Items tagged with 'business'
An opportunity to talk about entrepreneurship, inclusion, and the local creative economy
The Upstate Alliance for the Creative Economy has a discussion this Thursday evening in Albany about entrepreneurship and inclusion. Blurbage:
Entrepreneurship is a way that many young people of color are circumventing the gatekeepers and barriers-to-entry that exist within traditional companies -- no more HR departments, resumes, and college degrees are needed in order to enter a field.
Instead, entrepreneurs need smarts, training, hustle, dedication, stamina, networks and grit -- things that are available to a wider range of people from a wider range of backgrounds. In this discussion, entrepreneur Jamel Mosely of Collectiveffort and Mel eMedia will interview Rachelle Pean, LCSW, Founder of Chelle Marie Wellness LLC, Jinah Kim, Owner of Sunhee's Farm and Kitchen, and Patrick Harris Jr., President of Collectiveffort -- three Creative Economy entrepreneurs who are creating their own career tracks, without big companies or gatekeepers getting in the way.
The talk is this Thursday, November 15 from 6-8 pm at the YouthFX Studios (25 Warren Street). It's free, but registration is requested.
Fresh Neighborhood Market
The Fresh Neighborhood Market -- a new corner grocery that's aiming to offer healthier options in Albany's West Hill neighborhood -- is now open on Judson Street near Clinton Ave.
Said owner Dileep Rathore when we stopped by this week to talk about the new store: "Come in, enjoy, and I hope I got it. And if I don't, I'll get it for you. I want to be a neighborhood deli."
The Amplify Albany grants are continuing next year, with more money to back events in neighborhoods around the city
Please see the disclosure at the end of this post.
The Amplify Albany grant program is set to continue next year, and that means grants of up to $5,000 will be available for events around the city.
Funding for the program comes from the city of Albany's Capital Resource Corporation, and the CRC recently set aside another $25k to assist more projects.
"The program really started as a way to generate buzz about things that are happening in Albany and generate foot traffic to commercial districts in the city," said Capitalize Albany president Sarah Reginelli. (The city's economic development arm administers the grant program.) "Really the crux of this if you have a great idea for something to do in a commercial district, come in and we'll talk about the possibility of funding it."
The winner of the 2018 AOA Startup Grant is...
There were a bunch of interesting, worthwhile projects submitted for this year's $2,500 AOA Startup Grant.
But we could only have three finalists.
And one winner.
The 2018 AOA Startup Grant is sponsored SEFCU, CDPHP, and the College of Saint Rose
The ruling when it comes to the cash vs. credit card price: There should be no math
New York is one of 11 states that technically prohibits retailers from charging customers a surcharge for using a credit card when making a purchase. But the state's law allows merchants to give people a discount for using cash instead of a card. So, in the end, you can still be charged more for using a card.
The question of how to describe the credit card versus cash price in New York has been working its way through courts for the last few years, and even circulated through the Supreme Court of the United States at one point.
A group of businesses had filed a lawsuit seeking to affirm their right to tell customers, for example, "a haircut costs $10.00, and if you pay with a credit card you will pay 3% extra." The Court of Appeals, New York's highest court, ruled this week that's not allowed. From the majority opinion:
... [W]e conclude that a merchant complies with [this provision of the state's general business law] if and only if the merchant posts the total dollars-and-cents price charged to credit card users. In that circumstance, consumers see the highest possible price they must pay for credit card use and the legislative concerns about luring or misleading customers by use of a low price available only for cash purchases are alleviated. To be clear, plaintiffs' proposed single-sticker pricing scheme - which does not express the total dollars-and-cents credit card price and instead requires consumers to engage in an arithmetical calculation, in order to figure it out - is prohibited by the statute.
In other words, the price listing can't be something like "$10 (+ 3% when using a card)." It must be something like "$10 / $10.30 when using a card."
Over at the New York Law Journal, Dan Clark has more context for the case and highlights one of the judges' dissents over the it's-a-surcharge/it's-a-discount issue.
Earlier: New York State and credit card "checkout fees" (2013)
Here are the three finalists for the 2018 AOA Startup Grant
The hardest part of the $2,500 AOA Startup Grant contest is narrowing down the field to three finalists.
That was especially true this year because there were a bunch of compelling projects. If we had five spots in the final it might not have been enough.
Even so, we had to settle on three -- two picked through crowd voting, one by the editors.
And here are the finalists for this year's AOA Startup Grant, sponsored by SEFCU, CDPHP, and the College of Saint Rose.
The Albany Hardware & Iron Co.
That image above is from a 1927 catalog and it depicts a building in Albany that still stands to this day. You totally know this building. Recognize it?
Look a little closer. Yep, now you probably see it.
It's the U-Haul building on Broadway in Albany, the one that stands tucked between 787 and the river, with the truck on the roof.
The building was originally the home of the Albany Hardware & Iron Co. Flipping through its almost-century-old catalog we couldn't help but think of Amazon, the dying embers of Sears, and the ongoing effort to get stuff to people when they want it.
Also: It's just really fun to gawk at all the stuff for sale in the old catalog.
A look around Bard & Baker, the new board game cafe in downtown Troy
The board game cafe Bard & Baker is now officially open in Troy. It's in the street-level retail space at the corner of Broadway and 5th Ave in The News, the redeveloped old Troy Record building.
The cafe has more than 400 games board games that you can play all day for as long as you like for a $5 cover. (You can even leave and come back the same day.) There's also a menu that includes all sorts of beverages (coffee, teas, soda, juice, beer, wine, cocktails), along with sandwiches, snacks, and pastries.
Here's a look around the new place...
There's a free law clinic event coming up to assist small businesses
This could be helpful if you're a business owner or starting a new project: A coalition of local groups are offing a clinic for small business law October 11. Event blurbage:
If you are an entrepreneur and have questions about what type of entity you should form for your business; what types of contracts you need for your business; what to look for in a commercial lease; or how to protect your ideas, products, and brands, consider signing up for a FREE brief legal consultation with an attorney. ...
We will have attorneys with experience in business, corporate, intellectual property, alcohol & beverage, and real estate law to provide free brief legal consultations.
The orgs backing the clinic are The Legal Project, the Community Loan Fund of the Capital Region, the Community Development Clinic at Albany Law School, and the Institute of Nonprofit Leadership and Community Development at UAlbany.
Consultations are via appointment only -- call 518-435-1770 to claim a spot.
Crowd voting is now open for the 2018 AOA Startup Grant! You can help pick the finalists!
Voting is now open for the 2018 AOA Startup Grant! Here's the ballot!
Three finalists will be chosen to compete for the $2,500 prize. Crowd voting will pick two of the finalists, the AOA editors will pick the third. Voting closes October 11 at noon.
The finalists will make presentations to a panel of judges on October 25, and the panel will pick the winner.
There are a bunch of very strong contenders this year. It might be the best field we've ever had, full of interesting projects. Go have a look at the applications.
Big thanks to SEFCU, CDPHP, and the College of Saint Rose for sponsoring this year's contest!
Silver Fox Salvage is closing
This is sad to hear: Silver Fox Salvage -- the wonderfully eclectic collection of salvaged architectural and furniture pieces Albany's Warehouse District -- is closing.
From a post on its Facebook page this morning:
To our loyal customers and friends. We regret that after all these years Silver Fox will be closing. We are forced to do this to settle the estate of our founder, Fred Shapiro.
The building and all its contents most be sold. If you previously had some lighting or other pieces you had your eye on please stop in and make a discounted purchase. We we will be open our usual hours 10:30 until 6:00 but closed on Monday. We will still be taking custom orders for tables, vanities and all other pieces.
Please share this with friends and we hope to see you soon.
Thanks, The crew at Silver Fox
Fred Shapiro, who was also an oncologist, started Silver Fox in 2007 with Camille Gibeau. He died in 2013. As Gibeau remembered him then: "He could always turn nothing into something. And he had many interests -- he played blues harp, was a motorcycle racer, had a huge book selling business for a while -- even played on a unicycle basketball team."
Silver Fox wasn't just a repository of salvaged items. Its crew also helped turn reclaimed materials into new pieces for local establishments such as City Beer Hall in Albany and the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Troy, and created custom furniture for clients.
The warehouse on Learned Street will "close when the building contents and lumber are gone," according to its Facebook account.
A look around the Maiden House residential + retail conversion in downtown Albany
That latest project in the ongoing shift of downtown Albany toward being a residential neighborhood: Maiden House.
It includes 18 apartments and a handful of potentially interest retail spaces at the corner of North Pearl Street and Maiden Lane in a building that had been vacant or underused for many years. And it's backed by development company that's becoming a key player in the transformation of downtown.
So, let's have a look around...
A look around the new Bull Moose Club coworking space in downtown Albany
Another sign that coworking is starting to catch on in the Capital Region: Downtown Albany now has not one, not two, but three of the flexible shared work spaces.
The latest to open is the Bull Moose Club, right across State Street from the Capitol. (Yep, it has a bust of Teddy Roosevelt.)
As the location suggests, the space is focusing on a crowd of lobbyists, advocates, trade associations, and startups. And it's backed by the same people who created the Troy Innovation Garage coworking space in downtown Troy.
As with other similar setups, Bull Moose offers a typical menu of office services -- desks, internet, printers, mailboxes, conference rooms, and booths for making phone calls. And it has memberships that allow for the occasional drop in at a first-come-first-sit desk or table, as well as private offices available for rent by the month.
Here's a look around the new space, along with a few questions for its founder, Tom Nardacci -- about coworking, other cities, and changing the culture of the Capital Region.
Ecovative's mushroom root tech is now being used to make (not) leather
This is wild: Ecovative has partnered with a company in California to use its mushroom root tech to make a material that looks remarkably like leather.
That company -- Bolt Threads -- now has a Kickstarter for the first consumer product (tote bags) made with the not-leather, which it's calling Mylo. (That's one of the bags above in the photo.) The Kickstarter went live this week and is almost halfway to its $40,000 goal.
From a Bolt Threads FAQ:
We use corn stalks and supplemental nutrients to feed and grow our mycelium. We precisely control growth conditions like temperature and humidity to encourage the mycelium to grow upward and self-assemble into an organized mat of interconnected cells. Their connections give the material strength. We then use a natural tanning process and compress the mat to be as thin or thick as we'd like the final material to be. At this point the mycelium is no longer growing. The final step is to imprint any desired pattern, which gives us the final material. ...
Our friends at Ecovative pioneered this mycelium fabrication technology, which literally grew out of the great work they've been doing in creating soft flexible foams. We were blown away, and thrilled when they agreed to allow us to help develop it into a commercially viable new material. We've established a long-term partnership with Ecovative to optimize this technology and put processes in place to produce commercial-ready Mylo™ material and bring products to market that consumers will love.
As you know, Ecovative was started by two RPI grads about a decade ago and it's now based in Green Island. It uses what are essentially mushroom roots to bind leftover agricultural materials into various environmentally-friendly packing materials and fiber boards. The tech has gotten the company international attention, and it's been used in all sorts of projects.
photo via Bolt Threads Kickstarter
The AOA Startup Grant is back this fall -- with a $2,500 prize -- and the time to apply is now!
The AOA Startup Grant is back for 2018!!!
This fall we'll again be awarding $2,500 in cash to help a new local project get off the ground, or take an existing small business idea to the next level. This year's contest is sponsored by SEFCU, CDPHP, and the College of Saint Rose.
The startup grant has been one of our favorite AOA events because it's also an opportunity to get a look at some of the good, early-stage ideas that are in progress around the area and shine some attention on them.
And of course, as in years past, you will get to help decide who gets the funding through the crowd vote for two of the finalists.
So we're excited to get things started.
Here's what we're looking for -- and how to apply...
Follow up: The Dutch Udder
AOA is on summer break. So we'll have new follow-ups with people we've met and covered during the last year (or so).
Kehmally Karl and Jeff McCauley started making ice cream as a side project -- creating fun flavors for family and friends. Slowly and methodically, they've turned a hobby, and an incredible talent for creating inventive flavors, into a successful small business: The Dutch Udder.
Flavors found on their ever-changing menu include Nine Pin Cider Sorbet, Grasshopper, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and Rice Crispy Treat ice cream.
At first, they sold ice cream from a cart at markets and festivals and special events. And three years ago the then-fledgling business was also finalist in the AOA Startup Grant contest. Since then, Jeff and Kehmally have opened a storefront on River Street in downtown Troy and they've captured awards for their Philly Vanilla and for their other inventive flavors.
Jeff talked with us about their experience in the ice cream biz so far.
Follow up: The Mop & Bucket Improv Theater
AOA is on summer break. So we'll have new follow-ups with people we've met and covered during the last year (or so).
Just over a year ago, The Mop & Bucket Company -- the Capital Region's longest running improv troupe -- took a leap of faith. Troupe founder Michael Burns and his wife and partner Kat Koppett purchased an abandoned firehouse on North Jay Street in Schenectady, renovated it, and created the MopCo Improv Theater.
They had hopes of creating not just a place for improv performance, but a community space for all sorts of performance, classes, and a hub for creativity. A year later they're creating new improv formats, playing to sold-out houses, expanding their repertoire of classes, and hosting a wide variety of performers from improv to storytellers to sketch comedy.
Oh, and last week, Amy Schumer paid them a visit for a sold out pop-up show.
Michael Burns, who's also MopCo's artistic director, talked with us about this last year of making things up.
Follow up: Radix Center
AOA is on summer break. So we'll have new follow-ups with people we've met and covered during the last year.
A little more than seven years ago Scott Kellogg and Stacy Pettigrew won the very first AOA Start Up Grant competition with their plans for an aquaculture to grow fish and watercress at the [then] new Radix Center for Ecological Sustainability. They were in the midst of constructing an 18-foot greenhouse on a corner of Grand Street in Albany's South End.
Almost a decade later the greenhouse is overflowing with plants, they're selling fish and watercress, running a composting business, raising animals, partnering with neighborhood organizations, and teaching students and city dwellers about their connection to nature -- all while raising two daughters and working on their PhDs.
And still, they found time to talk with us about how things at Radix are going.
Follow up: Franklin Alley Social Club
AOA is on summer break. So we'll have new follow-ups with people we've met and covered during the last year.
Four years ago Heidi and Frank Sicari started renovating the old Knights of Columbus building on 3rd Street in Troy. They've since turned the place into a popular venue for weddings and events called Takk House.
And six months ago they opened a new venture in the basement of Takk: the Franklin Alley Social Club, with a bar, shuffleboard, bocce ball, and old-school games.
They've made the leap from full-time jobs to full-time business owners and they've even managed to hire a staff. So, how's it going?
Follow up: Delaware Supply
AOA is on summer break. So we'll have new follow-ups with people we've met and covered during the last year.
Delaware Supply opened just before Christmas last year next to the Spectrum in the space that had been a series of coffee shops.
The craft beer bar is owned by Colin Pratt, who was previously a manager at Westmere Beverage in Guilderland and as a bartender at Albany Ale and Oyster in Albany.
"Business has been good," he said when we stopped in recently, noting that opening around the time of the Academy Award season provided an early boost as people flocked to The Spectrum to see nominated films.
Follow up: Olive & June
AOA is on summer break. So we'll have new follow-ups with people we've met and covered during the last year.
Cassie Vogel was one of the finalists for last year's AOA Startup Grant. A recent transplant from Portland, Oregon, Cassie opened the Olive & June Floral Company inside of the Fort Orange General Store at the beginning of this year.
Since then she's booked 45 weddings in 2018 alone, and she's run workshops and a retail shop out of Fort Orange.
Follow up: Adirondack Barnwood Salvage
AOA is on summer break. So we'll have new follow-ups with people we've met and covered during the last year.
Longtime friends Nick Ouimet and Adam Weber were the winners of 2017's AOA Startup Grant for their company, Adirondack Barnwood Salvage.
Nick, a West Point faculty member, and Adam, an MBA, used the grant money to take down their first barn and they're eyeing their next one.
Adam took time to share their experience since then with us.
Follow up: Fort Orange Brewing
AOA is on summer break. So we'll have new follow-ups with people we've met and covered during the last year.
Fort Orange Brewing became Albany's third operating brewery when it opened in a space on North Pearl Street in the Warehouse District last October. It's the product of three friends from Castleton -- Craig Johnson, John Westcott, and Jim Eaton -- who decided to make the jump from home brewing.
The space serves as both a brewery and taproom, and on a recent Wednesday night it was busy with people playing in the brewery's popular cornhole league.
"We're very pleased with where we're at being nine months into this thing," Jim Eaton told us a few days later as we talked about how things have gone for the startup brewery -- and their plans to keep growing...
Brewtus Roasting Co.
We got a chance to stop by Brewtus Roasting Co. in Delmar on Wednesday, a relatively new coffee spot tucked into a space between Delaware Ave and the Helderberg Hudson Rail Trail near the Four Corners.
Brewtus was formerly called Barkeater and based in East Greenbush. Owner and roaster Stephen Pivonka changed the name last fall, and opened the Delmar space this past April.
He'd already been selling his products at the Delmar Farmers Market and said he was getting requests for a spot in the hamlet. The town of Bethlehem also chipped in a grant to help the move.
The other draw: Brewtus is in the same building with the Real McCoy Beer Co. and the Royal Meadery.
A look around the new CoLab coworking space in downtown Albany
Ron Grieco, the co-owner of Stacks Espresso, was skeptical when his business partner, Tyler Wrightson, got back from a trip to Florida where he saw a coworking space next to a coffee spot -- and said they should open a coworking space here in Albany.
"I was like no way, this is out of our wheel house," he said. But he thought about it, and the idea started to make sense because they already had experience creating places where people like to hang out. And there was an open space just across the hallway from the Stacks in the Arcade Building in downtown Albany -- with the same sort of huge windows that look out onto the street.
"This was the perfect space because we're right there already," he said. "That was a big thing, striving for the kind of atmosphere that we create in the coffee shop, which is a warm, welcoming atmosphere."
And this past Friday their coworking space -- CoLab -- opened its doors.
Here's a look around the place along with a few bits about what's up.
... said KGB about Drawing: What's something that brought you joy this year?