Watching Remsen Street become more vibrant
As I was thinking about what to write about this week, I saw a commercial Tuesday morning promoting the Spindle City.
Seeing that commercial and reading recent news articles about things going on in Cohoes lately made me think just how much I’ve seen downtown Cohoes transform over the last four-and-ahalf years I’ve been reporting on the city.
Over the years, I’ve witnessed downtown Cohoes become more vibrant and revitalized. I think a lot of credit should be given to former Cohoes Mayor Shawn Morse. Although he did go through a lot of personal situations while in office, however, he did have a vision and was determined to make the downtown area more vibrant and business-friendly.
I remember going to the Cohoes Music Hall with former
Cohoes Mayor George Primeau at the end of his final term in office, and at that time the historic music hall was beginning to be renovated.
Then going to the venue with more renovations completed under Morse’s administration was a big change to see. The music hall looked a lot different than the first time I was there with the late Mayor Primeau.
I was eager to see a performance at the music hall and was able to when Sawyer Fredericks from “The Voice” performed there a few years ago. Seeing that show made me realize even more just how nice of a venue the music hall is. Throughout my years with The Record, I have also been able to cover new businesses on Remsen Street. One business owner that stands out to me in the Spindle City is City Councilman Don Russell, who just held a ribboncutting ceremony for his third restaurant, Anthony’s Italian Restaurant, on Remsen Street last week. Unfortunately. I was only able to read about that story and not be there myself to cover it, however, I did have the opportunity to talk to him and report on his second restaurant, Donnie Magoos. Russell really seems to have a passion for Cohoes and seems to really know how to run a popular and successful business. I also had the chance to interview the owners of Caskade Kitchen & Bar, Kelly Finn and Joe Proctor. Just from talking to them right before their grand opening in 2018, I could tell that their business was going to be a big hit in the city and from what I see and hear about it, it for sure sounds like their restaurant is really popular.
After the devastating fire that struck many buildings in downtown Cohoes in 2017, I also had the opportunity to speak with businesses that have been on Remsen Street for many years. Talking with businesses then also made me realize just how much these business owners loved operating in Cohoes and how they were enjoying the downtown revitalization.
From some of the recent ribbon-cutting ceremonies, it seems like business owners are still betting on Cohoes and I’m looking forward to seeing what other new developments occur in the Spindle City under Mayor Bill Keeler’s administration.