West End Gallery had its birth in 1977 in another location, under a different name. It was primarily a framing and art supply store, but the family felt very strongly about showcasing local artists. A few pieces here and there have morphed into a formal two-story gallery with proper staging and space to highlight more than a dozen regular contributors. Lynn points out paintings, sculptures, glass jewelry, and custom furniture with the genuine pride of a patron. “We have some artists who have been with us for thirty years. They exhibit in large cities and have collectors internationally. But we were their jumping-off point.” In fact, Jesse says, “We like to think that we helped them become nationally known. We are their home gallery.” The entire display is changed out every six weeks to keep the visuals fresh. Mother and daughter credit a shared vision with keeping that process from becoming a version of Family Feud. “We are so in tune to each other that I can almost anticipate what she is going to want next,” Jesse says. A multi-generational business in a field that the Gardner women admit is “a luxury” is bound to have some lean years. Lynn offers a small smile when she says, “It’s been a roller coaster, and there were times when I wondered if we would make it.” And now? Thirty-eight years later, how does it feel to know you have built something that thrives under the guidance of your child? Lynn’s smile is as brilliant at the artwork. “It’s too wonderful to describe.” Jesse’s happiness is palatable. “I’m hoping to take this place to sixty years. At least.”

Arts & Culture Vitrix Hot Glass The artistic concept of fire and ice is a constant theme in Corning. Few locations demonstrate that as well at the Vitrix Hot Glass Studio in the Gaffer District. Brothers Tom and Bob Kelly grew up watching glassblowing in their hometown and worked in some of the shops on Market Street. Tom (left), the artist, and Bob, the business manager, ended up owning Vitrix in 1997 after a lot of study with the prior owner. The front half of the shop is an explosion of color in glass, all sizes and shapes of dazzle. The rear of the display area features a working glassblowing station, where shoppers can watch gaffers demonstrate their talents. To feel the heat and watch the molten glass take shape, and then turn around to admire the shelves of completed artistry, is a unique shopping experience. Bob Kelly says the combination works. “Customers can talk with the glassblowers, ask their questions, and learn about the process that created what they have in their hand. It makes it more of an experience.” Creations from the Vitrix Studio are featured in galleries and stores across the country, and the business is proud to showcase some local artists. Every piece is signed and dated, which is really important when it comes to the snowmen, which are the most popular item at Vitrix and, at this time of year, the Kelly Brothers cannot keep up with the demand. The celebration of Sparkle brings brisk business, with the Christ Church Bell Ringers providing a festive soundtrack and the hot wassail from the Kelly punchbowl supplying the warmth. There are five siblings in the Kelly clan, all of whom stayed local. Bob admits that not all brothers could run a business together, but he and Tom each excel at the different skills needed to keep Vitrix humming. “He does the artistic stuff, I handle the business stuff, and it all works out. Our family is close. We see each other often.” The gallery/shop has succeeded with a strong product diversification. Bob says there is truly something for everyone, especially during the holidays. “We have the high-end gallery pieces for collectors. We have lower-cost ornaments. All of it is made with the same skill and pride.” Vitrix is also known for their specialty sculpture, the Heechee. The design for it came from a science fiction book owned by the store’s founder. Hard to describe, but very pretty to look at!

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Arts & Culture Corning Museum of Glass The Corning Museum of Glass (CMoG), the finest glass museum on the planet, added a new wing in 2015, like adding a younger brother, shiny, big, precious—it’s a $64 million expansion—and equally bold. While CMoG boasts the world’s best collection of art and historic glass, from a glass portrait of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh to contemporary glass sculpture, the new Contemporary Art + Design Wing takes the glittery, clear, light-filled, breathtaking qualities of glass to an astonishing new place, and that space is a giant white glass box with curving walls and a ceiling that’s mostly glass, glass that’s mostly sky, and visitors walking around with their mouths agape over the experience, which was, said architect Thomas Phifer, “inspired by the image of walking into a white cloud.” The art doesn’t hang from walls, it floats and glitters in space. It’s the largest space in the world devoted to contemporary glass. Built to accommodate the growing number of visitors to CMoG, the expansion’s 26,000 square feet of gallery space showcases large-scale contemporary art and the glassmaking process itself. “Glass has never been displayed this way before,” says Karol Wight, president and executive director of CMoG, “and we are really looking forward to pushing the boundaries of contemporary art and glass.” Entering from the main lobby, visitors are enveloped in white light filtering through the skylight roof and down between the concrete beams twenty feet above. With otherworldly light and high ceilings, it is clear that the place is one of reverence, whether or not you recognize the names of the world famous artists who created the works. Lino Tagliapietra, Klaus Moje, Roni Horn, Ann Gardner, and Karen LaMonte are just a few of the artists that more than 400,000 visitors will encounter this year. The pieces of art, such as Forest Glass by Seattle-based artist Katherine Gray—more than 2,000 glasses arranged on ten shelves suggesting three trees, with brown hues shaping the trunk, greens creating the trees’ canopies—are bathed in natural light raining down from above. Architect Phifer was tasked with designing the 100,000-square-foot expansion, including gallery space, a hot shop for glassmaking, and administrative offices. The award-winning architect designed the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the United States Federal Courthouse in Salt Lake City, Utah. “The first thing we did was take a glass object out into the sunshine, and it just exploded with light,” he says. “And that was a kind of wonderful moment for us, because we discovered that glass loves light.”

Building the expansion was no mean feat. “The seemingly simple ‘white glass box’ was anything but simple and required the overcoming of multiple engineering and design challenges,” says Bob Gray, National Enclosure Company Project Manager. “It had never been done before.” The glass panels, one ten by twenty-eight feet and 6,000 pounds, were maneuvered by a crane and vacuum lifter, and nothing broke. In most museums, light is something to be feared. It fades paintings and tapestries, and can heat up display cases and harm artwork. But most glass is immune to the damaging force of light. Instead, glass comes to life with light—literally, it’s made with very hot light—two thousand degrees or more. And a classic reminder of that remarkable process is Steuben Glass, the famed artisan shop whose factory operated on this spot from 1951 until 2011, was adjacent to the museum, and is now part of the expansion’s footprint. (Prince Charles and Lady Diana received Steuben glass as a wedding gift. Pope Benedict XVI received a figurine as a gift.) The architect’s vision for this factory was to create a twenty-first century hot shop, the Amphitheater Hot Shop, with equipment for artists and glassmakers to show off their skills to as many as 500 guests at a time. It’s one of the world’s largest facilities for glassblowing demonstrations and live glass design.“We wanted to build the best hot shop in the world, where any glass artist would want to work,” says Eric Meek, manager of hot glass programs at CMoG. “This creates new opportunities for artists to engage with the Corning Museum of Glass, and for the community to be able to watch an amazing level of talent come to our town.”

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Boutiques & Specialty Shops Imagine That! In years gone by, the holidays brought gifts that allowed children to create their own world of fun and learning. Many mourn the passing of that time, lost to a high-tech era of solitary pursuits in front of a screen. But the Gaffer District has a spot that celebrates the purity of active young minds and the world they can create. The motto of the Imagine That! Shop is “all children are creative souls.” This simple philosophy disputes the modern interpretation of play and turns the clock back to a time when imagination was king. For twenty-five years, Imagine That! and owners Tom and Ginny Coon have offered a menu of toys, puzzles, games, and books that encourage children to turn the electronic devices off and turn their brains on. As Ginny says, “Play helps children learn about the world and their place in it.” A visit is like stepping into a memory of a simpler time. Hands-on activities abound. Kids flop on the floor and push construction vehicles, making their own sound effects. Wooden blocks, dolls in satin gowns, board games of skill and chance, all help to develop eye-hand coordination, a sense of fair play, and how to work together. Remember your own joy at the first art project that came out exactly as you had envisioned it? Or the wonder of discovery when a science experiment did something so cool? Those moments still happen at Imagine That! Imagine That! also carries an extensive line of high-quality clothes, shoes, and gymnastics and dance wear for children. Durable, stylish, and fun, the shop keeps kids active and comfortable in the classroom, the playground, and the occasional tree house. For the adults who have to keep up them, there are grown-up sizes of many of the exercise and dance outfits. Continue a family tradition, or start a new one. Introduce the little ones in your life to laughter that runs on brainpower, not battery power. A visit to Imagine That! during the holiday season provides youngsters with a great opportunity to research those all-important Christmas wishes—good news, indeed, for any of Santa’s helpers looking for hints.

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Boutiques & Specialty Shops Bong’s Jewelers What kind of business today sends their product out of state, to a former customer, at no cost, for a “test drive”? If you are talking jewelry in the Gaffer District, you are talking about Bong’s Jewelers. Opened in 1892, the most veteran of Market Street businesses still offers an old-world shopping experience. Current proprietor Jeff Bong is the fourth generation to help area families mark milestone occasions. “Jewelry tends to be a happy purchase.” He says. “Weddings, anniversaries, graduations, retirements. There is a reason to celebrate every stage of life.” Such courtesy extends to former residents who call for a special purchase, and Jeff sends off a half-dozen possible choices, simply asking that the non-selected options be returned to him. Despite the avalanche of information available online, when it comes to buying precious stones, especially diamonds, nothing beats handling the real thing. “The most meaningful conversations happen over the counter,” says Jeff. “I’ve calmed the nerves of many a young man making that important purchase.” Jeff’s great-grandfather emigrated from France, bringing the family skill of watchmaking. Bong’s opened on a brick Market Street, with horse-drawn buggies clomping by the display window. “It has always been in the same spot, run by the same family,” he says. His Dad began as a Harvard-educated CPA and an accountant for the 1947 New York World’s Fair. Jeff himself started in real estate. But the lure of home and the legacy of a family business proved hard to resist. After training in Ithaca, he has spent the last forty years honing his skills as a jeweler. The father of two daughters, Jeff is starting to consider what the future might bring for him and Bong’s. With his children engaged in other careers, Jeff knows he might be the last of the family to operate the business. “I’m exercising a little executive privilege,” he laughs. “I can come in a little late or leave a bit early. But I still enjoy this. I like the challenge of doing well for my customers. I’m proud of all of the special moments we have been a part of.” Christmas is here, and for the 123rd consecutive year small boxes bearing the Bong name will be under a lot of trees, promising many a sparkling holiday.

Connors Mercantile A name like Connors Mercantile sounds like something straight out of an old western, complete with gingham-garbed ladies shopping for cornmeal and cast iron skillets. But on Market Street in Corning, Connors is the modern-day gift shop, with the perfect blend of forty years of history and hot trends. Jill Agosta manages the shop for owners Ann and Barry Nicholson, and she has the enviable task of shopping for colorful, practical, and fun gifts and collectibles. “The original owners started Connors as a pharmacy, with a small corner for gifts. Over the years, the gift shop component grew to the point that the pharmacy was discontinued. The use of ‘Mercantile’ in the name was a way to honor the legacy of the business.” Don’t be fooled by the name: the inventory is straight from the cool kids’ wish list. Pandora, Vera Bradley, Woodwick Candles, and Farm House Fresh are just a few of the featured brands. “The gift shop business has changed so much. Fewer people collect pieces these days, so gifts often need to be functional, as well as pretty. Things like scarves, handbags, and bath products are more popular than ever.” Jill’s priority is to keep the variety of items constantly changing, so smart shoppers know that repeat visits are the best way to not miss something new. “When it comes to holiday shopping, we want to be a destination for both residents and visitors.” Jill says, noting that those who come through the door split about fifty/fifty into those categories. The store also sees a lot of traffic from the local employers. A brisk walk down East Market and a fragrant search for an important gift is the perfect antidote to a long morning spent with spreadsheets. “A food item or some of our specialty chocolates is the perfect hostess gift during the holidays. And, believe it or not, kids are still getting gifts for their teachers. The chocolate is a big hit.” There is hope for the world yet. In 2008, when the economic situation slowed most business development to a crawl, the Nicholsons responded by launching a rebranding of Connors. They changed the logo and the inventory and hunkered down with their loyal employees and a strong customer base to wait out the financial storm, emerging stronger than ever on Market Street. When you think of Connors Mercantile, don’t think old—think classic.

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Pampered In Corning AJ’s Hair/Make-Up Calvin Coolidge was president when a young woman in need of a job opened a small business in her family home at the corner of Chemung Street and Denison Parkway in Corning. Alberta’s of Corning had a sophisticated name and a simple purpose: to help the local ladies look their best. Nearly ninety years later, that business lives on at AJ’s on Market Street, a salon offering services for skin, hair, and makeup and featuring a private line of beauty products. A.J. Fratarcangelo (left) is the current proprietor of his family’s legacy business. His Dad came into the business, learning to cut and style hair to hand off to his wife for the fancier services like perms and coloring. A.J. remembers being five years old and being hauled to product shows and finding the whole thing fascinating. He grew up in the shop, watching popular hair styles teased a foot high. But, he wasn’t ready to settle into the family business, and his mother encouraged him to go. “‘But first,’ she said, ‘why don’t you work for me for awhile? Save up some money for your relocation.’” A.J. follows this remembrance with the soft laugh of a son who knows his loving mother was setting him up. “I left. I lived in some big cities. I worked in other places. Then I came home.” Home for AJ’s—still corporately known as Alberta’s of Corning—is a 2,300-square-foot space on Market Street that continues to live by the customer service golden rule. “The client always, always, always comes first.” Alberta never cut a corner, never used anything but the best products. The result is legendary loyalty. AJ’s still has customers who got their hair styled by his parents (including his former babysitter). A commitment to the community is also a part of the family’s philosophy. Charity fund raising is a way to “be good to the community that has been good to us.” The Corning Chamber of Commerce recently recognized A.J. with their Lifetime Achievement award for his dedication to the community. Ladies may not come in once a week for their trims and styles anymore, and the foot-high teased look went out decades ago, but A.J. says a good haircut is still worth the money. “That’s why they call it a ‘bad hair day.’ When you look bad, you feel bad.“ He offers custom products, made in Los Angeles, for his shop. “We have this great stuff called Bump It to give hair a little height. Mom would love it!”

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Great Eats Bon Appétit Appalachia

When the Appalachian Regional Commission launched a project to celebrate the flavors and foods of the thirteen states that claim the Appalachian Mountains as home, was anyone really surprised that Corning—with its abundance of local farms and vineyards, with its wide range of cuisines and talented chefs, with its fabulous foods and flavors—was recognized as a top culinary destination on the new Bon Appétit Appalachia trail? The top spot in New York State? We weren’t. How to begin to describe the feast? We can’t. The choices are too vast. But whether you visit The Cellar (a wine and martini bar extraordinaire that deserves all the accolades it gets for its stand-out, high-style tapas), The Steuben Bar at the award-winning Radisson Hotel Corning (with its wide range of dining hours to suit the global clientele and the jet-lagged schedules of the international businessmen and tourists drawn to Corning by its parent company), or the diminutive Bento Ya Masako (a Brigadoon of a spot preparing carefully crafted Japanese food, from sushi to teriyaki to tempura, all but hidden from public view on a Market Street second floor, open only for lunch, open only select days of the week), or any of the dozens of places in between, you will want to savor the flavors of the Gaffer District. The whole mountain range knows it now, but we knew it all along.

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Great Eats Sorge’s If you were born into the Sorge Family of Corning, there was a very good chance you would wind up in the restaurant business. Renato and Loretta Sorge opened the Italian eatery that bears the family name in 1951. For sixty-five years, Market Street has been where generations of residents and tourists have experienced the timeless dishes at Sorge’s. Michael Sorge and his wife Christine now carry the family flag after the retirement of his brother Joe. Michael credits their continued success to a strict adherence to his parents’ standards. “We have not changed a thing about the original recipes. The sauce, the homemade pasta, it is the same now as what my parents started with. You serve excellent food at a good price and you do it quickly and efficiently. That keeps people coming back.” Those people include both locals and tourists. Dinner at Sorge’s is a tradition for many families, especially during the holiday season. Often families come before or after their church services on Christmas Eve. The grandchildren of those early customers are now savoring the lasagna and manicotti that make the night before December 25 even more special. While located in the same spot for its entire life, Sorge’s has undergone many changes. In the 1960’s, the first Mr. and Mrs. Sorge expanded the dining area and added a banquet room in the ’70s. But the most dramatic alteration was not planned. The restaurant was completely destroyed by fire in December of 2008. “The only thing standing was one wall,” Michael remembers. The timing was horrid on a several fronts. Not only during the holidays, but also just as the economic downturn was gaining speed and financing for businesses drying up. What happened next clearly demonstrates why the Sorge Family loves to own a business in Corning: the community rallied to support the rebuilding of Sorge’s. “I guess everyone, from the residents to the city officials, wanted to see us come back.” So much so that the other restaurant owners in the Gaffer District organized a fundraiser at the Wings of Eagles Museum to support the triumphant return. It was a wise investment. Recently, Michael and Christine announced that their daughter and son-in-law will assume the mantle of ownership in two years. A third generation of Sorges will be in charge. When Renato approached his sons about coming into the family business, Michael says his father was “very generous to us.” It turned out to be a benevolent gesture for generations of Corning families as well.

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Great Eats The Source at Factory No. 2 If you can draw a straight line from wholesale produce to handmade bath products to candles to a juice bar to custom gift baskets to make-you-own chocolates to a restaurant, then you are probably a member of the Dickerman family of Corning. That curving route has led them to The Source at Factory No. 2, today’s multi-pronged business. The tale began in 1976 with a natural food store, which became popular with chefs and grew into a wholesale business. Cynthia Dickerman decided she was done with corporate life and started doing gift baskets for clients ranging from individual customers to Corning Incorporated. Daughter Laura designed a line of soaps while still in high school, a venture that paid her way through college. Like so many others, she returned home and has joined the family ventures, which could sustain the average person from breakfast to way after dark! They needed more space this year, and it seemed providence that the historic Hawkes Building on Market Street was renovated and available. Now there is a quirky, cozy space to accommodate all of their varied skill sets. Grab-n-go breakfasts get the work crowd out the door. The juice bar and café offers gluten-free and vegan options all day. Dinner brings lots of ways to get warm during the winter, like chicken curry potpie and creamy mushroom with linguini. Husband Gary offers kids of all ages the chance to visit childhood and make their own chocolate candy. It only takes twenty minutes or so to create something sweet from one of dozens of mold shapes. His is a self-taught skill, a common theme in the Dickerman family. But there is no arguing with success. Local residents and visitors have embraced every new venture. “There are customers of the café and juice bar that we know well enough to start their order when we see them coming.” Cynthia knows the contents to many gift baskets just by hearing the name on the other end of the phone. Her delightful constructions have ended up as gifts for the First Lady and comedians Will Ferrel and Ellen DeGeneres. Her favorite memory about one of her baskets stars a thirteen-year old with a broken leg who was sent a “snack attack” gift and thought it was too pretty to even open. As Cynthia says, “How many thirteen-year-old boys don’t mow through anything edible? It must have looked good!” The Dickerman family has a philosophy of taking risks and trying new things. It is a delicious courage their customers are grateful for.

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Becoming A Local The Town That Saved Christmas In 1939 Wellsboro’s Corning Glass Works (CGW), known as “The Home of the Ribbon Machine” and the first factory in the world with automated light bulb manufacturing, was handed an unprecedented challenge that would change the entire community for generations to come. It was 1939. The British blockade was working. Though the United States was not yet involved in World War II, there was an ominous feeling drifting across North America. Many imported goods from Europe were no longer available. Several American wholesale companies specializing in imported glass Christmas ornaments were feeling the pinch of restricted supplies. Lauscha, a small, rural mountain town like Wellsboro, located in the Thuringia region of central Germany, is generally given credit for the tradition of the Christmas tree as we know it, and had a huge relationship with the United States because of its production of handblown glass Christmas ornaments. Generally known as “The Glass Christmas Ornament Capital,” it was from Lauscha that many American stores such as F.W. Woolworth Company, Kresge, and S. H. Kress procured their ornaments. By 1935 the United States had imported over 250 million handmade ornaments from Germany, Japan, Czechoslovakia, and Poland, but still had no industry of its own. With the eruption of war in Europe and the resulting British blockade, imports of all goods from the Axis powers, including ornaments, came to a halt. Thuringian-born Max Eckhardt of New York City, an importer and wholesaler of German ornaments, saw that the war would soon end his business. Eckhardt, together with his largest customer, Bill Thompson of F. W. Woolworth, convinced CGW to consider mass producing machine-blown Christmas tree balls. Woolworth offered to place a large order for their chain of stores if Corning could successfully modify its ribbon machine—designed to make light bulbs—to produce Christmas ornaments. Eckhardt would buy the ornaments, decorate, and resell them. The Wellsboro plant, labeled in its early years as CGW’s “experimental” plant, was charged by Corning with designing a modification that would allow the machine to make clear glass round balls—“blanks”—that could be decorated. Corning requested designs from their

Steuben division, the company’s fine art lead crystal department, and other designers, but many submissions were unusable because of the nature of the machine and the glass. It took Wellsboro employees who actually worked on the machines to interpret what length, density, and shapes were possible. CGW president Amory Houghton had words of praise for his talented and dedicated workers: “There never was a better town to manufacture in than Wellsboro. We have a high-class labor here. Wellsboro employees, some coming from local farms, are hard working, earnest citizens who have great pride and a philosophy that there isn’t anything that can’t be done.” By the end of 1939, the modified machine was up and humming. A million Christmas ornament blanks left the plant for Eckhardt and other wholesalers and were sold all over the United States. Glass ornaments appeared in the nick of time for Christmas. Not only were ornaments available for sale, they came at a fraction of the cost of hand-blown ornaments. Everyone could now afford to buy them. And buy them America did. The glass had even thickness and thicker necks, making for less breakage than their European hand-blown counterparts. The day those ornaments left the plant, Wellsboro was labeled “The Glass Christmas Ornament Capital of the World,” supplanting Lauscha. And early in December, Eckhardt shipped the first 235,000 CGW machine-blown ornaments to Woolworth’s five-and-ten-cent stores under the label Shiny Brites. Wellsboro’s plant, now owned by Osram Sylvania, still produces more glass ornaments than any other in the world, with Wellsboro retaining its claim as the World Glass Ornament Capital. And in darker times, it was the dedicated and skilled Corning Glass Works factory employees—Santa’s elves—who lit up the true spirit of Christmas in our town, the town that saved Christmas.

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Becoming A Local Market Street Restoration Soon after Virginia Wright moved to Corning in 1958, when her husband, Jerry Wright, took a job at Corning Glass Works, she went downtown with her six-monthold baby to look around, and “I came home and cried. There were basically only bars and men’s shoe stores. I thought, ‘I can’t raise a family here.’” The downtown catered to the men who worked at Corning Glass Works—not their families. Virginia wasn’t the only one who noticed that there were problems on Market Street. Vacant storefronts plagued the street. The buildings sported an odd assortment of neon signs and aluminum siding. The street had lost the foot traffic and vitality of earlier generations, and it was happening across America. Businesses were disappearing to the mall or suburban shopping centers. The hardware stores, bakers and grocers, diners, and candlestick makers that energized Main Street were gone, and with them the soul of the town. Virginia and a friend, Jean Wosinski, the wife of a Corning Glass Works scientist, wanted it back, and during the 1960s and ’70s, they, along with city leaders, business owners, and others, helped spark a movement that reinvigorated Corning’s historic Market Street, and offered a model for renewing main streets across the country. The pair created a presentation, complete with a slideshow and accompanied by Petula Clark’s song “Downtown,” detailing the neglected beauty along Market Street’s 125 buildings, richly adorned with Nineteenth Century moldings, ornamentation, and ironwork—a beauty the women said needed to be restored and preserved to lure businesses and shoppers back to the main street. The idea took root. In the early 1970s, resisting “urban renewal” plans that would have demolished 175 downtown Corning buildings, Market Street began to look backward. Grants funded professional recommendations from architects and preservationists, public exhibitions, and a pilot program to improve building façades. Corning executives traveled to other cities to see their restoration projects, like San Francisco’s Ghirardelli Square and New Orleans’ Vieux Carré. Tom Buechner, founding director of the Corning Glass Museum, returned from New York City, and led the charge. In March 1972, the Corning Foundation gave $72,000 to establish a Market Street Restoration Plan. The subsequent 1972 disaster of Hurricane Agnes was a counter-clockwise storm cloud with a silver lining—the rebuilding community went back to the future.

When federal relief funds came in, the community built brick sidewalks, created a park, and planted more than 100 honey locust trees. Norman Mintz, a former antique shop owner and graduate student at Columbia University with a master’s degree in historic preservation, arrived in 1974 to lead the new nonprofit Market Street Restoration Agency (MSRA). As a full-time “main street manager,” Mintz and Corning became a model that inspired the National Main Street Program, which has thus far assisted 1,200 towns in the U.S. and Canada to get back to the future. Now the MSRA is part of Corning’s Gaffer District, which leads the way, and in 2013 reported $5 million invested in building rehabilitation, storefront vacancy at 8 percent, and the triumph of Corning voted the most fun small town in America, with a downtown Virginia Wright could now proudly enjoy. “It’s just thrilling,” she said.

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