JOHNSBURG -- Developers see opportunities to
start a business or build in North Creek, but they also see several
"for sale" and "going out of business" signs sprouting
up.
Popular places like the Copperfield Inn, The Mountain
& Boardertown ski shop and Smith's Restaurant located on the hamlet's
Main Street have closed. Those sights might not be too comforting to
some, but developers like Mike Bowers and his son, Luke, of Choptank
Mills Associates based in Delaware, are not concerned.
Mike and Luke Bowers and a crew of workers patched walls
and the ceiling to the upstairs of the old North Creek bank building
Friday.
Mike Bowers said they purchased the building last
spring and turned the downstairs into office space where Gore
Mountain Real Estate now operates. The upstairs will
be a North Creek home for his family.
They are also converting the former IGA grocery store
next door into a wine bar and retail store.
"I'm not discouraged with the Copperfield Inn closing,"
Bowers said. "I believe it will be sold very quickly. The same
goes for Casey's North on the highway."
Casey's North, owned by Bill and Maureen Donovan
on Route 28, closed earlier this year. A "for sale" sign at
Casey's North said the property is available for nearly $800,000.
The Mountain & Boardertown ski and snowboard
shop, owned by Elliot Monter, closed after liquidating its inventory.
The Copperfield Inn, also owned by Monter, closed and won't be opening
for the winter ski season.
"It is with great sadness, after 17 years of
business the Copperfield Inn is forced to close its doors," a sign
on the Copperfield Inn read. "We wish to thank you for your patronage."
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The Copperfield Inn typically closes
from late October through Dec. 1. On Oct. 25, the inn's general manager
Julie Williams said she was told they would not reopen and are closed
for good.
"I was blindsided," she said.
The hotel had rooms booked, including some reservations
for large groups, for this winter, she added.
The Copperfield Inn had been struggling when Williams
came on as general manager in 2005, Williams said.
"I was told to increase sales, cut costs and improve
morale," she said.
Williams said she accomplished all those objectives,
but was not aware of financial problems. Monter, the inn's owner, is president
of The Holiday Organization, a Florida-based company that owns commercial
and residential properties across the United States. He could not be reached
for comment this week.
Monter made a large investment when he built the 31-room
hotel in 1990. Over the years he had added two restaurants, a bar, a health
club, a spa, hot tubs and a swimming pool, which, along with other amenities,
earned the hotel a four-diamond rating from AAA. The Cooperfield Inn employed
up to 50 workers during the year.
Laurie Amheiter, of Hudson River Trading Co., said
she is concerned when anchor businesses like the Copperfield Inn and Casey's
North close.
Amheiter needs a vital town to keep her business going,
she said. Her store offers furnishings, clothing and accessories to those
who stroll by on Main Street, but she will soon offer a catalogue and
an online store.
"I have an absolutely amazing store here and I
need a town that gives people a reason to come here," she said.
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