The nature of communities is that they are often in a constant state of flux. Businesses change and adapt, close and move, while new businesses come in to offer something different to the local market and hope their business model works.
In Cazenovia during the past eight months, there has been a great deal of change to the local business community with shops closing or moving locations, and others coming in to take over the newly vacant store fronts. Whether such change is, or will be, positive or negative remains to be seen — but many local officials and business owners see potential in what is happening, although they also see a need to change and adapt to certain realities of the marketplace and the needs of customers.
“This is a community that people are drawn to — as shop owners we hear that every single day,” said Karen Eldridge, owner of the women’s clothing store Isabella for 10 years and co-chair of the Historic Cazenovia Business District. “People drive here from Syracuse, Fulton, Mexico, Baldwinsville, Cortland, Ithaca, Rome just to spend a day.”
“As the owner of a village cafe, a real estate agent who helps sellers and buyers purchase village and surrounding properties, and a homeowner in the Town of Cazenovia , I still feel the enchantment of living and working in Cazenovia every day,” said Pat Carmeli, owner of The Pewter Spoon Café and an agent with RealtyUSA. “Empty storefronts along Albany Street concern me somewhat, but I know that a changing business district also allows for new ideas and I’m anxious to see what new businesses will be moving in.”
But what do people find when they come to Cazenovia to visit, eat or shop?
Gene Gissin, local business owner and former president of the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce, said it is interesting — and educational — to look at the trends of what businesses have come and gone. He has a 1978 map of downtown Cazenovia, on which 55 shops listed no longer exist. These include two barbershops, a book store, shoe store, locksmith, pharmacies, motel, clothing stores, bakery, chocolate shop and a movie theater.
The difference between then and now is that Cazenovia was filled with service-oriented shops that died out partially because of malls and chain stores that opened in Syracuse and other nearby towns like DeWitt. Another important reason for the loss of businesses locally is that when many business owners retired no one in their family or otherwise wanted to take over the business, so the store closed.
A map of downtown Cazenovia Gissin owns from 2007 shows 13 businesses that no longer exist. In the past eight months, there have been four Albany Street businesses that have closed or are for sale.
Gissin said he feels positive about the future of Cazenovia’s economic viability, as long as business owners are cognizant of and catering to consumer needs and trends.
“This village will survive if we have the right products,” Gissin said. “We need to sell what customers want to buy, not what business owners want to sell. Some businesses that have come and gone in the past did not fit the community, and that’s why they did not survive.”
What is here now
While Cazenovia has numerous shops that have years of longevity in successful business — such as Lavender Blue, Isabella, Caz Abroad, Cazenovia Artisans, Lillie Bean and Amanda Bury Antiques — the list of shops that have come, gone, moved or are planned to move in to downtown Cazenovia is long and interesting:
—ARTicles, an eclectic retail store at 58 Albany St. opened in September 2013 and closed in December 2014. A wine and liquor store, affiliated with Decker’s Wine and Spirits in Fayetteville, is currently in the process of moving into the former ARTicles space, according to Anna Marie Neuland, executive director of the Greater Cazenovia Area Chamber of Commerce. (Calls to Decker’s by the Republican were not returned.)
—Foxgloves flower shop, at 53 Albany St., opened in July 2013 and closed fall 2014. A new furniture, lighting and design shop, Industrial Loft, moved into the location on Nov. 1, and, so far, has been doing well, said owner Mark Papa. The idea of Industrial Loft is that Papa goes out and to abandoned or defunct houses, barns and industrial spaces, finds discarded items and repurposes them into something new. Items in the shop include an old industrial circular fan that Papa turned into a coffee table, and an old wooden door that he turned into a bed headboard.
— Hunt Real Estate, formerly at 95 Albany St., moved into the former Cazenovia Fabrics Shop location at 45 Albany St. at the end of 2014. Cazenovia Fabrics had been in that location for 44 years before they closed in October 2013. Hunt moved their office down Albany Street because the building they were in is owned by Cazenovia College, and the college needed to reclaim the space for use as the college Information Communication Technologies Office.
—In addition to reclaiming its building at 95 Albany St., Cazenovia College also in 2014 took over the old Elks Lodge location above Hunt Real Estate at 45 Albany St. and converted its two floors into student dormitory housing.
—Cazenovia Fitness, formerly at 51 Albany St., closed in early February. Local entrepreneur Eric Burrell purchased the entire building that same month and is currently in the process of renovating the entire structure. His plan is to create retail space on the first floor and office space on the second and third floors. No specific businesses have signed on to any of the space yet, Burrell said.
—Gabrielle Chocolates has opened a storefront location at 72 Albany St. The wedding cake and chocolate business has been located in its current space for the past four years, but only as a consulting space. In mid-December 2014, owner and master chocolatier Gabrielle Regan decided to do some renovations and open the doors as a retail chocolate shop.
—The village’s other candy store, Cazenovia Candy Shoppe, located at 7 Lincklaen St. just around the corner from Albany Street, opened in July 2011 but currently has a for sale sign in the front window.
—The major business loss in downtown Cazenovia in 2014 was the closing of the restaurant Circa on July 1, 2014, which was located at 76 Albany St. since 2006. Owner Ailicyn Hart said she had to close her doors because her building rent was too high. Since then, the prime corner spot in the center of downtown with wraparound windows has sat vacant, with local residents constantly wondering when — and if — another shop will ever move in. Rumors that Hart planned to reopen Circa in Burrell’s new building at 51 Albany St. proved untrue.
—A little bit off the main intersection of the village, at the White Lilacs building at 9 Albany St., Leeks Management Company purchased the entire building in summer 2014 and moved the Skeele Insurance Agency offices there from its previous location in the Atwell Mill. Some of the business occupants in the building remained there, such as The Sovik Group and DarkHorse Wealth, and four new occupants moved in with Skeele, including the Hi Neighbor, Aflac – Jason Terrenova, Prudential Financial – Cynthia Decker and Robert Snashali, Esq.
—Outside of downtown Cazenovia but still a part of the community business scene, Hennebrg Brewing Company, in New Woodstock, opened its craft brewery and tasting room in 2014, while 20/East, a cooperative venture in Nelson that will house the businesses Cazenovia Cut Block, Rise bread makers, Life of Reilley Distilling and Wine Co. and Hughes Distributing, plans to open this year.
—Other Cazenovia businesses that have stayed in business but have moved locations include Blushing Rose Boutique, which moved from 9 to 11 Lincklaen St., and Twisted Scissors salon, which moved from 79 Nelson St. (in the Town & Country Plaza) to the Cherry Valley Professional Building at 2662 Route 20E.
—When Twisted Scissors moved its business down Route 20, Fred’s Barber Shop, which had shared the salon space at 79 Nelson St., moved out of Cazenovia into a new space in the village of Waterville.
—Coming soon to Cazenovia are two major business projects that has residents, business owners and tourism officials alike all excited. Empire Brewing Co., owned by Cazenovia resident David Katleski, is moving forward with its farmstead brewery project on Route 13 just past the entrance to Lorenzo State Historic Site, with groundbreaking planned for spring and the opening anticipated to be later in 2015.
On the other end of the village, across from the Town & Country Plaza on Route 20, there will soon be an 80-room national chain hotel and conference space, which could accommodate up to 300 people, indoor pool, fitness center, breakfast area and business center. Dan Kuper, owner of The Lincklaen House and president of hotel developer Cazenovia Hospitality LLC, has said he hopes to open the hotel in spring 2016.
“I am very optimistic about the future of the downtown … The hotel and the brewery are two of the most exciting economic development initiatives that Cazenovia has seen in many years. Each of them will not only create growth and economic activity directly but have a synergistic impact on our whole business community,” said Mayor Kurt Wheeler.
Preparing for the future
Chamber director Neuland said she sees change as a positive occurrence, and one she is excited to see in Cazenovia.
“There is so much more that Caz can be, and I think people are willing … but we need to step out of the box and take a new look,” she said. “What we are lacking is, we are driving people to Fayetteville and Shoppingtown Mall area. If you take a look at what you absolutely have to leave Cazenovia to get — that’s what we’re lacking.”
Some businesses that could benefit Cazenovia include a Dollar Store (“because not everybody makes big bucks to spend,”); a barber shop (“You have no idea how many phone calls I get and am asked, ‘Why is there not a barber in Caz?’”); a computer store for service and supplies, since everybody has some form of computer; some sort of bakery shop or food cooperative like Cazenovia Artisans, such as Manlius has with Side Hill Farmers;
“Cazenovia is a historic town, so bring a little of the old stuff back,” she said. “Look at all the meat vendors we have at the farmers market — there again, that could be a co-op.”
Kuper, owner of the Lincklaen House, agreed that what Cazenovia needs more of is everyday staples.
“What would benefit the village is to figure out a way to keep people in the area so they don’t have to go out of town for staples. Once they do that, they are more likely to eat out of town and do the gift shopping out of town,” he said. “Hopefully with the Beverage Trail and the new hotel we will be able to attract people to Caz that will shop and eat here as well.”
Gissin agreed. “Cazenovia needs more service-oriented shops and less luxury gift shops — more stores that fulfill the needs of the average person,” such as clothing at reasonable prices, baby clothes, everyday staples such as shoes, socks and underwear, and a five-and-dime store with general consumables, he said. Cazenovia needs more stores that provide items for which people will not have to drive to DeWitt or Syracuse.
“Buyea’s is a perfect example,” he said. “He’ll match any advertised price on appliances. So why drive into Syracuse when it’s right here?”
Eldridge said she also would like to see more retail stores in Cazenovia, because, “the more retail we have here, the more people that will come. Competition is healthy.”
Eldridge and Carmeli both said that building owners should make more effort to keep the facades attractive and the appearance of Cazenovia picturesque.
One important issue that absolutely must be addressed for a vibrant and successful business district in Cazenovia, however, is more customer-friendly and common hours of operation. On this, Eldridge, Neuland and Gissin all agreed.
“One important issue is that hours are not cohesive across the businesses downtown,” Eldridge said. She said shops also need to be open longer hours on weekdays and weekends, when people are out shopping and not at work.
“I think we need different open hours in Cazenovia,” Neuland agreed. “We have inconsistent shop hours now, and people don’t know when shops are open.”
“The hours of operation once were convenient to customers, now they are more convenient to store owners,” Gissin said.
He said that being open 9 to 5 only on weekdays is a mentality of “living in the past” when only one person in the family worked during the day and the other could shop, whereas today most families have two parents at work.
He said that when people walk or drive down Albany Street and all the shops are closed and all the lights are off, the village looks deserted. Albany Street — any business street — just needs to be “alive” to make people want to come here and shop, he said.
“Why are you going to go to a dead street?” he said. “Caz needs to change or die. We don’t have to give up our values, just live in the 21st century. If you want to live in a museum, then just put docents at each end of Albany Street and turn it into Colonial Williamsburg.”
“Change is inevitable, but I see it all as a positive. There’s still a lot of untapped resources and creative people in our area. I think we can be not bigger, but better,” Eldridge said.
Jason Emerson is the editor of the Cazenovia Republican. He can be reached at [email protected].
