Saratoga County

Schuylerville’s Creative Economy: GypsYoga

January 24, 2017 By Maureen Sager

by Thomas Dimopolous

For much of the 20^th century, the second floor space inside the brick building at the corner of Broad and Front streets housed the Ackshand Knitting Company, manufacturers of unique gloves. In October 2016, Carol Dimopoulos re-opened the space as the GypsYoga Center to promote health and wellness through movement, meditation and the arts.

“The goal is to provide a loving and welcoming environment and community for students of all levels, and to train teachers in the hatha yoga lineage with yoga masters who come from the yoga capital of the world,” said Dimopoulos, a certified yoga teacher and president of Perillo’s Learning Journeys, an educational travel company.

A handful of master teachers at GypsYoga provide regular classes in hatha, kundalini, and bhakti disciplines for kids, adults and families. Specialized workshops provide opportunities for a variety of freelancers – from master teachers providing gong meditations, to photographers, poets and musicians—who stage collaborative events focused on movement and the arts.

“Giving back is also at the core of what we do,” said Dimopoulos, referring to community yoga events centered on class donations which raise funds to support local and global NGO communities.

GypsYoga is the international teaching center of Yoga Vedenta in India – one of the most prestigious schools of yoga, and located in the ancient spiritual city of Rishikesh. The center promotes journeys and retreats to global destinations, and as an international teaching center offers Yoga Alliance Certified RYT 200 and 300-hour yoga teacher trainings with yoga masters brought to the center from Rishikesh.

“The mission is to bring people inside of themselves and explore their inner world through the holistic teachings of yoga and meditation, pranayama, lifestyle and the creative arts,” Dimopoulos said.

Contact:

GypsYoga Center, 120 Broad Street, Schuylerville

(518) 260-9305 // GypsYogaWebsite

Schuylerville’s Creative Economy: Hudson Crossing Park

January 24, 2017 By Maureen Sager

by Thomas Dimopolous

Hudson Crossing Park centers around Champlain Canal Lock 5 Island, just north of the village of Schuylerville. It is a bi-county park where history, geology and environmental conscience meet, and where partnerships and grants from both public and private channels have ushered in the development of public trails and structures.

Cindy Wian first became involved with Hudson Crossing Park – “this underutilized and neglected piece of state land,” she says — a decade ago. In 2016, she was named the park director.

The initial work on Hudson Crossing Park began around 2000 when a grassroots steering committee was formed by volunteers, planners, school leaders and elected officials from Saratoga and Washington counties. Professionals with experience in surveying and creating architectural concept drawings donated their talents, artists were brought in to create interpretive signage, and in 2006, the park was incorporated as an educational corporation in the state of New York. Subsequently it received recognition as a not-for-profit entity.

“A lot of what happened in the park only happened in the uniquely beautiful way it did because artists were involved in the way things were created,” Wian says. “Sometimes things were donated, but most of the time they were hired through grant funding, so there is an economic piece to it. Partnerships have always been what we do, and that is what makes us succeed.”

The park, open dawn to dusk daily, houses sculptures assembled from natural materials, found objects and recycled metals, designed to draw visitors deeper into the park. The park hosts two miles of trails, a play garden, a picnic pavilion and floating dock. A park ranger from Saratoga National Historical Park comes in to offer lessons about local and migrating birds, and interpretive signs and audio tour mates tell the story of the park and its environment all along the riverwalk sensory trail. These talks are so educational, especially for children who seem to just love them! They tend to interact very confidently with the ranger, even asking to wear his ranger hat sometimes! Plans are in the works for expansion into Washington County on the site of the former Adirondack School, which would provide east-of-the-Hudson River access to classrooms and administrative offices, as well as a year-round facility (itself benefiting the local economy through job creation).

“We’re building on history, the environment and the arts as components to be woven into – whether it’s with interpretive displays, or programming, whether it’s event-based, or with workshops and trainings,” Wian says. “All of these things have been in the mix and the consensus is creating the programming and the physical spaces to make this a destination.”

Contact:

Hudson Crossing Park, Ct. Road 42, Schuylerville

(518) 350-7275 // Hudson Crossing Park Website

Schuylerville’s Creative Economy: Revolution Cafe

January 24, 2017 By Maureen Sager

by Thomas Dimopolous

Inside the Revolution Caf?, a wall labeled “Dream” stands opposite a chalkboard that reads “Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe,” and a full bistro menu boasts titles like Federalist Salads, Patriot Sandwiches, and Constitution Wraps.

“I like the historical aspect of the name Revolution Cafe, because I feel everything in Schuylerville is a revolution,” said Cassandra Wilusz, who went through her own personal revolution when she walked away from her process analyst job in corporate America, to open the Revolution Cafe in summer 2016.

“This business I am passionate about: making food affordable and fresh and connecting with people here, every day,” she said. It has been a journey and there have been some struggles along the way, for example, it took me a while to find an equipment supplier I could rely on (I now use one a little like NellaOnline.com) but my enthusiasm has kept me going and I couldn’t be happier with the results.

The business employs three people during the winter months and eight during the summer. The space accommodates 20 patrons inside and seats nearly three times that amount outdoors, where the view overlooks the canal that adjoins the Hudson River.

Some of the people who have worked the space before have gone on to open their own coffee shops, with some finding franchises (HTTPS://JUSTLOVECOFFEEFRANCHISE.COM/RESEARCH/WHAT-IS-JUST-LOVE/) that match the ideology of the Dream Cafe in helping their local community.

Wilusz’s goal is to create a creative space for all to come together: from local musicians and singers, to high school students and workers from the nearby lumber store.

“The vision is to have an Open Mic night once a week where you can hang out and listen to live music, to add microbrews and a tapas menu,” Wilusz said. “I want to create a casual environment where you can come, hang out, have drinks and appetizers ? and not just for a certain demographic. I want this to be for everyone.”

Contact:

Revolution Caf?, 31 Ferry Street, Schuylerville

(518) 695-3930 // Revolution Cafe on Facebook

Schuylerville’s Creative Economy: Rural Soul Studio

January 24, 2017 By Maureen Sager

by Thomas Dimopolous

After traveling across the world, Chelsie Henderson thought the village of Schuylerville, located near her native Easton in Washington County, was an unlikely place for her to open a business and organize community-wide events.

“It’s about starting a community and making a community our children will come back to,” said Henderson, whose background is in classic voice and piano (despite the occasional live performance, she considers herself more teacher than performer). “I love teaching and where I’m most comfortable is transferring that knowledge,” she said.

Her business, Rural Soul Studio, originally opened in Greenwich in 2012 and expanded to include the Broad Street space in Schuylerville in 2013. The studio regularly hosts teachers instructing on a variety of instruments, such as voice, piano, strings, woodwind, brass, and African drumming, among them, as well as staging master classes and workshops for visiting teachers.

Henderson also organizes and collaborates with other businesses. When she saw the number of independent ventures growing in the village, Henderson began coordinating what has become the Schuylerville Small Business Association. The association’s monthly meetings are attended by dozens of local business owners, and the association has grown to organize collaborative, community-wide events. Schuylerville’s first-ever Fall Festival, held in October 2016, incorporated local businesses, street vendors, fun and instructive games, and local foods.

“I didn’t intend to be running a business. I thought I would be teaching, but I just jumped into it. I’d like to collaborate with other businesses even more. No one place can do it all, but when we band together we can cover a lot of ground,” Henderson said. “I’m starting to feel that surge of pride of people coming together and seeing them in all their beauty.”

Contact:

Rural Soul Studio, 90 Broad Street, Schuylerville

(518) 852-1329 // Rural Soul Studio Website

Schuylerville’s Creative Economy: The Laffer Gallery – Fine Art & Framing

January 24, 2017 By Maureen Sager

by Thomas Dimopoulos

Artist and gallery owner Erik Laffer was born on Long Island, raised in Washington County and schooled in Albany, after which he traveled the country selling his cartography paintings. In June 2012, he opened his gallery in Schuylerville to collaborate and represent other artists. The biggest draw of the historic village was its affordability.

Laffer’s first show featured artists from downtown Manhattan, but quickly gravitated to more representing and supporting local artists.

“I learned framing and the representation of other artists. It was amazing to learn how much talent there is. That’s what triggered the idea of having a gallery filled with the works of other artists,” he said.

Five years in, Laffer draws a majority of collectors from a 100-mile radius of the historic village who spend, on average, between $1,400 and $1,800 on a piece of artwork.

He currently represents more than 50 artists, and showcases several works from each artist. New works are placed on exhibit in the gallery main space every four to six weeks, while the rear part of the gallery displays the works of artists who have previously been shown.

“A lot of places don’t have the extra space, so once the show is over, they come down. Here, once the show is over, the artists are still part of the Laffer Gallery,” he said.

Laffer’s goals include increasing the roster of artists he represents as well as opening a sister location and becoming more involved in art consulting. His recent collaboration with Saratoga Hospital which resulted in the hospital’s ICU unit being fitted with the works of artists Laffer represents.

“Connecting artists and collectors, I’m proud of that. The most gratifying thing I do is writing a check to an artist and seeing their work go to someone’s home,” Laffer said.

Contact:

The Laffer Gallery Fine Art & Framing, 96 Broad Street, Schuylerville

(518) 695-3181 // The Laffer Gallery Website