Dear EscapeMakers - Tis' the season to support independent makers, artists and artisans. Lucky for you, the Sullivan Catskills is a holiday shoppers dream come true! Plan a weekend shopping trip; make your list, check it twice. There's something unique, one-of-a-kind, and made with local love waiting for you… The Farmhouse Project Pop-up Shop Friday-Sunday thru December 22 - 11am - 7pm Shop The Farmhouse Project Pop-Up Shop in Livingston Manor for their new winter collection of table linens, dinnerware, candles and other curiosities, all made locally in Upstate, NY. Wurtsboro Arts Alliance Holiday Show Saturdays & Sundays thru December 21 - 12-4pm Shop the Wurtsboro Arts Alliance Holiday Show for affordable gifts made by local artists. You'll find pottery, ceramics, jewelry, photos, ornaments, greeting cards, and more. Handmade for the Holidays Saturday & Sunday, December 14 & 15 - 11am-5pm Find your way to Duke Pottery for their 13th Annual Handmade for the Holidays featuring 30+ artists and makers. Plus, you'll find the largest array of pottery made by potter/owner, Carolyn Duke. Holiday Pop-Up Shop with Buck Brook Alpacas Thru December 24 - Mon-Sat 11am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm Find everything alpaca, plus provisions and gifts from local makers at Buck Brook Alpacas Holiday Pop-Up Shop. IndieMart Narrowsburg Friday thru Sunday, December 13-15 IndieMart Narrowsburg features an array of local artists with unique and one-of-a-kind wares. Shop 20+ vendors each weekend upstairs at the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance Recital Hall. For more holiday happenings, visit: SullivanCatskills.com
Dear EscapeMakers – Tis’ the season to support independent makers, artists and artisans. Lucky for you, the Sullivan Catskills is a holiday shoppers dream come true! Plan a weekend shopping trip; make your list, check it twice. There’s something unique, one-of-a-kind, and made with local love waiting for you… The Farmhouse Project Pop-up Shop Friday-Sunday thru December 22 – 11am – 7pm Shop The Farmhouse Project Pop-Up Shop in Livingston Manor for their new winter
This holiday season, express your values by giving gifts grown in the earth beneath your feet, on the farms of Central Jersey. Support local farmers, promote sustainability, and encourage healthy lifestyles by shopping small and local. Many Central Jersey farms are open throughout the holidays, selling everything from Christmas trees and wreathes, to gift boxes and baskets, meat and poultry, and other holiday season essentials. Visit our farms and wineries yourself, or take advantage of the convenience of online orders and shipping. On Farm & Online -- Numerous farms and wineries welcome you to their on-premise stores, while also offering the option to order online for direct shipping to your or your loved one. They include: • Bobolink Dairy & Bakehouse, an organic farm in Milford, NJ can ship its award-winning cheeses, gift baskets, and even bacon, sausage, and charcuterie, usually frozen and packed in dry ice, to any destination nationwide! • Cherry Grove Farm, operating sustainably in Lawrence, NJ offers gift boxes of local organic cheeses and gift baskets of artisan foods available for online purchase and shipment. • Hidden Spring Lavender Farm in Skillman, NJ is open weekends and online shopping anytime offers a wide variety of holiday gift options made with lavender, including plush animals, lotions, fragrances, and products made from the wool of its adorable alpacas. • Hopewell Valley Vineyards, and award-winning winery in Pennington, NJ has an online store with the ability to ship wines in New Jersey and to a limited number of other states. Hopewell Valley brings Old World wine making methods to New Jersey. · • Old York Cellars is ready for the holidays, with a winery in Ringoes, NJ plus retail locations in two central Jersey malls, as well as its online store. They now offer an answer to the
This holiday season, express your values by giving gifts grown in the earth beneath your feet, on the farms of Central Jersey. Support local farmers, promote sustainability, and encourage healthy lifestyles by shopping small and local. Many Central Jersey farms are open throughout the holidays, selling everything from Christmas trees and wreathes, to gift boxes and baskets, meat and poultry, and other holiday season essentials. Visit our farms and wineries yourself, or take advantage of
For over 100 years, Essex Market has served as a meeting place for the Lower East Side community. It is a public market made up of many smaller vendors who pride themselves on getting to know their customers. Its friendly vendors offer a unique array of products in a welcoming, community-oriented environment. You can be on a first-name basis with your butcher, cheese monger, grocer, and fishmonger. And if you're in the mood to nosh, its prepared-food merchants and restaurants can satisfy any appetite. The Essex Market vendors all have an individual story and distinctive personality that add flavor to their already delicious offerings. These are the people that give a true and genuine neighborhood feel to this historic public market. From coffee to cheese to seafood to beer and so much more, check out the full list of vendors here. Celebrate the vendors of this public market at the 2nd Annual Deck the Stalls Holiday Market. On December 8th in the Seaport District, and from December 13th - 15th at Essex Market, enjoy a special celebration of small businesses and local vendors that represent the unique cultures of New York City. Come shop, listen to live music, explore the market and get to know so many of the city's vendors. Essex Market favorite, Porto Rico Importing Co., will be one of the local vendors represented during Deck the Stalls. They are a small family owned coffee roasting and tea importing company with a main store in Greenwich Village, New York and roasting facility in Brooklyn. They where founded in 1907 as a retail store supplying the many Italians in the area with products they where used to in Italy: coffee beans, teas leaves, botanicals, herbs, Italian bitters like Fernet Branca, dried mushrooms, olive oil, espresso coffee makers, teapots and
For over 100 years, Essex Market has served as a meeting place for the Lower East Side community. It is a public market made up of many smaller vendors who pride themselves on getting to know their customers. Its friendly vendors offer a unique array of products in a welcoming, community-oriented environment. You can be on a first-name basis with your butcher, cheese monger, grocer, and fishmonger. And if you’re in the mood to nosh,
Dear EscapeMakers -- As Ithaca's annual fall foliage display ends, it's now time to begin planning that peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the holiday rush. Plan to spend your holiday in a cozy home-away-from-home retreat, or wind-down before or after your typical celebrations by getting away. Either way, between the snow-blanketed hills, frozen waterfalls, and agriculinary-focused festivities, Ithaca is interesting all winter. Ithaca is quirky, and will happily admit to that. How quirky you ask? Well, have you heard of Ithaca's favorite past-time-Rutabaga curling? Yes, the root vegetable; and yes, the Olympic sport everyone becomes obsessed with every 4 years. Annually, on the last outdoor farmers market of the season, December 21st this year, the masses gather to compete in the International Rutabaga Curling Championship competition. Filled with festive refreshments, wintry ceremonies, skilled curling and immeasurable fun, this event is a can't miss. Have you heard of the tradition of wassailing? It's an ancient English ceremony performed in the winter to bring good health to a cider orchard. These festivities can include dancing, singing, costumes, craft cider and celebrating the oldest tree in the orchard. Redbyrd Orchard Cider is keeping the tradition alive with local music, good food, excellent cider and a vibrant community of people to join with in celebration! Each year, as many prepare to celebrate the holidays or take stock of the year to come, a unique and special pop-up farmers market is held to provide local, fresh food options of all kinds. In the newly renovated Press Bay Alley and Court, local farmers and artisans sell their locally made crafts to market attendees. You can find items to feed your loved ones such as organic produce, free range meats, deluxe cheese, craft beverages, fresh-made breads, honey, maple syrup, and so much more. You
Dear EscapeMakers — As Ithaca’s annual fall foliage display ends, it’s now time to begin planning that peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the holiday rush. Plan to spend your holiday in a cozy home-away-from-home retreat, or wind-down before or after your typical celebrations by getting away. Either way, between the snow-blanketed hills, frozen waterfalls, and agriculinary-focused festivities, Ithaca is interesting all winter. Ithaca is quirky, and will happily admit to that. How
Download Danielle's course, “Social Media and Storytelling for Destinations” here. Danielle is a Capricorn on a mission to help farm, food and lifestyle brands succeed using the power of digital media. For the past 22 years, she's had her hand in marketing - working with businesses big and small, across all platforms and genres. Working in print, radio and now digital, she's seen marketing shift like never before and at such a rapid speed. Reading and researching, she keeps up on trends and best practices for her clients, including Sullivan Catskills Tourism, Narrowsburg Farmer's Market and Whitestag Farm. She's currently offering a social media intensive online class online called Super Fine Social. In Danielle's training course, learn to up the strength of your social media game through storytelling. This workshop, which focuses on promoting destinations, increases your skill level and will help you reach and engage your target customers. Learn how to create a strategy that builds awareness and drives traffic while streamlining the process for proper in-house engagements. Danielle uses specific case studies to show low cost and effective ways you can leverage content creation from your customers and fans. "Attention is the most valuable commodity in marketing," Danielle explains. "And if you're not producing a strong content strategy that incorporates the user experience, it's kind of like shouting out into the wind." Download Danielle's course, “Social Media and Storytelling for Destinations” here.
Download Danielle’s course, “Social Media and Storytelling for Destinations” here. Danielle is a Capricorn on a mission to help farm, food and lifestyle brands succeed using the power of digital media. For the past 22 years, she’s had her hand in marketing – working with businesses big and small, across all platforms and genres. Working in print, radio and now digital, she’s seen marketing shift like never before and at such a rapid speed. Reading and researching,
Download Jennifer's course, “Capturing the Eco-Traveler & Making Green Improvements” here. Jennifer Woofter is the founder and president of Strategic Sustainability Consulting (SSC). In this role she draws upon more than a decade of experience in the fields of organizational sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and socially responsible investing. She has worked with more than 50 clients on projects including Green Auditing, Sustainability Planning, Carbon Footprint Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement, Training and Facilitation, and Sustainability Reporting. She currently manages the SSC Consultant Network, an association of more than 650 professionals with expertise in virtually every area of sustainability. The "Capturing the Eco-Tourism Market" workshop will focus on the key trends driving travel towards more environmentally conscious choices and how tourism businesses can most effectively position themselves to capture this growing niche. You’ll learn hot trends in eco-tourism that you can apply right away, real-life examples of hotels, wineries, farms and cities that are using eco-tourism features to engage and delight their guests and practical ways to green your facilities and destinations and reduce your environmental footprint. "The hospitality industry spends more than $7.5 billion on energy each year," Jennifer explains. "Reducing energy use by 10% across the industry could save $750 million and help reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 6 million tons." Download Jennifer's course, “Capturing the Eco-Traveler & Making Green Improvements” here.
Download Jennifer’s course, “Capturing the Eco-Traveler & Making Green Improvements” here. Jennifer Woofter is the founder and president of Strategic Sustainability Consulting (SSC). In this role she draws upon more than a decade of experience in the fields of organizational sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and socially responsible investing. She has worked with more than 50 clients on projects including Green Auditing, Sustainability Planning, Carbon Footprint Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement, Training and Facilitation, and Sustainability Reporting. She currently
It was supposed to be a place to retire. But, now it seems Kimm and Ken Schick are working harder than ever. Hummingbird Hills Winery is a labor of love, though. "We actually grow the product and create it here," Ken says. "When we got in this business, we wanted to create a product that we make ourselves. "You have to have a passion for it, like any other farmer," says the former contractor. Ken and Kimm are New Jersey transplants who sought a quiet country life in upstate New York. After purchasing the former dairy farm, they had to figure out something to do with the land. "The grapes were not in our minds at all," says Kimm, who owned a deli back in Jersey. "We actually went back and forth over what we would do." Grapes were an odd choice, perhaps, as many varietals are difficult to grow here. "When we set out to do something, we don't quit. It's not in our vocabulary," Kimm says. "To do something that we love and bring everything full circle is something that keeps us going." They certainly went for it. The 1,200 vines they planted in 2001 as a base for their home winemaking has evolved into 28 acres of grapes and a business. Plan a weekend getaway to visit Central New York and experience all of the delicious, local gems the Brew Central, “America’s Craft Brew Destination,” has to offer!
It was supposed to be a place to retire. But, now it seems Kimm and Ken Schick are working harder than ever. Hummingbird Hills Winery is a labor of love, though. “We actually grow the product and create it here,” Ken says. “When we got in this business, we wanted to create a product that we make ourselves. “You have to have a passion for it, like any other farmer,” says the former contractor. Ken
Download Donna's course, “Using Public Transit to Fuel Your Marketing Strategy” here. Between her former marketing and promotions positions at Dutchess County Tourism, at New York City Transit and her current position at Metro-North Railroad, Donna Haynes has nearly 20 years of experience with promotional partnership and leisure travel marketing in the public transportation industry. Tourism marketing, corporate sponsorship and sales promotions are just a few of the areas that are woven into her day to day professional arena. Her specialties include: relationship building and partnership development, packaging, marketing campaign planning and placement, leisure travel marketing to support destination and transportation business success. As more travelers opt for car-less travel to save money, time and the planet, destinations need to position themselves to capitalize on the green travel movement. In Donna's training course, learn how to help your visitors connect the dots and understand why your address and a google map are not enough. Donna will touch on creating travel packages for customer value, discount rail packages, rail & tour offers, hotel packages and marketing channels for promoting the packages. Find out how to lead visitors to your doorstep with travel information that leaves a breadcrumb trail at all of your touch points. "When you're talking about getting this audience to come up to your destination, you need to think about how are they going to get there," says Donna. "Are you close to the train station? Is there a bus stop nearby? Are they going to have to take the train and then take a cab? How much does that cab ride cost and how far is that cab and is that service available? Do you have Uber and Lyft that service your destination? How long would it take... there are just so many questions you have to ask."
Download Donna’s course, “Using Public Transit to Fuel Your Marketing Strategy” here. Between her former marketing and promotions positions at Dutchess County Tourism, at New York City Transit and her current position at Metro-North Railroad, Donna Haynes has nearly 20 years of experience with promotional partnership and leisure travel marketing in the public transportation industry. Tourism marketing, corporate sponsorship and sales promotions are just a few of the areas that are woven into her day
Moore Street Market is the only remaining La Guardia-Era structure in New York City. Opened in 1941, this Brooklyn gem is integral to the fabric of East Williamsburg. The Market is characterized by deep-rooted Latino influences, ubiquitously seen in the Market’s cuisine and produce sold. Formerly managed by the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation, the 15,000 square foot market is located within the bustling Graham Avenue shopping district in between the J and L subway lines. The Market is amid exciting times, receiving a $2.5 million-dollar renovation to revitalize the market structure and space. Come along for the ride as we restore and rehab this glorious market for the 21st century! Celebrate the vendors of this public market at the 2nd Annual Deck the Stalls Holiday Market. On December 8th in the Seaport District, and from December 13th – 15th at Essex Market, enjoy a special celebration of small businesses and local vendors that represent the unique cultures of New York City. Come shop, listen to live music, explore the market and get to know so many of the city’s vendors. Some of the local favorites that will be represented at these special events include: Turko’s Grill: Delicious local eats! Tories Treasures: Handmade accessories and jewelry, perfect for holiday gifting!
Moore Street Market is the only remaining La Guardia-Era structure in New York City. Opened in 1941, this Brooklyn gem is integral to the fabric of East Williamsburg. The Market is characterized by deep-rooted Latino influences, ubiquitously seen in the Market’s cuisine and produce sold. Formerly managed by the Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation, the 15,000 square foot market is located within the bustling Graham Avenue shopping district in between the J and L subway lines.
Italian heritage, cuisine, and hospitality are overtly observed when walking throughout Arthur Avenue. Since October of 1940, the public market has remained fixed along Belmont’s main thoroughfare as an established culinary beacon situated within the Bronx’s impressive Little Italy district. The surrounding area was almost exclusively Italian in the early 20th century and upon opening day Arthur Avenue has been predominately occupied by Italian vendors. Today, once inside the boisterous space, the rich smells of hand rolled cigars and fresh cut capicola permeate the market air. Butchers and cheese mongers are observant on either side of the market while walking down the aisles of fresh produce, and at one end of the market lies a new beer hall. In a reserved corner cured meat are hung from the ceiling like the Italian and American flags that reside in the market space. The Italian bazaar is a Bronx secret just waiting to be explored. Celebrate the vendors of this public market at the 2nd Annual Deck the Stalls Holiday Market. On December 8th in the Seaport District, and from December 13th – 15th at Essex Market, enjoy a special celebration of small businesses and local vendors that represent the unique cultures of New York City. Come shop, listen to live music, explore the market and get to know so many of the city’s vendors. Some of the local favorites that will be represented at these special events include: Gene Bean: Ice cream and Italian ice! La Casa Grande Cigars: La Casa Grande Cigars proudly offers the finest and freshest selection of hand-rolled cigars in the New York City area. Their cigars are freshly-rolled by artisans in their factory location in the world famous Arthur Avenue Retail Market in the Bronx.
Italian heritage, cuisine, and hospitality are overtly observed when walking throughout Arthur Avenue. Since October of 1940, the public market has remained fixed along Belmont’s main thoroughfare as an established culinary beacon situated within the Bronx’s impressive Little Italy district. The surrounding area was almost exclusively Italian in the early 20th century and upon opening day Arthur Avenue has been predominately occupied by Italian vendors. Today, once inside the boisterous space, the rich smells of
