In honor of Small Business Saturday, we wanted to recognize some of our favorite local business and restaurants around our Outposts.
Small Business Saturday near our NY Outpost
Homer & Langley’s Mystery Spot Antiques, 72 Main St, Phoenicia, NY 12464
Owner Laura Levine named her Catskills antique staple after the famous Collyer brothers, who were crushed under their joint accumulation of collectables, and her store is packed to the rafters with truly everything. Her “shrine to clutter” is full of quirky and enigmatic objects, from vinyls and fashion pieces to old cameras, dinnerware, radios, and photographs.
Rive Gauche Bistro, 7 2nd St, Athens, NY 12015
Rive Gauche Bistro feels like a little piece of France just off the Hudson River. Chef Joe Landa worked in NY fine dining before opening his restaurants in charming Athens with partner Brooke Lynski, who designed the restaurant. This little French bistro serves wonderful plates, from apps to dessert from brunch ‘til dinner and beyond. Weekend brunches fill up quickly for the coffee and baked goods and, later in the evening, a great wine menu. The French onion soup is, of course, one of the highlights.
Gracie’s, 969 Main St, Leeds, NY 12451
Sitting on a hill overlooking a creek and the Catskills, Gracie’s Luncheonette serves hot comfort food for not only lunch, but well into dinner and beyond. Culinary Institute of America graduates Allyson Merritt and Andrew Speilberg opened the space in 2015 as a commissary kitchen for their food truck, and it quickly became well-known for its American signatures. Meals are leisurely and delicious, and the plates that standout are the fresh donuts, homemade Italian sodas and ketchup, waffles and fried chicken with maple syrup, and their assortment of pies.
Small Business Saturday near our DC Outpost
Bald Top Brewing Co., 1830 Thrift Rd, Madison, VA 22727
Scottish immigrant and land owner John Henry Price began building the Manor House and Stone Kitchen that would become Bald Top Brewing Co. in 1805. He didn’t live to see its completion in 1814, and the 53-acre farming property changed hands five times before it was acquired by Dave Fulton and Julie Haines in 2012. The couple transformed the farm into a family brewery. Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Bald Top Brewing Co. serves a diverse assemblage of ales and beers and live music on the weekends.
Bizou, 119 West Main St, Charlottesville, VA 22903
Chefs and co-owners Vincent Derquenne and Timothy Burgess opened Bizou in 1996 with a commitment to local and sustainable food sourcing to cook up their classic VA creations prepared with French culinary techniques. Visitors can dine outside on the patio and people watch or inside in the restaurant’s vintage dining room that, complete with jukeboxes, old film posters, and classic booths, oozes an old-timey character and ambiance in this lively college town.
Bluegrass Grill & Bakery, 313 2nd St SE, Charlottesville, VA 22902
This brunch-obsessed restaurant opened its doors in 2001 and rolled out its American, Southern-style breakfast and brunch plates. All bread, biscuits, and pastries are homemade and the menu is vegetarian friendly, even though the owners admit to their obsession with bacon on everything. UVA students cite Bluegrass as a “before you graduate” staple, and the banana and red velvet pancakes will make you wish you lived closer to Charlottesville so you could eat here every weekend. Heads up: they are cash only, so come prepared.
Small Business Saturday near our Boston Outpost
The Little Crêperie, 138 N Main St, Concord, NH 03301
This adorable cafe opened in 2016 to serve breakfasts and lunches of sweet and savory crepes and waffles. Owners Melina Ambargis and Cristina Hoppe began The Little Crêperie together when they struggled to find good places to grab lunch while working office jobs. Their restaurant offers unique yet familiar tastes to Concord, such as the classic Nutella-banana crepe or a macaroni-and-cheese waffle. Alongside lemonade, cold brew, mimosas, coffee, and tea, fresh ingredients fill each pastry with plenty of vegan options. You can even create a custom crepe to try something different with every visit.
The Farmer’s Kitchen, 444 NH-11, Farmington, NH 03835
The Farmer’s Kitchen is the definition of a mom-and-pop eatery. Owner Duane White began cooking at age 4, and he returned to New Hampshire after restauranteering in the Midwest to open a cozy eatery, complete with a 1910 cook stove. It’s a must-stop for breakfast and lunch, serving up great food and big portions at a good price. Everything down to the coffee is delicious, and the gluten-free and vegetarian options are no exception. Approaching 10 years in operation, this restaurant treats everyone like family and is loved by locals and visitors alike.
Sweet Baby Vineyard, 260 Stage Rd, Hampstead, NH 03841
Lewis and Stacey Eaton began making wine in 2008 as a hobby, and it quickly grew into a family business. Growing up in New Hampshire instilled in them a love of fresh produce from the local orchards and farms, and the family decided to incorporate these tastes into their wines. Their 8-acre location in Hampstead hosts year-round tastings of their award-winning bouquets, reds, whites, and fruit wines.