Archive: Around Town

Everyone knows that if you are in business you are competing against your rivals.  But local businesses that go against that conventional wisdom have found ways to increase business for everybody by teaming up to create events that bring more business for everybody.  Last weekend's Fun Family Weekend is a case in point.  The event brought hundreds of customers and tourists to Baker's Acres, Indian Chimney Farm, King Ferry Winery, and The Plantsmen Nursery.  ""We're all promoting together, instead of against of each other," says Reenie Baker Sandsted, who runs Baker's Acres.  "'Cayuga's East Shore,' is what we say."


"This is different from some of the Wine Trail events where they try to get people around the whole lake in one day," says Pete Saltonstall, owner of King Ferry Winery.  "That's quite a lot.  These things are all close by so everybody can easily get to them in one day."  And it worked.  Many people went to some or all four of the businesses over the course of the weekend.


Each business cross promoted the others, and also offered events to make the weekend special.  King Ferry Winery conducted special wine tastings and had wine tours, malt cider, and a King Ferry band, 'Restless.'  Jeff Kestick manned the Cayuga Lake Creamery ice cream stand, and did great business despite the cold weather."You can't get a wine tour all the time," noted part time employee Dale Parker.  "Pete's here to do the wine tours, so people can see the whole process.  And they're really interested in it." 


Parker was one of about eight employees managing the busy crowd.  91 year old retiree Malvina Hunt was greeting people as they came in.  Hunt builds shipping cases for the winery.  "She's what we all hope to be if we make it to 91," says owner Pete Saltonstall.  This year's official King and Queen of the Cayuga Wine Trail were on hand to taste Treleaven wines.  James and Mary Sullivan won the Wine Trail Marti Gras event last March when sixteen participating wineries voted their costumes the best.  


Saltonstall says increased marketing of the Cayuga Wine Trail has also helped business.  "It's just been growing each year as more wineries join it," he says.  "On this side of the lake we've seen a very good increase."  But he notes that other more local businesses create more of a destination for tourists, and that helps business.  "Businesses like Pumpkin Hill restaurant have been great.  They send people here after lunch, and we send people there for lunch and dinner.  There's a great synergy there."


Attractions at Baker's Acres included a horse drawn wagon, apple cider, story reading, a petting zoo, donut making, and Cheryl the Clown.  The Cayuga Nature Center brought reptiles to show, and the 4H Exchange Club sold out all the pies they had.  Visitors could pick their own apples.  "I'm making apple butter in honor of my Dad, because that was his favorite thing to do," Sandsted said.  Her father, Bob Baker's famous Cornell Sauce barbecued chicken was, of course, a big draw to the event.


The Plantsmen Nursery joined the event for the first time this year, offering hot cider, a juggler, guitarist Ash and other attractions.  Wood carvings by Tony Ferro of Little York, are custom sculptures specially hand carved and exclusive to the nursery.  "He doesn't use a chain saw, and he wants people to know that," Segal reports.  "They're done by hand."  Marian Bowman's pottery was also on hand.  "We have other local artists here throughout the year," says owner Dan Segal.


Segal moved his family from New Jersey when he bought the business this year, and the summer has been a blur as he, wife Sarah and their three children have settled into their Lansing home.  "The first year's been good," he says of the business.  "Everyone who comes out here tells us our plants look great, and they're surprised at how much they find here and how big the nursery is.  People are responding well to what's here and my goal is to get more people to come here."  And he says they are adjusting to their new home.  "We love it here," Segal says.  Not a day goes by that we don't feel like we're happy that we made the move."


The Plantsmen also does landscaping, and the weekend event was a good chance to let people know about that.  "In most cases the landscape work we do has an ecological basis, in terms of the plants we use and our techniques," he says.  "We do native meadows, wetland work, some pond work, not your typical landscape projects.  But we've done some typical ones and they're fun too."


For the past few years alpacas have been a big part of the Fun Family Weekend.  Chris and Kim Grant's Indian Chimney Farm is open for special events throughout the Fall, and this cooperative one makes a difference to their business.  "I didn't really know, going into it, how strong an effect working with other small businesses would have," says Chris.  "If you had asked me I would have said, 'Eh -- marginal.'  But it really has had a multiplicative effect.  If we have three businesses we bring out nine times as many people.  It gives people many reasons to come on out."


The couple held a contest to name their newest cria, a baby alpaca that was just born.  "A woman named Shanna from Ithaca picked the name Guinevere," Grant says.  "We had at least a hundred suggestions.  A lot of good ones."  He and his wife Kim picked the winner.  Guinevere was one of three crias born at the farm this year, two females and a male.

Attractions included Patch Work Theraputic Riding center offering free pony rides, the Cornell Raptor Center's birds, and Morrow Creek Farm.  The alpaca shop was a big attraction, and in addition to items for sale the Grants set up displays telling about alpacas and farming.  "Kim's new one is the poisonous plants exhibit," said Chris.  "Fun Family Weekend is all about getting the kids out here and seeing a farm and having a good time."


Parker says a lot of people come during the weekend.  "They make it a special occasion.  A lot of people are buying wine for gifts.  They've been buying cases of wine for the holidays."  He noted that people came from Pensylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts as well as from the local area.

Sandsted is one of the originators of the event.  "I'm very happy with it," she says.  "The most important reason is that we all get to know each other.  We know each other well enough that we can promote each other to our customers.  And we love it."

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