February 8, 2025
Entrepreneurs Heading to Small Towns in the Catskills to Find Big Success

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For centuries, New Yorkers have fled the city’s heat during the summer to the cooler climate of the upper Catskills.

Today, those legendary peaks are having a real renaissance, and NYC residents are relocating there permanently to enjoy the mental state.

Here’s how he did it.

Camp Catskill, Tannersville

Ryan Penny founded Camp Catskill as a web-based hiking outfitter in 2021 before opening a brick-and-mortar store in Tannersville in 2022.

The gear shop sells camping and hiking essentials, clothing, shoes, backpacks, and gifts.

Penny’s best advice for anyone who is thinking about leaving those crowded city streets?

Camp Catskill sells camping and hiking essentials, clothing, shoes, backpacks, and gifts. Courtesy of Ryan Penny Ryan Penny says high weekend foot traffic and location have played a big role in the success of his business. Courtesy of Ryan Penny

“Location, location, location! For a business like ours, being in a village that sees high weekend footfall and is located close to so many outdoor recreation options is ideal,” Penny said.

“We’re also interested in making our specific region unique by creating specialty products like our T-shirts with local landmarks like Kaaterskill Falls and The Devil’s Path,” he added.

Wakeman Coffee, Sydney

Opening in December 2021, this wholesale coffee roaster (you can order its delicious coffee online) is located in a historic firehouse in this quaint Delaware County village.

It reflects exactly the kind of small town splendor that urbanites dream of.

Jesse Wakeman and Sage McKinley, co-owners of Wakeman Coffee in Sydney, NY. Tony Walley Photography

“We have seen new friendships and existing friendships strengthened as well as relationships within the local arts community,” said co-owner Sage McKinley. “The Catskills are a unique place because they have been home to generations of local people who have come from a very diverse range of backgrounds.”

Sounds Good Music House, Andes

This labor of love between good friends is “a literal mom and pop” record store, according to co-founder Greg Evans, who runs it with his wife, Lindsey Nolin-Evans, and three friends.

Established in 2022, the store stocks new and used vinyl, turntables, original artwork and vintage furniture.

Greg Evans and wife Lindsey Nolin-Evans, along with three friends, make coffee at Sounds Good music house and keep making records. Courtesy of Greg Evans

Evans highlights that they host in-store performances and “always have a pot of coffee brewing.”

He shared, “My wife and I have been living in Ridgewood, Queens for a few years and we closed on a house in the Andes in March 2020.” “My wife is a painter and I own an architecture practice called Restless Works. I always thought it would be cool to enter my studio through a record store, so when this building became available, we did.”

Boarding House at Seminary Hill, Calicoon

Founder and CEO Doug Doetsch opened his boutique hotel in 2021 on a campus made up of a restaurant, event space and cider orchard (the world’s first energy-efficient Passive House-certified cidery) as a tribute to his ancestral roots.

“My family comes from Calicut, and so I never thought of opening a business anywhere else. My parents had to move away in search of decent middle-class jobs, Deutsch said, and one of my goals was to provide jobs for local residents.

Deutsch also appreciates the emphasis on caring for the land and people that pervades Seminary Hill.

“Sustainability is a core value of all businesses at Seminary Hill; Managing the land and the community that has nurtured my family for five generations,” he said.

External Institute, Calicut

Founding naturalist Laura Chavez Silverman founded this organization in 2017 to provide outdoor nature-based education, opening an outpost in Calicoon this year.

Year-round programming includes guided nature walks, sustainable pastures, wildcrafting workshops, and botanical mixology, to name a few highlights.

The Outside Institute provides year-round, nature-based education. Courtesy of Peter Crosby

Chavez Silverman said, “By nurturing people’s power of observation and innate attraction to the wilderness, we hope to inspire joyful awareness and an essential reciprocity among all beings.”

If you’re looking to move to a rural town, Chavez Silverman advises taking your time and seeing what’s needed.

“See where you can fit into the existing ecosystem and how you can serve the community,” he said.

Diamond Hollow Books & Healing, Andes

Miles Bellamy and his business partner and wife Susie open their unique shop in October 2021.

As well as selling books, the venue welcomes lecturers, offers holistic health sessions in the Wolf Room and hosts art shows.

A New York City native, Miles worked at his father’s art gallery in Queens before opening a bookstore in Williamsburg, which he happily resigned from in 2021.

Miles Bellamy and wife Susie open Diamond Hollow Books & Healing in 2021. Satya Tisman Photography The bookshop welcomes lecturers, offers holistic health sessions and hosts art shows. Courtesy of Miles C. Bellamy

“The Catskills are a magnet for explorers and many of them find their way through our doors,” he said.

Susie, a shamanic Reiki practitioner, focuses on the “healing” aspect of the store’s namesake.

Miles’ biggest takeaway for potential starter-uppers in these parts is not to start with little money.

“But once you get here and spend a little time among the vibrant community and majesty of our mountains, you won’t want to leave,” he cautioned.

Catskill Art Space, Livingston Manor

Teleport yourself back to Brooklyn across a centuries-old mountain range at this contemporary arts center.

In addition to exhibits, the Catskill Art Space (CAS) welcomes performances, classes, lectures, and screenings for modern art lovers of all types.

The Catskill Art Space hosts exhibits, classes, lectures, and screenings for modern art lovers of all types. Courtesy of Zach Hyman

“CAS was founded in 1971 by Charles F. Beck at his Cooks Falls home as a way for artists to gather and share common interests,” said executive director Sally Wright and former Upper West Sider.

CAS was incorporated in 1972 as the non-profit Catskill Art Society and moved to Hurleyville to reside in the Sullivan County Museum building along with the Sullivan County Historical Society.

Fast forward to 2007, CAS renovated the Manor Theater at Livingston Manor to create exhibition space and classrooms.

Sculpture by Forrest Myers. Courtesy of Zach Hyman

In 2020, CAS underwent another major renovation and expansion, and reopened in 2022 as the Catskill Art Space.

Wright personally moved from New York City to Livingston Manor in 2017 to help shepherd this most recent era of CAS’ reimagining.

“After a long stint at Diya Art Foundation in the city, I was eager to step forward and begin a project that could be transformative for the organization and our city,” she said.

Francis Cape’s “A Gathering of Utopian Benches” inside the cas. Courtesy pf Noah Kalina

In looking for a new city, Wright said it’s important to go to a place that feels livable year-round.

“Whether you’re making it a part-time or full-time residency, seek out cultural institutions that can enrich your life through art classes, exhibitions, screenings, performances and more,” said Wright. “A vibrant artist community is a sign that the city is invested in civic and social engagement, economic renewal, and childhood well-being.”

Blue Fox Motel, Narrowsburg

This village on the Delaware River may only have a population of 370 residents, but it’s home to NYC-worthy wood-fired, sourdough pizza at local restaurant The Laundrette.

That’s also where you’ll find the Blue Fox Motel, one of the most spectacularly renovated properties around, which opened in June 2020.

This summer, he introduced evening pool parties where revelers lounge, snack, swim and lounge to the tunes of live music; Autumn will mark the debut of the Chef’s Supper Club series at the motel’s restaurant.

Blue Fox Motel opened in June 2020. Blue Fox Motel This summer, the motel hosts evening pool parties with live music. During the fall, the Blue Fox Motel will host a Chef’s Supper Club series at the motel’s restaurant. Blue Fox Motel

Owners Meg Sullivan and George Neves both previously lived in Manhattan.

After traveling to the Narrowsburg area for a while, Neves moved to the area full-time in 2016 after purchasing the restaurant, and Sullivan followed when the motel opened during the start of the pandemic.

“We couldn’t have asked for a more inviting and supportive environment,” Sullivan said. “Everyone recognizes that our businesses are only successful when we are all successful, so we go out of our way to help and support each other.”

If you’re thinking of starting a business in a small town, Sullivan suggests, “make sure you feel livable from day one.” This was our experience and we are forever grateful to our new friends and local community.

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