This story originally ran on Jan. 8, 2026

Not only have median home sales prices in Saratoga County continued their rise since 2022 — but the year-over-year increases have been growing larger, according to new numbers provided by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce. From 2022 to 2023, and from 2023 to 2024, prices increased by $20,000 (5.1%) and $30,000 (7.3%) respectively. Most recently? Up $25,000 (5.7%) from 2024 to 2025 — for a total increase of $75,000 since ‘22.

That’s some serious demand for housing.

“I tell my buying clients that if they want to buy, they should do it now, and at the same time, I tell my selling clients that if they want to sell, they should do it now,” says Allison Bradley of Four Seasons Sotheby’s Realty. “The prices are steadily rising, but housing inventory is also rising in Saratoga County so properties are slower to sell.” Indeed. New listings in the county have increased 3.9% (and closed sales 3.2%) from 2024 to 2025, reports the chamber. “The housing market seems to be correcting,” Bradley says. “We shall see!”

@spacconcerts

Live Nation Concerts at SPAC on Instagram: "Today we honor Bob …

Since the great Bob Weir passed away Saturday, I did some light reach-out for any favorite Grateful Dead/Bobby stories from their many shows at SPAC. As it turned out, I ended up choosing one from Madison Square Garden; an Upstate Dispatch reader traveled there Oct. 14 and 15, 1994 — and ended up singing “Happy Birthday” to “Bobby” with about 15 of his closest friends.

“I was living in Brooklyn, and my friend Amy invited me — we were besties from Upstate,” Lisa says. “Someone knew someone, and we ended up backstage. The show was the most magical thing of my entire life, dancing. It sounds crazy, but it’s true.

“After the concert, we went straight to the Four Seasons, and they wouldn’t let us in. Bob arranged for someone to come and get us, so we snuck in with a cart of alcohol. Jerry was having health problems by then, so he wasn’t there.

“It was Saturday night, and they didn’t have a concert the next day, his birthday, so they turned this hotel room after-party into a little birthday party. We all sang ‘Happy Birthday.’ There was no cell phones, no cameras, none of that. It was such a beautiful moment.”

Just north of Lake George, the hamlet of Warrensburg — with a population of under 4,000 — hosted more than 70,000 visitors last weekend for its annual, trademark event of the year. The four-day-long (Oct. 2-5) “World’s Largest Garage Sale” brought bumper-to-bumper traffic on Main Street, sidewalks packed for miles by bargain hunters, and vendors and shoppers who enjoyed perfect weather for over ten hours a day.

Everything from antiques and books to perfume, clothes and furniture were for up grabs on a three-mile stretch of at least a thousand residential garage sales, according to The Sun Community News, alongside food and drink trunks. Vendors were a combo of regulars and first-timers.

@alexmiller567Amazing day at the Warrensburg City Wide Flea Market? #upstatenewyork #warrensburgny #worldslargestgaragesale #antiques #adirondacks

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Not only did shoppers flood through the town over the weekend from Friday through Sunday, but thousands also arrived several days early in order to take advantage of “early pickings.” Bargain-hunters began arriving to town one or even two days before the sale officially started, with many surveying items for sale before dawn on Friday. Some vendors told The Sun that Canadian shoppers stayed home this year, causing Saturday’s numbers to decline a bit.

Julie Garcia, founder of Hudson & Main Cannabis on Main Street, was in the center of the action all weekend. She has been in the space for nine years and calls the sale “a great boost for our local economy” (the sale has generated roughly $10 million since it began in the late ‘70s, according to The Sun). Hudson & Main invited cannabis vendors to set up and market outside of its store, something Garcia hopes to expand upon next year. “We saw thousands of people,” she says. “We want to take advantage of that.”

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In many ways, the garage sale felt like a national holiday in the hamlet, with public facilities all affected by the traffic and tourism surge. Even the Warrensburg Town Hall was closed the Friday of the event. At least six buses shuttled packs of people back and forth from their parking spots at the Warren County Fairgrounds on Schroon River Road into downtown Warrensburg.

“You can feel the energy building up over the week prior,” says Garcia. “There’s a lot of planning. And then a big sigh when it’s over.”

Warrensburg earned the “World’s Largest Garage Sale” title in the ‘80s from the Guinness Book of World Records.

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — Autumn in the Adirondacks is famously beautiful — and notoriously short-lived.

This weekend is already the last to enjoy fall colors in some parts of Upstate New York, while other nearby hotspots are just beginning to turn. Make sure you know where to travel to find the best views, and when you should expect peak season near you.

The Adirondacks are of course too vast to paint a broad brush over, color-wise. You can check this fall foliage meter (updated every day) to see which regions in the park are peaking when. The meter gives percentages that reflect the color change anticipated for the upcoming weekend.

For example, up north, the Whiteface Region is already reporting a 95% color change, meaning it will be hitting peak foliage right around this week and weekend. Lake George area meanwhile is only anticipating a 25% change in color currently and should be nearing “peak” (100%) foliage by mid-October.

We also took a look at the New York state foliage map to come up with a run-down of where you’ll want to go this month without traveling too far, either in nearby Adirondack towns or places in the North Country just north of the Capital Region.

This weekend: Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and Whiteface regions. While you’re there, Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake all have their own villages to explore, too.

Next week and weekend (the weekend of the 11th): Lake George, Hamilton County — which includes the towns of Inlet and Speculator — and Minerva, North Hudson, Schroon Lake and Newcomb.

Last week/weekends of October: Lake Champlain region and areas directly North of Lake George towards Vermont, including Ticonderoga, Elizabethtown and Port Henry.

For peak foliage in Saratoga, you’ll have to wait a couple of more weeks: expect those postcard-worthy reds, yellows and oranges around mid-October. You can also use this fall foliage map to search specific locations you want to visit, peak timing for different areas, and an up-to-date color report.

The tranquil 400-acre historic property tucked away at the end of Union Ave is set to liven up a bit this weekend. The famously private artist retreat Yaddo will be hosting an open house of both its grounds and — here’s where it gets interesting — the inside of its dreamy Victorian mansion on Friday and Saturday.

The internationally famous artist retreat has a storied past that spans over 100 years and has even been designated a National Historic Landmark. If those walls could only talk — the residence has been the temporary home of cultural behemoths such as Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath, David Foster Wallace, John Cheever, Leonard Bernstein, Milton Avery and Hannah Ardent, to name a handful.

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While the stunning gardens of the retreat have visitors hours for the public, the inside of the mansion is very rarely open to the outside world. In fact, this weekend’s event marks the one and only time this year that guided tours of the inside of the building will take place. So if you’ve been wanting to walk through the mythic mansion’s rooms and hallways (which cover 29,000 square feet), this is a special treat not to be missed.

There are a series of tours on both Friday and Saturday that you can sign up for. The VIP tour ($250) is Friday at 5 p.m. and includes a cocktail reception and special guided tour by Yaddo President Elaina Richardson.

On Saturday, the time slots for the tours are 8:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Tickets are $75 for the morning tour and $85 for the afternoon tours. Space is limited for all time slots and the VIP tour/reception. If it’s sounds exclusive, it’s because it is — tickets won’t even be sold on the day of the event, so you’ll want to jump on them ASAP.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit yaddo.org.

And if you want to stay overnight in the mysterious mansion?

Read more

To celebrate its new partnership with Saratoga Springs High School, the Saratoga Shredders youth mountain biking club is hosting a “roll-out” this Friday at 2:30 p.m. (bring the kiddos!) starting at the storage shed by the high school tennis courts.

The nonprofit’s Bikes in Schools program already boasts a fully-funded (bikes and coaching) partnership with Saratoga Springs Elementary schools and a middle school program. With the addition of the high school, Saratoga Shredders is now the first K-12 Bikes in Schools program in the country.

“Cycling is a lifelong sport and teaches independence and resilience — and is something that families can do together,” says Shredders Board President Marcella Hammer. “By removing the financial barrier and getting all kids on bikes in school, we’re encouraging sustainable recreation and getting kids (and adults) off screens and into nature.”

The 2005 graduating class from Saratoga Springs High School is throwing a 20th reunion party on Oct. 11 — and organizers are looking to reconnect with all classmates from that milestone year.

"With so much going on in everyone’s lives—careers, families, and everything in between—I’m incredibly grateful that so many of my classmates are carving out time to revisit the memories and friendships that shaped us,” says David Lombardo, a Class of 2005 graduate and the reunion’s organizer. “It’s not just a trip down memory lane; it’s a moment to reflect on how far we’ve all come."

The get-together will be 6 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 11 at Harvey’s Restaurant Bar downtown, and all ’05 graduates are invited to attend. Heavy apps will be served, and all attendees will receive two drink tickets. Significant others (regardless of where they went to school) are encouraged to attend, and alumni will go home with commemorative tote bags.

"I blinked and somehow two decades have flown by since we tossed our caps at graduation,” says Lombardo, who served as Class President. “This reunion is a rare chance to hit pause, look back on that formative time, and reconnect with the people who shared it with me."

Tickets are on sale until Oct. 4 — but you can save $10 by ordering before EOD tomorrow. (Day-of ticket sales will be unavailable.)

"What makes this reunion even more special is seeing how our classmates have grown into community leaders, educators, and change-makers,” says Lombardo. “It’s inspiring to celebrate those successes together and to strengthen the bonds that began all those years ago."

Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite or by contacting SaratogaClass2005@gmail.com. Follow the Saratoga Class of 2005 Reunion Facebook page to stay up to date with reunion activities.

With her family officially back in school mode, designer and influencer Bethany Bowyer Khan is leaning into her other fall adventure: expanding her wildly successful seasonal living brand, Arcadian Revival.

To do so, she’s taking a long look at the projects she has going for her business, which touts bringing ever-changing seasonal décor and touches of nature inside the home via one’s garden, sustainable florals and even what you cook.

“I've had to take a real step back to reassess the next chapter of Arcadian Revival,” says Khan, who in 2020 moved to Wilton from Brooklyn with her husband, Jamil (they now have a family of four with first-grader Natalie and Christopher, 3). “I've taken a lot of time this past year to actually live what I'm preaching about sustainability and being an environmentalist. I have become more engaged with living a more balanced lifestyle and representing my own value system. It's my way of feeling good about how I spend my time as a community member and as a parent.”

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Her goal as a designer and content creator: to conjure up a sense of time and place inside the home — including repurposing, using or framing mementos or items passed down in one’s family. (For reference, she grew up in Ohio in the same home as her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.) For a sense of Khan’s ethos, take a look at her podcast, Things I Learned from My Mother.

“It's about generational wisdom, the things that bring people together through community and through their connections to nature,” she says. “The name is a play on the word mother. So it's not necessarily just about anyone's personal relationship with their mother, but about all these other things that tug at the heartstrings or connect us in a really human way.”

If you’re new to Khan’s brand, you’re in for an autumnal treat. She’s currently decorating with tomato vines from her garden and heirloom blooms foraged from a nearby farm, and is in love with planting fall bulbs and the season’s “festive spirit.” She makes bakes pies with McIntosh apples from her property, hosts neighbors for an apple harvest celebration where they press cider, and even churns out old-fashioned apple cinnamon ice cream with her family.

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Fresh off an appearance in rustic-charm bible Country Living, Khan also stays busy writing the Substack newsletter (Arcadian Revivalist) that she launched in the spring with an adjoining YouTube channel — all while keeping up with her interior design work. (Plus she’s on the board of Saratoga Plan, is Vice Chair of the Board of Sustainable Saratoga, and is the chair for Pitney Meadows’ annual Fire Feast fundraiser.) She even piled on a separate newsletter, Arcadian Revival Press, which she calls a “behind-the-scenes peek into the business and aggregation of everything we’re doing — all in one place.” Subscribers will get some freebies (think recipes and design tips).

“The Substack is a way to connect with the audience at a deeper level than what you can do with pictures on Instagram,” she says. “It's more substantive but in a fun way where we still talk about styling your home and celebrating the seasons.”

She has even built a home design and kitchen studio for sharing recipes and creating pressed botanicals without getting in her family’s way. Even its design reflects Khan’s connection to family and nature.

“This way, I can continue to share more content from there without taking up my family space in the kitchen upstairs,” she says. “The island custom built for sharing videos was inspired from an antique general store counter that was my kitchen island growing up. There’s also a hatchway that goes right out to our garden — so there's going to be a lot more garden-to-table content to come.”

His was among the first porches to host the event with other friends on the block, that being the block between Court Street and Nelson Avenue.

The day raised money for Caffe Lena’s educational classes and for Lena’s Matt McCabe Scholarship Fund. McCabe was a well-loved guitar player and music store owner in Saratoga Springs before he died during the COVID pandemic.

The day was one of fun and friends. Every other porch along the block became the main stage for a couple musicians, who rotated on and off stage.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said guitar player Marty Brown. Musicians, of course, know one another, and see each other at various venues, but this draws them all together.

“It’s great to see everybody here all at the same time,” he said. “Not a lot of places you can hear 22 musicians in one sitting.”

The polo starts at sundown.

Head out to the beautiful Patagonia Farm this fall for an exciting arena polo match that begins at 7 p.m. every Thursday through the end of October.

Plus, new tournaments are being added, too, bringing hundreds of polo fans to Saratoga from all over the region. It’s certainly been an exciting few debut years for Stillwater’s Saratoga Polo School and its Spa City Polo Club, which has really taken off this year — with bigger things to come.

HOW TO WATCH LIVE POLO MATCHES THIS FALL

“We've had such positive feedback,” says General and Operations Manager Shannon Hildebrandt. “People love it. Everybody who comes out to watch thinks it’s so cool. We get a lot of, ‘We had no idea this was here.’”

When Hildebrandt’s boyfriend, Mario DiSalvo, bought the property in 2020 — yup, right before Covid — he assumed that traditional polo grounds were in his future. But after July 2021 brought 28 days of rain, making polo impossible (the grass is way too slippery for the horses), the long-time player from Argentina switched courses and built an arena with a stone dust surface instead.

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“The arena's fun because sometimes with grass polo, you have no idea what's going on because the field is so big,” Hildebrandt says. “But with the arena, everything is happening right in front of you. The horses are literally inches away when they come flying down the boards — so close that you have to know when to back up a little bit. It's really fun for the spectators.

“And we have a great announcer that keeps you engaged and lets you know what's going on.”

The Saratoga Polo School welcomes students at all levels, including beginners, creating a polo family that loves coming out to watch the matches.

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“We had a ton of fun playing in the arena after we built it, and our clients loved it,” Hildebrandt says. “And we grew from there. We put up a deck [for spectators] in 2023, and this season is the first year that we've pushed for spectators for our weekly polo and really been like, ‘Hey, come on out and watch this.’”

One thing that spectators will notice: Polo cuts across gender lines.

“Polo is always mixed unless it's specifically a women's tournament,” Hildebrandt says. “Usually, the majority of mixed polo is male players. But here we have a lot more female clients than we do males. So during a lot of our games, women dominate.”

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW TO JOIN IN THE POLO FUN

If you’ve never been to an arena polo match, expect a fast-paced and exciting two hours.

“The quarters or innings of a match are called chukkers,” Hildebrandt says. “There could be four or five or six, and each is seven minutes and 30 seconds.”

Teams have three players each, and horses are switched out every chukker, with some coming back for more play after a break (maxing out at two). Patagonia currently has 45 horses, the care of which Hildebrandt oversees. (About 15 are cared for by others in the summer or full-time.) “They're all my children,” she says.

DiSalvo taught Hildebrandt to play and is the pro at the school.

“Anyone who plays or teaches polo will tell you that the most important part is time in the saddle, learning how to ride,” she says. “If you can ride and control the horse, you're going to have a much easier time learning how to hit the ball and use the mallet. That being said, it is possible to learn both at the same time, which we do teach.”

The horses are athletes, too.

“It takes a lot of conditioning,” Hildebrandt says. “To keep them in shape, the horses get worked four to six days a week. We do what are called sets, where you ride one horse and have four more horses with you. So you have two on either side, and you can turn on the one that you're riding and then the four with you trot. The trotting is better for them because it works different muscles in their back. We do that on a track that goes around our field. If three of us go do sets, we can work 15 horses at once, which is pretty amazing.

“We also single them — we ride them, make them do lead changes, make them stop — make them work all the different motions that they use in a game. They love the game, too.”

With each horse having his or her own personality, you never know what’s next.

“The horse is very important and will change the game for you,” Hildebrandt says. “You get on a horse that you are comfortable with and that you know — you can go out there and have the best chukker of your life. But if you get on a horse that you don't know that well or you might be a little uncomfortable on, you might just ride around for that chukker and do nothing.”

Never a dull moment.

For more information, visit saratogapoloschool.org, and watch their Instagram for schedule and tournament updates.

Track season may be over but look no further than Stillwater for any and all equestrian sports and events. The Saratoga Polo School and the associated Spa City Polo Club is well into their 2025 season, and the good news is there are a number of ways to watch them in action this Fall. Accredited by the US Polo Association, the all-inclusive school welcomes polo enthusiasts or anyone new to the sport, whether to play or just to watch. The club plays at a new, regulation size arena located on Patagonia Farm just east of Saratoga Lake, a quick 15-to-20-minute jaunt from downtown.

How to watch:

Polo Practice: The club generally holds practices every Tuesday and Friday at 5:30 p.m. The official practice schedule runs through the end of October, though practices are occasionally subject to change. If you’re planning to stop by and watch a practice, be sure to look up the clubs Instagram account (@Saratogapoloschool) beforehand. The club updates their account with announcements and any updates to their schedule on a daily basis.

Under the Lights: The club hosts and on-going series of matches at night called ‘Under the Lights,’ which is open to the public every Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door upon arrival or beforehand online for $10. Café tables and chairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. It’s a BYOB event as well, and you’re encouraged to bring your own cooler. Get tickets online through Eventbrite.

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Tournaments: Again, keep your eye on @Saratogapoloschool’s Instagram because more are coming. And they aren’t to be missed. “We're going to have a couple more tournaments this season, but dates are to be determined,” says the organizations General and Operations Manager Shannon Hildebrandt. “So follow us on Instagram and keep an eye open for updates.”

Goals For Grain special event: As part of the Under the Lights series, the Saratoga Polo Club is also hosting its 2nd annual fundraiser for the Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga (THS) on Thursday, Sept. 18. As the name suggests, one bag of grain will be donated for every goal scored during the match, thanks to sponsors Next Level Property Management and Malta Farm and Garden. In addition, the proceeds from the raffle baskets at the fundraiser will go directly to THS; all proceeds benefit the 27 retired race horses in their care. The price to attend Goals for Grain is the regular price of to attend Under the Lights.

The all-ages ADK 5K kicks off at 10 a.m. this Saturday, September 13, drawing runners from all over the region eager to take in the fall foliage, celebrate Lake George — and hang out at the Adirondack Pub & Brewery for an autumnal festival-style after-party.

“The leaves are already beginning to change in Lake George, and this 5K takes runners on a scenic course with stunning lake views,” said Adirondack Pub & Brewery Owner John Carr in a statement. “With beautiful weather in the forecast, it’s the perfect day for our community of runners, outdoor enthusiasts, and craft beverage lovers to come together. September is one of the most picturesque times of year in Lake George—a perfect opportunity to gather for a memorable weekend in the Adirondacks.”

The 9th annual 5K — part of the Great American Brewery Runs Series — starts and finishes at the brewery, and all are welcome to hang out afterwards for music, beer, food trucks and lawn games. The course runs towards the lake (twice!) and boasts panoramic views of the Queen of American Lakes.

A portion of the proceeds benefits the nonprofit Lake George Land Conservancy, an organization that is dedicated to protecting the land around the lake.

To register for the run, visit runsignup.com.

Opera Saratoga was one of only four nationwide awardees for the 2025 New Music Organization Fund in the Creation of New Work category under classical voice. The grant was awarded for the organization’s first-ever full-length commission for two female artists.

“New Music USA’s support means that Alyssa Weinberg and J Mae Barizo’s DRIFT will be a part of our 2026 festival season,” says Opera Saratoga’s General and Artistic Director Mary Birnbaum. “Their beautiful new opera is about memory, migration and motherhood.”

New Music USA provides grants to “outstanding organizations that work regularly with and support the development of music creators and artists, offering crucial resources to their community,” according to a September 2 article in OperaWire, which announced the classical voice winners.

The 2025 grants totaled $584,000 in awards, and spanned 17 states and Washington, D.C.; a monetary amount for the classical voice winners alone was not provided, but the awardees spanned five states.

MORE ON OPERA SARATOGA: Jon Batiste came to party; Opera Saratoga's surprise announcement

DRIFT is part of Opera Saratoga’s 65th anniversary celebration, which includes a special concert version of Puccini’s epic La Bohème — the company’s first-ever holiday production — at UPH on December 5. As part of the year-long celebration, there will also be added pop-ups and cocktails parties, including a September 11 happy hour at the new Standard Fare on Phila Street. The two-hour event will include heavy apps, decadent dessert bites, welcome bubbly (or non-alcoholic beverage), a cash bar — and 40 minutes of singing, all in a party setting.

Abby Tegnelia is on the board of Opera Saratoga but all opinions are her own.

Keep reading about the performing arts:

Party time: Local celeb wins with Caroline St. horse. Plus Renee Fleming at SPAC

Who is Laufey? (Gen Z takes over SPAC tonight.)

Def Leppard, Bret Michaels honor Ozzy Osbourne at SPAC

Join Wellspring’s ONE Campaign during Relationship Abuse Awareness Month

Even one person living in fear because of domestic violence is too many. So, we launched the ONE Campaign—because change starts with one person who chooses to care.

We are asking you to be that ONE.

This October, local businesses will host events to raise support for survivors of abuse. But first—we kick it all off together. Read more on the website here.

Join us for the ONE Campaign Kickoff Event!

Wednesday Sept. 10, 5 to 8 p.m.

Dancing Grain Brewery, 180 Old West Rd, Gansevoort, NY 12831

Sept. 12, Saratoga Job Showcase

Friday, Sept. 12, 10 a.m. - noon: Anyone with an eye out for employment opportunities will want to mark their calendars for the upcoming Saratoga Job Showcase. The event — free and open to the public — will take place from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, Sept. 12 at Empire State University, 113 West Ave. in Saratoga Springs.

The showcase includes 50-plus area employers from diverse industries.

Job-seekers are invited to explore career opportunities while making real, in-person connections with recruiters and to take advantage of the free help including professional headshots offered on site, tips for developing a LinkedIn profile.

A special Veteran & Military Meet and Greet networking reception prior to the event begins at 9 a.m. The complimentary networking hour is open to all veterans, active-duty military members and those who serve or support veterans. Click here for more information.

Sept. 13: Front Porch Music Fest

Saturday Sept. 13, 1-4 p.m.: The annual Spring Street, Front Porch Music Fest.

Spring Street's neighbors invite you to enjoy the acoustic sounds of some of Saratoga's favorite local musicians while you stroll our street (closed to traffic between Court and Nelson) for our 6th Annual FRONT PORCH MUSIC FEST -- cuz there's just nothin' better than MUSIC to connect people and spread good vibes!!

Free & Open to the Public. Rain Date: Sunday Sep. 14. Read more and get their flier with full details on their Facebook page, here.

As far as new neighbors go, Saratoga Barber Club couldn’t get any better. Everyone there is hard-working, sweet and family-oriented. Owner Dylan Capone has great taste in music — but with a closing time of 7 p.m., on the off chance a door is left open to welcome new folks in during business hours, the tunes end at sundown.

It’s quite different than what us downtowners are used to, just one block from Caroline Street. So the Dispatch — Steve Thurston and myself — decided to co-host a little “Welcome to the Neighborhood” party. (The original location, for those who think it sounds familiar, is in Ballston Spa.)

“We’re very, very excited about being here in Saratoga,” said co-owner Ralf Rispo, leading a Champagne toast in front of the shop’s storefront at 48 Henry St. He thanked partners Gil Nunez and Capone, who’s leading the Saratoga location. Capone added, “And a huge shout-out for everybody showing up. today”

In attendance to congratulate Capone:

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As Spoken boutique’s owner Tina Powell motions me to sit, two things jump out at me: Her daughter Victoria, 9, has floated off [next door, as I’ll find out soon], and I’m in an extremely comfy chair — in front of the dressing rooms.

“It's not always so comfortable if you're standing over [a customer asking them], ’How does it fit; what do you think?’” Powell says. “Instead, they come out and I’m just sitting here, comfortable. I dive right in like we’re best friends.”

The sitting area is one of many attributes that long-term Spoken customers will recognize from the clothing boutique’s former space in downtown Saratoga — while some of the relaxed vibe might seem new. (The store is now at 89 Milton Avenue in Ballston Spa, in the former home of Petal + Hive, which has moved to Saratoga.)

“Almost everything came from our store in Saratoga,” says Powell, who purchased Spoken from its original owner, Pam Worth, four years ago. “This huge table? This was our counter, and we brought it here. Everyone thinks it's always been in this building, because it just fits perfectly.”

Powell is celebrating two months in her chic new locale, and it’s clear that she’s settling right in. “It's a little not real,” she says. “I have two girls — Victoria and Ivy, who’s 7. They'll go next door to talk for a while. They'll go across the street. There’s always a police officer around who knows their names. It's it is a little old fashioned here. I love that.”

The family (her husband, James, works in marketing) moved to Burnt Hills about a year ago, which ended up helping to facilitate the move. “I needed to be closer to my family, first and foremost,” Powell says. “I also wanted more of a community.”

In June, everything fell into place.

“I had already signed my lease to stay in Saratoga,” she says. “And that next Thursday, I was driving home and stopped in front of here. I was just daydreaming, and I looked over and saw that it was still empty.”

By the next day, she was inside with the real estate agent. “I knew immediately,” she said. “I was like, ‘This is happening.’”

Yada, yada, yada…she was let out of her lease and moved out of Saratoga within days. “We moved on Wednesday and opened here on Friday,” she says. “My aunt and uncle, and my dad, they all grew up in Ballston Spa, and this front part used to be a barbershop — where they used to get their hair cut.”

Powell loves how hospitable the town is and encourages Saratogians to head on over. “We're only seven minutes away,” she laughs. “You don't even have to go through a roundabout to get here.”

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When you arrive, you’ll be greated with some immediate must-have fall looks: from a bright red J. Society sweater and comfy Dear John jeans — to the racks of mix-and-match staples in the telling colors of brown, orange and dusty pink. Powell’s store is definitely ready for its first fall in Ballston Spa.

Back in Saratoga, Powell felt that Downtown’s growth (“We were off the beaten path, so we were getting kind of lost as Broadway was expanding and growing”) was causing her business to seemingly shrink. “With all these big skyscrapers going up,” she says, “we were becoming smaller and smaller.”

But now in her new digs, the business owner feels powerful. “It's been pretty amazing,” she says. “There are a lot of women-owned businesses here. And I don't mean women-run businesses — they are in the trenches.

“Not me, because I'm the new kid on the block, but they say that women cut a powerful business corner here. Everyone here is like, ‘If you succeed, we succeed as a community.’”

Visit Spoken at its new location, 89 Milton Avenue in Ballston Spa.

Keep reading!

The $8 bread debate at BuonaSera on the Lake

Dish Saratoga: Jon Batiste came to party; Opera Saratoga's surprise announcement

Dude, buy my stuff (at the new Hype Gallery store)

World-renowned jazz, soul, funk and R&B phenom Jon Batiste will hit the SPAC stage tonight to release his new album, Big Money, to an eager crowd. The musician, 38, hasn’t performed at SPAC since 2018’s Jazz Festival, four years before he swept the Grammys and then starred in a Netflix documentary.

“We've been wanting to get him back,” says SPAC President Christopher Shiley. “He had this incredible explosion of popularity and fame and has been one of the most in-demand touring artists since then. It’s a unique thing for Saratoga Springs to have this national album release at our venue right before he goes on a huge multi-city national tour. It’s really special.”

Wicked star Cynthia Erivo was originally scheduled for tonight’s show but had to cancel. The revered Philadelphia Orchestra’s needing a headliner for the evening helped land Batiste.

“He's wanted to work with the orchestra,” Shiley says. “His debut with them is going to be a really beautiful collaboration. And he won't have an orchestra when he goes on tour. So there are going be a lot of special SPAC-only components for this show.”

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Batiste’s 2023 Netflix documentary, American Symphony, followed the star as he composed his first orchestral work for Carnegie Hall. It also followed his wife, author Suleika Jaouad — who’s from Saratoga and whom he met at a summer program at Skidmore — as she battled a recurring cancer.

In 2022, Batiste won the coveted Album of the Year Grammy and four others, from a whopping 11 nominations.

“Jon is a New Orleans musician with an incredible core jazz background,” Shiley says. “He's very studied. He went to Juilliard. To take that and then develop his music in the way that he has on this mainstream level — to then go on and win Album of the Year — is unheard of. There aren’t a lot of musicians that come from his background and his experience and become that mainstream. It’s certainly a rarity to see that.”

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It’s an exciting end to Shiley’s first Philadelphia Orchestra residency as president of SPAC (the orchestra’s final evening will be tomorrow night’s Back to the Future movie night). In the role for just four months, he has a long history with the organization, starting as Senior Director of Artistic Planning in 2018. He slowly began to handle more and more planning, logistics and programming — recently focusing on SPAC’s year-round initiatives at the Spa Little Theater.

“I'm excited for this new opportunity to take what I've been doing in the artistic planning and programming space, and connect that a little more intently to the day-to-day operations of the venue,” he says. “It’s been a great journey for the Spa Little Theater, too, and we're excited for the future over there as well. [Having a year-round presence] really allows us to expand our artistic footprint and the artists that we can bring in. The amphitheater is such a unique space and takes a very certain kind of performer and artist, because of how big and expansive it is. So with a smaller space that complements it, you can do a lot of different things that might not otherwise work in a 5,000-seat venue,

“It’s been really exciting to diversify what we're able to bring in and share it all with the community. And it keeps us connected to everyone year-round, which I think is super important.”

For more info and to buy tickets, visit spac.org.

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The Philadelphia Orchestra is kicking off its last weekend with us with a really fun program — Copland & Bates with Time for Three — that feeds into an after-party at the Charles R. Wood Stage.

First, the orchestra will light up the SPAC stage with Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, a layered and deeply emotional, passionate piece that has made its way into several big pop culture moments to become recognizable to most. Then they’ll pick it up with Aaron Copland’s ever-joyful Appalachian Spring.

For the finale, SPAC welcomes back Grammy- and Emmy-winning Time for Three, who will perform the SPAC premiere (SPAC co-commissioned the piece as well) of Silicon Hymnal, a new concerto by Mason Bates.

“They're such a fun crossover group with this amazing genre-defying sound,” says SPAC President Christopher Shiley. “Mason is an incredible classical composer who does a lot with electronic music, which he incorporates into his composition. And there's going to be some singing and cool effects. Of course, with the support of the orchestra, too — that's going to be a really cool piece and one that I'm really excited to have.”

As it turns out, Mason moonlights as DJ Masonic, so after the show everyone’s invited to head on over to an after-party — and encore performance — at the Charles R. Wood Stage. There will be a cash bar, too.

“DJ Masonic and Time for Three are going to remix some of their songs, including some of their classics,” Shiley says. “So the night should be a lot of fun.”

For more info and to buy tickets, visit spac.org.

Nikes, hoodies, bongs, a Louis Vuitton rolling suitcase, watches, the occasional iPhone or laptop. If it’s wearable or usable, Santo Marks, 25, and Keegan Reyna, 21, might just have it for you. They’re “two young hustlers,” who like “nice stuff” and want you to have it.

The pair have started Hype Gallery in downtown Saratoga Springs after working online both alone and together selling clothes, sneakers, accessories and glassware for smoking.

They’re selling it out of their storefront on 15 York Street in downtown Saratoga Springs (in the same building that houses Jacob and Anthony’s American Grille) and they want you to buy it — though, it’s likely if you read the Dispatch,

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