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Inside JULY 2017 13
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COVER |
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14 A NEW DIRECTION Native NNY residents move home to persue passion of hometown farming.
29 JEFFERSON COUNTY The top 10 property sales in Jefferson County topped more than $5 million in May.
BUSINESS BRIEFCASE |
36 FOOD HUBS Food Hubs are trending in NNY as residents seek information about where their food comes from.
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18 GENERATIONAL FARMING New life is being brought to the family farm as younger generations take over. |
12 TEACH BOLDLY AWARD Lowville Middle School sixthgrade teacher wins award for her dedication. |
SMALL BIZ STARTUP |
13 STITCHES & PICS New art gallery and educational space brings art therapy and programming to NNY.
FEATURES |
40 THE GOLDEN CLEAT New nautical jewelry business survives fire and flood to thrive and support local community education.
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TOP TRANSACTIONS |
BUSINESS SCENE |
44 NETWORKING, NNY STYLE
From Jefferson to St. Lawrence counties, business professionals connect for success. |
ONLINE |
NNYBIZMAG.COM Connect with us online for daily updates, more photos and exclusive Web content.
July 2017 | NNY Business
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SMAL L BU SIN E SS S TA RT UP BUSINESS
Stitches & Pics INITIAL IDEA
With a deep devotion for expression through hands-on creation, a military spouse has opened a studio and educational space that she hopes grows into a haven for artists and community gathering. After moving to Sackets Harbor with her husband, who is enlisted with the Army on Fort Drum, Stephanie Shively knew that she wanted to do something with her time that included her dedication to art and education. In November she opened an Etsy shop, an online sales website for handcrafted goods, named Stitches and Pics. Soon after, and in the depths of a north country winter, she found a store front available for rent in downtown Sackets, sparking an idea to expand her passion.
THE JOURNEY
With her husband in his last duty station before exiting the military Mrs. Shively knew that now was the time to take a leap of faith and open her own business. She located a store in downtown Sackets Harbor that was available for rent and began developing a business plan and model that fit her vision. “I’ve always been involved with art and I’ve always been involved with community art- so a lot of non-profits. I have a bachelors in photography and a masters in art and I’ve taught kids ages seven to adults, mostly in photography and some arts and crafts camps,” Mrs. Shively said. From this experience her newest venture was born, but this is her first small business and there was much work to be done before she could open her doors. “It all worked out that this would be the only time I could open a business because we had the financial stability and we wouldn’t be moving in another three months,” she said. “I have taken advantage of a lot of the resources that are available here. I went to the Small Business Development Center in Watertown, I’ve been going to Chamber of Commerce meetings and all the business owners in Sackets Harbor have been super nice and supportive.” With the name of her business in place, something she had created on her Etsy page, and the specific business elements established, she was able to open her doors in a quick six months from the start of the project. “It was a little scary because Sackets is a seasonal town. I want to stay open
DAYTONA NILES n NNY BUSINESS Stephanie Shively is the owner of Stitches & Pics in Sackets Harbor.
during the winter months and cater to the permanent residents, especially the teens and kids,” she said. Now, Stitches and Pics houses artworks from artists Mrs. Shively has met in her travels and working professionally in the art community. She also holds educational workshops and programming for adults and children that expand their creative expression and she hopes also act as a source of therapy to those who participate.
TARGET CLIENTELE
Her mission is simple: Make art approachable and accessible for permanent residents, visitors and the military community, including a gallery space where local artists can showcase their talents and sell their works to visitors and residents. “We have our workshops for the summer for both adults and kids,” she said. “We also offer private classes and I just started booking private parties like “Paint and Sip”. So there is going to be a couple different options like watercolor, paint on canvas, jewelry making, paper marbling and paper making. I’m really trying to make prices affordable while still being able to support the business.” Her mission also includes offering dif-
ferent programming options that can assist with the healing process and act as a form of therapy. “I’ve personally witnessed the power of art and the healing power of art,” she said. “Just making something with your hands is very therapeutic and so I would really like to bring that to this community. Especially since there is not much access to mental health services here, that I’ve noticed, so I have tried to reach out and partner with certain organizations to have therapy art work programs… like at the Victims Assistant Center and others.”
IN FIVE YEARS
It’s hard for Mrs. Shively to say where her business will be in five years as she has traveled and moved with her husband’s career in the military so much in the past. But she knows that Sackets Harbor has shown her a great deal of welcome and support, which she now feels is the right place to be at this time. “I would love to turn this into a nonprofit eventually,” she said. “I am working on the details of how to format the gallery space so it can sustain itself, possibly a coop of local artists.” ~By: Holly C. Boname
WHERE Sackets Harbor, NY | OPENED May 2017 | WEB stitchesandpics.com
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N N Y BUSINES S FEATURE LEARNING THE BUSINESS
Raising and expanding the farm, however, is nothing short of an impressive feat. To understand the process of breeding, Gail and Daryl worked a yearlong internship at Tucillo Farm in New Jersey. The experience furthered their love for the gentle creatures. Gail remembers spending every day surrounded by the herd, cleaning, feeding and cutting their nails. It was from this farm that the pair purchased their first alpacas and planted their roots in Theresa, establishing Home Again Farm. The bond between owner and animal is still clear today, as the alpacas crane their long necks to get closer to Gail and Daryl, an obvious gesture of affection. Today, the education comes full circle as Home Again Farm opens its doors to anyone interested in learning more about their business. Free tours are provided and explanations of the uncommon process are given to visitors who happen to stop by when the Marshes are home. Education is taken a step further through Jefferson Community College’s agricultural technology branch. With this program, Gail and Daryl are able to reverse their previous roles and become the teachers of everything alpaca. The farm gets its own share of the 700 tech students, as interns have come to learn about the raising and breeding system.
NORTH COUNTRY TIES
Due to the friendly north country culture and the benefits that come from a close-knit community, Home Again Farm has thrived for the past 12 years. As a whole, the Marshes noticed that as they were getting ready to move, many members of their age group were moving from the cities, making a return to more rural lifestyles. This common migration benefited Gail and Daryl well as some of their old friends ended up moving close enough to work together. The Marshes understand and take advantage of one of
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Northern New York’s largest industries – agritourism. People from all over flock to the top of the state to taste, touch and see what this small part of the country has to offer. Similar to most aspects of the business, marketing is done in unique ways. While Home Again Farm maintains an online and local publication presence, most of its advertising is done through personal interactions. The farm attends parades around the area, displaying their quality products as their alpacas cruise through streets and sport their brown, black and white fuzz. Festivals and fairs are major forms of marketing for Home Again Farm. One of its favorite and most profitable is Mare’s Wares Art Fest in Ogdensburg. Every July 1st, Gail and Daryl travel to this annual Canada Day celebration with their alpacas and products. Gail describes this as a beneficial location where “advertising, marketing and sales take place all at the same time.” The artisanal craft fair is an ideal venue to spread information and news on what’s available in the alpaca market. Festivals such as this provide the Marshes with a platform to reach all kinds of people and display their unique trade. As Daryl says, “You never know who’s going to be interested.” This genuine approach is what has earned Home Again Farm its loyal and repeated customers. However, this is not to take away from the consistent influx of new clientele. With a prime location along the Seaway Wine Trail, the farm gets a steady flow of new visitors, interested in the “Home Again” sign sporting a curious alpaca silhouette.
THE FINAL PRODUCT
The financial end of the farm lies in its store. The products created and sold from Home Again Farm are of high quality and unique style. If you have never felt alpaca fur, you are missing out on one of the softest tactile experiences. Putting
RE AL E STAT E / T O P T RAN SAC T I O NS The following property sales were recorded in the Jefferson County Clerk’s Office in the month of May: $1,600,000: May 16, City of Watertown: 1.86 acres, Arsenal Street, Crazy Irishmen Holdings LLC, Clayton, sold to 1050 Arsenal St. LLC, Syracuse. $665,000: May 9, Town of LeRay: No acreage listed, Lot 559, U.S. Route 11, Lundy Development & Property Management LLC, Carthage, sold to Aldi Inc. (New York), Tully. $540,000: May 23, Town of Brownville: 8.23 acres, County Route 59, Rochelle P. Wainberg, Rochester, Minn., sold to James T. Riley and Jill L. Riley, Jamesville.
cial Services, Inc., St. Albans, Vt.
and Chantal Lawrence, Colton.
$230,000: March 17, Town of Russell: Parcel 1) 56.96 acres more or less, Lot 28, Parcel 2) 58.64 acres more or less, Lot 33, Parcel 3) 10 acres more or less, Lot 38, bounded by Hill Road, Richard D. and Aimee J. Douglass, Rensselaer Falls, sold to Henry E. and Fannie E. Mast, Hermon.
$175,000: March 10, Village of Massena: Parcel 1) unknown acres, Mill Lot 1, bounded by Mill Street, parcel 2) unknown acres, Water Lot 1, bounded by Water Street, parcel 3) unknown acres, bounded by Water Street, Tripstar LLC, San Francisco, Calif., sold to Francis P. Cappione, Massena.
$212,500: March 24, Town of Potsdam: Parcel 1) 12 acres more or less, Parcel 2) 14.3 acres more or less, bounded by Back Hannawa Falls and Sweeney roads, Paul M. and Katrina Smith, Potsdam, sold to John C.
$175,000: March 14, Village of Massena: Town of Louisville, 0.25 of an acre more or less, Lot 23, Block 314, bounded by Coventry Drive, William B. Fent, Massena, sold to Justin Harris, Massena.
$510,000: May 12, Town of Henderson: No acreage listed, Snowshoe Road, Richard G. Mangan and Kathryn K. Mangan, Adams, sold to Never Thought Properties LLC, Watertown. $505,718: May 15, Village of Sackets Harbor: 0.35 acres, Ray Street at Jefferson Street, Battlefield Commons LLC, Latham, sold to Gregory D. Dalpe and Nicole L. Dalpe, Watertown. $389,000: May 18, Town of Lyme: No acreage listed, Beach Road, Point Peninsula, Bruce Way and Julie Way, Three Mile Bay, sold to Bruno Lederer and Vivian Lederer, Stamford, Conn. $375,000: May 1, Town of Hounsfield: 0.51 acres, West Morgia Drive, Leslie D. Renzi, Watertown, sold to Alex Morgia, Chicago, Ill. $359,000: May 24, Village of Sackets Harbor: 0.53 acres, 213 W. Main St., Fairgrounds Inn Inc., Watertown, sold to TRB Properties LLC, Adams. $325,000: May 5, City of Watertown: No acreage listed, 278 State St., Wilson F. Rusho, Adams, and Terry R. MacAdam, Watertown, sold to North Country Apartments LLC, Watertown. $317,500: May 3, Town of LeRay: 44 acres, Gould Corners Road, Darcy J. Corey and Gloria L. Corey, Evans Mills, sold to Andrew Eugene Carlson and Ashley Ryan Carlson, San Antonio, Texas. The following property sales were recorded in the St. Lawrence County Clerk’s Office in the month of March: $298,615:12: March 16, Town of Brasher: Unknown Parcels, unknown acres, Farm Lot 57, bounded by Helena Road, Patricia C. Taber, Massena, sold to AG Venture Finan-
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20 QU E STIONS
PHOTOS BY DAYTONA NILES
SERVING THE NORTH COUNTRY
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ornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County serves many demographics of people throughout the north country. Kevin Jordan, executive director, talks to NNY Business about the many different program areas it provides to the community, how the extension continues to grow and develop and what the future holds for both program participants and the organization across the tri-county region. NNYB: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County has been established for many years. How many years exactly and what has been the biggest change? JORDAN: We’re a little over a hundred years old. We were established in 1912, celebrated our centennial a few years ago. Many of the basic roots, if you will, that started the Cooperative Extension system are true today. It’s really about reaching out to people in the community and providing information to them that they might not otherwise have. The subject matter that we get into today, some of it is very similar to the type of subject matter we have been involved with over the years, but we’ve certainly moved into new areas based on changes in the community. NNYB: How many extensions are in the state and is each one structured the same? JORDAN: There’s an extension organization in every county in New York state. They are all basically organized under the same law,
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n CCE of Jefferson County isn’t just about agriculture; programs serve thousands of residents. County Law 224, but in terms of how they’re structured, they vary according to the needs in the county. They’re all membership organizations that include the residents of that county that want to participate in our programs, But again, you go back to: What are the needs in that county, what are the subject matters to get involved in? That’s where it starts to vary fairly significantly in terms of types of programming and even the size of the staffing. NNYB: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County is known for its strength in agricultural education and development, but sometimes other program areas aren’t as wellknown. Why do you think that is and how has it gotten to that point? JORDAN: I think that when an organization’s been around for a hundred years, you start to get known for what’s been around the longest. So, we started out primarily supporting the agricultural community and where it progressed from there was, after working with the farmers for a few years, they started working with the farmers’ wives, and so they got into home economics. And then they started working with the farmers’ kids and they got into youth development and 4-H. Four-H and agriculture are well-known within the extension system, but as we progressed from there and the whole urbanization of the country began, especially af-
ter the second World War, Cornell Cooperative Extension started moving into some other areas. So they do nutrition, they do parenting, they do energy programs, they do a lot of community development activities. All of those activities are things that are important to any community today, and so we’ve really just followed those roots as people have developed and moved off the farm and into other areas of the country. NNYB: Where does your funding come from and how does this affect the programming you are able to sustain? JORDAN: Our program comes from a variety of sources. Because we have a unique relationship with the land-grant college in New York state – Cornell University – we have a relationship with New York state and the U.S. Department of Agriculture at the federal level. We also have, through County Law 224, a relationship with Jefferson County. So those are the three primary, core funding sources: county-based funding, state funding and federal funding. We call that core funding because we take that, at least in Jefferson County, and we leverage that by looking to apply for outside grants and contracts to bring in additional monies to be able to do, and augment, the programming that we already do. NNYB: Who benefits from your many pro-
2 0 Q U E S T I O NS a lot of schools, when you can reach that many kids at once. Just recently, we partnered with seven different school districts to expand the after-school program into those districts and be able to take that 4-H curriculum to them. That will probably be made available to well over 700 kids on a regular basis by the time we’re done. We also do that at 4-H Camp Wabasso. We use the 4-H curriculum out there. Not everyone has a summer residential youth camp, but we do have one, and for six weeks out of the year we’re working with any number of kids out there, probably upwards of 500 a summer. NNYB: Some of your program areas seem to intertwine. For example, you use nutrition in your parenting classes. What are some other programs that work hand-in-hand?
CAREER: Economic/community development.
extension system -- to extend and spread out all that research-based information. Fast-forward a hundred years and you have the internet and there’s just a plethora of information out there. And today, it isn’t so much that people aren’t starved for information; there’s so much information they want to know what’s credible and what’s backed up by research. That’s what you get from the land-grant colleges, whether it’s the extension system here in New York state, Cornell University or any of the other land-grants that are in every other state in the country. We can access any of that information when somebody calls and is looking for an answer.
LAST BOOK YOU’VE READ AND WOULD RECOMMEND: The last book I read was “Power Broker” by Robert Caro.
NNYB: What is your oldest educational programming?
The Kevin Jordan File AGE: 56 JOB: Executive director, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County FAMILY: Wife, Christine; children, Brendan, Joshua and Megan HOMETOWN: Canton EDUCATION: Masters, Clarkson University; bachelors, SUNY Plattsburgh; associates SUNY Canton
gram areas? Is it the community as a whole or is it the individuals? JORDAN: I think the answer is somewhere in-between. The community as a whole benefits by the fact that we push a lot of research-based information out there. So when we teach you something, you may be talking to a neighbor, you may be talking to a friend and all of the sudden, what we might have taught you about or informed you about, that gets passed on out into the community. When you do that in group forums, whether it’s a workshop or newsletter or pushing information out through social media, you have a way of being able to be impactful at a very individual basis, but collectively it has a very broad impact on a community basis. NNYB: What are the benefits of being an extension of a land-grant university? JORDAN: I like to tell people that there’s a lot of information available out there today. A hundred years ago, people were starved for information and so that was why the land-grant colleges were created -- and then in turn the
JORDAN: It would be agricultural. We have evolved pretty much with our population base in this country. As we went from the early 1900s and as people moved to the cities and urbanized more, there were new types of information and new research that needed to be done in order to support the general population at large. We’ve evolved with it, to the point where we’re covering a very broad spectrum today. It’s everything from agriculture to youth development to parenting to nutrition to energy and, uniquely here in Jefferson County, we also have some very specific programs that we support out on Fort Drum. NNYB: What are your newest programs? JORDAN: We’re always evolving the programs and so one of the things we continually try to do within the youth development area is the 4-H program. There are many different curriculums that have been developed within the 4-H program that are readily available. And so we still do 4-H clubs, but we’re also taking those into the classroom and after-school programming and doing that in a way that’s very impactful in
JORDAN: I would say that we are working really hard, and I know that this is an overused phrase, to break down the silos. At any given time, if you come for a parenting workshop or a youth workshop or an agriculture workshop or it’s a program maybe focused on the Fort Drum community, there’s a lot of overlap. So to the extent that we can, we do try to overlap programming where it’s applicable, so that by the time you’re done, you’re armed with whatever you are really looking for. Now, you have to do that within boundaries, because if you’re working with 25 people in a workshop, you can meander all over the place. But you can very easily get into a workshop where you’re talking about local foods, and it very quickly might deviate into what we might have traditionally thought about only in a nutrition class before, or an ag class, but it’s all related now. NNYB: You personally have a background in agriculture and farming. What is one of the most important aspects of continuing agricultural education in the north country? JORDAN: It’s part of our legacy in the north country. It’s where we all started from and it’s still a very vibrant industry. I think as time has gone on, for at least a number of people in the north country, they’re many generations away from how an agribusiness or how a farming operation works today. And so we’re playing a lot of catch-up collectively, as a whole in the industry, trying to educate the general public about what the 21st century agribusiness is about today and what does it include. The good news is that more and more people are getting interested in it and they want to know about it. So we need to get the farming community comfortable with the fact that, more and more, the general population wants to know about you. And you have a great story to tell, so take some time to tell your story. I also think that, in general, it’s a national trend where we start to see that the whole local foods movement has taken hold. It’s almost like we’ve gone back a hundred years and are overlaying it into a July 2017 | NNY Business
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20 QU E STIONS 21st century setting, because a hundred years ago most of our food did come from local sources. And now, peoples’ preference is to look at what are those local sources and think, “What are my opportunities and – Oh, by the way – I need to learn a whole lot in order to understand how that works today.” NNYB: Cooperative Extension also has a partnership with Fort Drum, as you said. What is the purpose of including soldiers and their families in programming? JORDAN: The Army has a program across the country called Army Community Services. It is teaching military families about basic life skills, if you will, that everybody out in the community would like to learn about, and does learn about, but that’s overlaid into a military experience, so it’s a little bit customized. They learn about basic budgeting, they learn about, for their spouses, career development. They also learn about deployment and redeployment. They learn about basic life skills in terms of parenting and youth development. Those are all things the general population has to learn about, as well, but when you overlay that into a military community, we’re talking about some fairly young soldiers and families that need to get up to speed fairly quickly, because the important part of a soldier’s job is deploying and the 10th Mountain Division is one of the most-deployed divisions in the Army. So our job, this community’s job -- and I think this community takes it very seriously, and we do at Cooperative Extension as well -- is getting families ready and helping take care of those families when the soldier does deploy. NNYB: Many area schools benefit from your after-school programming. How many schools do you serve in the north country? JORDAN: There are times when we have been in most every school system in Jefferson County. Our involvement varies; in some cases we run an entire after-school program and in others we’re contracted to come and do certain youth development-type activities. We’re also working with some schools on farm-to-school programming and so I think, in general, at any given time we are actively involved with the majority of the school systems in some fashion in Jefferson County. NNYB: You just received some funding for this? JORDAN: We did. We received a 21st Century grant that will put us into seven school systems, which also does include one school system outside of Jefferson County; it’s actually in Lewis County. The reason for that was when schools looked to put together the consortium of schools, by adding that school district it actually strengthened their application, collectively, to be 32 | NNY Business | July 2017
able to access that money statewide, because it was highly competitive. NNYB: How do these programs such as the after-school program and the 4-H program help shape area youth? JORDAN: It is all activity-based programming. Kids are just like little sponges, as everybody knows, and they work best when they’re busy; they work best when it’s activity-based. In a way, what we’re really doing with them, without them really recognizing it, is helping boost their academic achievement by using activity-based programming. Time and time again, we hear from their teachers, we hear from the school administrators, that after-school programming, because it focuses on boosting academic achievement through experiential learning, that it actually has a positive effect during the school day once we get in there. NNYB: How do programs that teach energy efficiency and the benefits of renewable energies factor into the extension’s mission? JORDAN: It’s very much a part of every extension’s mission through community development, and in New York state we are seeing a growing interest in renewable energy and in energy conservation. I don’t know of any business or any homeowner that’s not interested in looking at better energy conservation and better practices and alternative forms of energy, and getting better informed about it. When you take into consideration where we are today versus where we were 10 years ago or 20 years ago, you know we’ll be light-years ahead of this 10 years from now and 20 years from now, and technology will play a big part of that in alternative energy production. We very much want to try to keep people informed about it. NNYB: The Jefferson County extension collaborates with extensions across the north country. What benefits are derived through this collaboration? JORDAN: It’s a great partnership. We all, within the extension system, refer to it as “the System.” So, at any given time, you can walk into any extension organization in the north country and at least know that the basics are going to be there in terms of programming and familiarity with the system, because we all access the same land-grant university, we are all structured primarily the same way. In the north country, I think we have a great level of collaboration among the six extensions – Jefferson, Lewis, St. Lawrence, Franklin, Clinton and Essex counties – we’ve been working together now for decades. Part of that is knowing that as resources get tight, all of us need to get more efficient and maybe tighten our belts a little bit. I think we’ve come up with some pretty creative ways in order to do that. We have a regional ag
team that we’ve all put together so that we can share highly specialized educators in field crops and in dairy and farm business management. It’s not that they’re not readily available at any given time in any county, but there are certain times of the year, or certain times of the month, where I might not need a certain expertise in this county, but it can be shared in another county and vice versa. That allows us to stretch our dollars a lot farther. Same with back-office operations. We have something called a sharedbusiness network where we share high-level HR or IT or business finance expertise across the six-county region. That shared-business network staff is housed here in Jefferson County and is made available and everybody pays into it across six counties in order to access that. It makes us highly efficient in terms of being able to replicate those high levels of expertise across those counties. I think there’s probably some good lessons learned for some other organizations to look at a model like that. NNYB: You’ve touched so many people with your educational outlets throughout the entire community. You also are one of the largest extensions in terms of how many people you employ. Can you speak a little bit about why that might be? JORDAN: Part of our philosophy with Cooperative Extension of Jefferson County, and it started long before I came here – I think it was the philosophy of previous boards -- was to be able to take those core amounts of funding from the county level, the state level and the federal level and leverage those in a way that would bring in additional funding to be able to expand programming well out into the communities. I have a very talented group of grant writers and managers that know their programs. Together, they have been very successful as a team in being able to access outside money to be able to support areas of programming that otherwise we would just not be able to provide, whether it’s the nutrition area or the parenting area or the expansion of youth development into after-school programming or expanding the reach of 4-H Camp Wabasso or marrying up agriculture and the Army. We’re doing a lot with the veteran population right now. All of that is not easily done if all you’re focused on is just using that core group of funding sources. We have the second-largest staff in the state, but that’s really tied to, not so much trying to reach a goal of having a large staff, as much as trying to align that with the funding that we have and meeting the needs that are out there in the community. NNYB: The extension frequently touts the benefits of locally grown or locally produced food. Why is where food comes from important? JORDAN: For a lot of people in the community, it’s just one of those resources that is so
NN Y BUSINES S FEATURE
Growing Golden Along the River’s Edge:
T
Jewlery designer focuses on giving back culturally
By: HOLLY BONAME n NNY BUSINESS
stone jewelry on consignment in exchange for me working there one day a week.” But then the well-known historical ice cream shop The Guzzle, located on Wellesley Island in Thousand Islands Park, burned to the ground leaving Ms. Cardinaux with her handmade pieces in ruin and her labors lost. “I was thinking ‘I can’t just order more… there was so much labor that went into each piece, they were all individual pieces and that’s sort of how I thought maybe I should focus more on pieces that involved
he St. Lawrence River has made its impact in many people’s lives past and present. From the classic Thousand Islands Dressing that originated along the river, to its alluring islands and nautical lifestyles, it draws in visitors and inspires residents to embrace a way of life that ebbs and flows with the changing of four seasons. For artist Emilie Cardinaux, the Thousand Islands have changed her life and is now where she calls home, conducts business and is thriving. The Golden Cleat is becoming a name that many recognize along the shores of the River. The jewelry shop, located in downtown Clayton, showcases handmade pillows with vintage navigation maps of the Seaway, handcrafted jewelry with cleats, paddles, sextons and gem stones. Opening the new downtown location this year, Ms. JUSTIN SORENSEN n NNY BUSINESS Emilie Cardinaux with handmade items in her Cardinaux has been shop, The Golden Cleat in Clayton. embraced by the community and visitors to the river comthe process of casting, because they are munity, but her journey as an artist and to much easier to replicate and produce on a this new location is what makes her new larger scale,” she said. “I just lost everyventure an even greater success. thing. So out of the ashes of that fire, really FROM THE FIRE was how The Golden Cleat came to be. I The Golden Cleat was founded in 2014 decided to do more cast pieces and decided when Ms. Cardinaux filed for the tradeto create a collection based on an expansion mark for the brand which didn’t launch of the cleat, and then I added the paddle until 2015. She had been designing jewelry and other nautical designs, so it was more under her name in Brooklyn, where she of a collection.” was living at the time, and in the summer Still in development of the brand and her of 2015 the company emerged into the vision for the jewelry line, she was faced Golden Cleat for recognition of her signawith a decision as to what was next. ture piece, a small golden dock cleat. Ms. Cardinaux had also been writing “I left New York in 2013, but was back music for a children’s television show and forth between the city and the Thou“Bubble Guppies.” The show had won an sand Islands,” she said. “My work was in a Emmy while she was working on the proshop next to The Guzzle; there were a few duction, but was soon coming to a close. little shops that people don’t really rememShe was faced with a decision whether ber about that got destroyed in the fire. It to stay in New York City or move to Los was a little clothing store and I convinced Angeles. my friend to let me sell my handmade gem “I was just feeling like I needed a break
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from the city and I wanted to try something else. So I thought, it would be a lot easier to do that while I was living somewhere that was more affordable to live and to try and plunge into this routine while I was still in New York,” she recalled. “I wouldn’t have had the time, I would have had to been working, working, working, just to keep the hamster wheel going- just to pay the regular bills. Here I was able to take some breathing room, live off my savings and essentially build the brand from scratch. And Clayton was obviously the better choice.” In 2015, something amazing happened for Ms. Cardinaux which launched her brand to another level of business. The Golden Cleat was juried into one of the largest tradeshows on the east coast, NY Now, in New York City. The tradeshow boasts some of the largest orders for new designers products. “When we juried into that show, it was a February show, and we got orders for over 50 galleries,” she said. “And I’m saying we, but at that point it was just me. So after the show, I was finally able to hire someone to help with production and those wholesale orders, which are now carried by over 100 different galleries, mostly on the east coast, but also some in Seattle and places where boating is also a way of life. So that’s why we didn’t have a storefront, because it was two years before we could. It just serendipitously became available, right at the moment in our business when I thought we could actually handle this and it made sense. It’s done beautifully.” Business models normally do not start at the wholesale level, but it is what has driven Ms. Cardinaux’s business to where it is today. Locally, she began to consign her jewelry to local shops like Freighters in Clayton, where her works became very popular and she had more local visibility. Production of her line increased, she began
COMMUNITY / BUSINESS CALENDAR
ALEXANDRIA BAY FRIDAY, AUGUST 11 TO SUNDAY, AUG 20 Bill Johnston’s “Pirate Days,” Downtown Alexandria Bay. The Bay is proud home of the famous Pirate Days. There are 10 days filled with family fun and special events. You are invited to join in the spirit of Pirate Days and dress as a pirate or patriot when attending any or all of these events. A band of Sword Fighting Pirates will be available during all 10 days at most events listed for photo opportunities. The Tales from Remikreh group will be throughout the Village. Please see the schedule at the Entertainment Tent for specific locations and times. Local merchants will be available for sales of event flags. Please check the Event Board at the Entertainment Tent throughout the days. Info: Chamber Office at (315) 482-9531 for tentative schedule details.
CAPE VINCENT SATURDAY, JULY 9 THROUGH SUNDAY, JULY 10 49th Annual French Festival, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Cape Vincent. French pastries will go on sale at 8 a.m. at the Fire Hall on Broadway Street. Over 200 Artists and Crafters will line the streets of the village and will be selling their wares. The official opening ceremonies for the 49th Annual French Festival will be at 11a.m. at the reviewing stand in front of the American Legion on Broadway. National anthems will be sung fol-
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lowed by Cape Vincent’s mayor and town supervisor welcoming event attendees. Shortly following the welcome Miss French Festival 2017 will be crowned by Miss French Festival 2016. The parade begins at 2 p.m. with Napoleon leading the way. The parade will include floats, bands and over 50 units from the United States and Canada. At 4 p.m. awards will be given out to the winning floats by the French Festival Queen. From 4:15 p.m. through 6 p.m. bands will be performing in front of the reviewing stand. Cost: Free. Info: 315-654-2481.
CARTHAGE WEDNESDAY, AUG 9 Business After Hours at VFW, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Veterans of Foreign Wars, 668 West End Ave, Carthage. The Carthage community is hosting a networking party on the deck. Food, cash bar and door prizes are all available. The event is open to the public. Cost: $5 Info: Carthage Chamber of Commerce, (315) 4933590.
CLAYTON THURSDAY, JUL 6 TIAC 50th Anniversary Art Gala, 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Saint Lawrence Spirits, NYS Route 12-E, Clayton. The Thousand Islands Arts Center ~ Home of the Hand Weaving Museum is pleased to announce its 50th Anniversary Gala. Tickets can be purchased in advance for this
once in a lifetime celebration of the Thousand Islands Arts Center and the people who have woven it into the institution that it is today. Info/ Tickets: Visit the 50th Anniversary Gala page at tiartscenter.org/50thanniversary-gala. SATURDAY, JUL 29 2017 Run for the River, Registration 7:30 a.m., race 9 a.m., Frink Park, downtown Clayton. The fast and flat course winds through downtown Clayton and along the waterfront. Save the River is pleased to announce ARE Event Productions is returning to provide professional timing for the race. Runners and walkers are welcome to participate in this event for all ages and abilities. Proceeds directly support Save the River’s advocacy, education and research programs. Info: Visit www. savetheriver.org. FRIDAY, AUG 4 TO SUNDAY, AUG 6 53rd Annual Antique Boat Show & Auction, Antique Boat Museum, 750 Mary St, Clayton. Saturday: Auction 1 p.m. (conducted by antiqueboatamerica.com), Block Dance feat. The Bad Husband’s Club 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Sunday: Boat Parade 12 p.m. This event is the longest running antique boat show in North America. With 100+ boats on display, visitors can view traditional water vehicles as well as shop the nautical marketplace. Info: www.ABM.org.