The Rise and Fall of Stores Across New Paltz

Locals, tourists and students alike count on New Paltz for a specific, yet familiar scene: colorful, art-filled souvenir shops, pubs oozing with the sounds of beloved local bands and a plethora of pizza spots, of which everyone has a different favorite. But as college classes and fall foliage bring crowds to New Paltz for the autumn season, leaves are not the only things changing.

An alarming amount of New Paltz staples shut their doors in the last year, including many that served the town for years. After eight years of business, the New Paltz location of Schatzi’s Pub and Bier Garden closed alongside its 12-year-running neighbor A Tavola on New Year’s Eve 2023, taking the lead for the year of business closures to follow in 2024. Schatzi’s owner Jeremy Phillips pointed to the pandemic, inflation and labor shortages as the main factors that contributed to their closing in a Facebook post last year. 

“The tourists just never came back after COVID. It’s weird. Sometimes you’ll see people walking around town, but nobody’s going in any stores,” MaryAnn Tozzi, the owner of the recently closed shop Kon Tiki Trading Post said. Kon Tiki, originally owned by Virginia and Oscar Montesa, was fixed on Main St. for over 30 years. It was set to close in 2019 before Tozzi, a New Paltz native, took over the space with a business partner, eventually running it by herself in 2021. With the business, she worked to revive the small-town community feeling that she experienced growing up, selling local artists’ work and maintaining competitive prices. However, it was a fight to stay open, with the store operating month-to-month since COVID hit. While some of Tozzi’s obstacles were retail-specific, such as the parking meters hindering customers, she is not the only long-term business that struggled to keep its doors open. The owners of Russo’s, an Italian deli that operated on Main St., announced their retirement in May after 12 years of business. Village Pizza closed on Aug. 27 after over five years of business, thanking their devoted customers on Facebook. Other establishments like Best Pizza, Zaytune Mediterranean Cafe and Ruby’s Restaurant have quietly shut their doors with no announcements or explanations, leaving New Paltz residents wondering where they went. 

One of the most recent announcements comes from Huckleberry, a restaurant that has served its upscale pub offerings for nearly 10 years. “Unfortunately, we have not been able to come to sustainable lease terms and must prepare ourselves, our staff and you all for the pending closure of Huckleberry in the near future,” said the restaurant’s Facebook. Owner Julie Dabbs-Simkiss told the Times Union that while the restaurant’s landlord had been increasing their rent around $300 each year, their landlord’s new increase would be 10 times higher with a 30% increase. With an affordable housing crisis throughout the Hudson Valley, they had already lost many staff members who migrated to areas with cheaper housing. 

This news inspired sadness and outrage amongst New Paltz residents who are growing increasingly frustrated with the business closures and rent increases in town. “When even businesses that are successful by every metric are forced to close, something is deeply wrong,” New Paltz resident Kyle Miller wrote in a letter to the New Paltz Village Board, Planning Board, Building Department and Congressman Pat Ryan. In the letter, he expressed concerns about New Paltz not being able to draw any renters, tourists or business owners to sustain the town. “What business owner in their right mind would even consider opening an establishment of any sort in New Paltz, when demands like this are being made by commercial landlords in the village?”

Though local businesses are facing an increasingly difficult climate, many of the vacant storefronts that have filled the streets of New Paltz in the last year have been taken over fairly quickly. In April, Underground Coffee & Ales, a café and bar originating in Highland, announced their second location at Schatzi’s old space. The shop is still using the outdoor patio and serving “pub grub” but now offers breakfast and 10 taps of craft beer, rotating regularly to include new specialties and old favorites.

Russo’s storefront has made a seamless transition to becoming the Pickled Pig Deli, owned by Stephen DiFiore, who has kept the deli running since their lease started on May 7. He has been slowly renovating and updating the space after business hours. Despite making the space his own, he has kept menu items like the “Luca” chicken sandwich loved by Russo’s regulars. 

Zaytune’s old space was taken over by Agave, a Latin-Asian fusion spot serving “coliflor” bowls and tacos with General Tso’s cauliflower. Being owner and Wallkill-native Kevin Arias’ first restaurant, he crafted the menu with CIA-trained chef Steban Sanchez. Though many are disappointed to see New Paltz’s only Mediterranean restaurant go, Agave’s cuisine and margaritas have already drawn a consistent crowd since their opening on July 10.

Kon Tiki’s space, once crowded with tchotchkes and smoking accessories, is now lined with jars of loose leaf tea and spices since The Ridge took over. The specialty tea and coffee shop has been at 9 N Chestnut St. for over three years, moving to their new location at 70 Main St. on Sept. 12. They spent the summer renovating the space to fit their aesthetic with a more open space and vintage touches throughout the store. Now being one of the only coffee stores located on Main St., the community has quickly shown up for the local business. “It’s interesting to see all the Kon Tiki customers coming in,” Ridge co-owner Chris Galeano said. “They’re sad because of course their shop is gone, but at the same time, they’re so excited to see what we have done to the place.” 

The Groovy Blueberry, a clothing store that closed Nov. 2023, is now inhabited by Windfall Farms Community Market, where they sell goods from local farmers on the right side of the building; however, there is more to come. They are partnering with The Herbal Confectionary, an infused edible company, with plans to open a micro-dispensary and cannabis café on the left side of the space. While they are awaiting the proper licensing from the state, they will open the café this spring with or without the cannabis.

This fall, McGillicuddy’s owners Brian Keenan and Craig Gioia are set to open Sideshow, a new restaurant in the parking lot behind Cuddy’s, serving smoked meats reminiscent of carnival food. They will have both indoor and outdoor seating, with a garage door leading to a patio and firepit for customers to eat and drink beside.  

Keenan and Gioia have sustained decades of business closures and openings in New Paltz, and despite the ups and downs they believe in a future for the town and its businesses. 

“I’ve been in this town long enough to know that there are cycles [of business closures]. We’re now seeing another cycle with the food and labor cost getting so expensive,” Keenan said. “It’s forcing businesses to close, so I’m concerned with those costs, but I’m confident in what we’re building.”