A downtown on the upswing

 

The row of 19th century buildings along Front Street in Ballston Spa have been revitalized in recent decades, making the village a hub for shopping and dining. Joan K. Lentini photo

 

By STACEY MORRIS
Contributing writer

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y.

Ten minutes down the road from Saratoga Springs, the village of Ballston Spa has quietly emerged as a destination all its own.

With its walkable downtown and rows of shops, restaurants, antiques dealers and historical attractions, the village is a kind of urban oasis sitting just beyond the sprawling suburban cul-de-sacs and strip malls of Clifton Park and Malta.

And over the past couple of decades it has built a loyal following, both among visitors from around the region and among the independent entrepreneurs who’ve transformed its downtown, storefront by storefront.

“I didn’t think I wanted to be north of Albany but fell in love with Ballston Spa the moment I got here,” said Corina Oberai, who opened her jewelry and fine crafts store, Corina Contemporary Jewelry, 17 years ago in the village.

Oberai grew up in Poughkeepsie and lived in Burlington, Vt., and Pittsfield, Mass., before settling in Ballston Spa. A quick walk around the village was all the convincing it took.

“I stopped into Coffee Planet and noticed vegetarian options, there was also a solid presence of artists here, and when I saw the First Friday brochure, I knew I wanted to be a part of this place,” she recalled.

Until recently, given Saratoga Springs’ reputation as a tourist destination and a center of the arts, Ballston Spa often receded into the shadow of its neighbor to the north.

But while the Spa City’s glittering charity galas and national sporting events set it apart, its fame and opulence can be a mixed bag. To be sure, the revitalization of downtown Saratoga Springs over the past few decades is a success story that has made it the envy of other small cities across the Northeast. But that success has come with some unintended consequences — sky-high rents and real estate prices, problems with traffic and parking, and a thriving nightlife that lately has given rise to occasional headline-making altercations at the downtown bars.

As in Saratoga Springs, Ballston Spa’s downtown was nearly deserted in the 1970s, Village Historian John Cromie says. But its path to revitalization has been different. The village may not have a frenetic influx of tourists during July and August, but today it enjoys a steady, year-round flow of foot traffic on its sidewalks.

Front Street is often abuzz with events — summer farmers markets, outdoor concerts, the winter chocolate festival — as well as the customers heading in and out of its clothing and gift boutiques, bakeries and restaurants.

Around the corner is Milton Avenue, and a nearly mile-long stretch of storefronts chock-a-block with restaurants, taverns, a library, thrift stores, boutiques and antique stores. There’s also a growing commercial presence on many of the side streets just off the main drag.

“One of the things that makes Ballston Spa so unique,” Cromie said, “is it’s probably the only intact village in the Capital Region: a place where banks, churches, stores, a pharmacy, hair salons, restaurants, the library and insurance agencies are all available downtown.”
And it’s an economically diverse community, he said, where the affluent rub elbows easily and often with those of more modest means.

“There aren’t many places like Ballston Spa anymore,” Cromie said.

 

 

A history of tourism, industry
The village incorporated in 1807 and was named in part after the Rev. Eliphalet Ball, a Presbyterian minister who moved to the region in about 1770 and built a settlement with some parishioners who followed him upstate from the Westchester County town of Bedford.
“People in New York City would call it ‘Ball’s town,’ and the name stuck,” Cromie said.
He explained that Ball also effectively became a real estate agent for portions of the Kayaderossera Patent, a land grant made in 1701 by Great Britain’s Queen Anne that included more than 400,000 acres across most of what is now Saratoga County as well as parts of Fulton, Montgomery and Schenectady counties. The area wasn’t surveyed until 1771 because of delays resulting from the French and Indian War.

“What I figure is when the patent was being divided up amongst financial interests, there were commissioners appointed who had to hire surveyors,” Cromie explained. “Those expenses had to be paid, and they needed a real estate agent, and it appears that’s what Reverend Ball was. He had a personal interest in it, because he and his parishioners had been kicked out of their church downstate and needed to relocate.”

“Spa” was added to the village’s name because of its reputation for welcoming tourists to its mineral baths and resort hotels for a 40-year-stretch that predated Saratoga Springs’ mineral spa tourism. Cromie said that between 1790 and 1830, Ballston Spa was home to luxury hotels, including the Aldridge Hotel (which today has become the Brookside Museum), McMaster House, the Eagle Hotel, and the three-story Sans Souci, which offered on-site mineral baths and was the largest hotel in the United States when completed. Ballston Spa was so popular as a tourist destination during this era that it also became an entertainment hotspot, with taverns and saloons, theater, billiard rooms and venues offering live shows, music and dancing.

But the end of mineral-bath tourism didn’t spell the end for Ballston Spa. Thanks to the undulating power of the Kayaderosseras Creek, which begins 17 miles north in Corinth and winds through the county before emptying into Saratoga Lake, Ballston Spa morphed into an industrial center in the mid-19th century. It became the site of cotton and paper mills, tanneries and a manufacturer of axes.

Today, one of the remnants of the mill era is the Axe Factory Preserve, at 15 Axe St., which features historic ruins and scenic walking trails along the creek.

“Because the creek has high banks and a long stream, it was the perfect place for all these mills,” Cromie said.

Most of the mills vanished by about 1900, Cromie said, although the Ballston Knitting Co., known for its popular Ballston socks, lasted into the 1990s.

In the early 20th century, Ballston Spa transformed again into an agricultural hub for area farmers shipping their products by rail to New York City and other major markets of the Northeast. But many of the region’s smaller farmers disappeared after World War II as technology permanently changed agriculture.

“But we still had a nice little village,” Cromie said, “and soon engineers and scientists from companies like General Electric and the Watervliet Arsenal came here to raise their families.”
Then the opening of the Adirondack Northway in 1965 pulled traffic away from the village and spawned a wave of suburban development as housing subdivisions and shopping malls sprang up near the highway’s exits. The result was period of sharp decline for the village’s downtown throughout the 1970s and beyond, though it remained the seat of Saratoga County government.
“During this time, we lost what was sustaining Ballston Spa,” Cromie said. “From 1965 through 1985, it had no reason for existence. … And then, people rediscovered Ballston Spa, and now the reason for existence is itself.”

 

Cultivating a community
Dana Womer remembers her first visit to the village after moving east from her native Minnesota seven years ago.

At the time, Womer and her husband, Dave, a Saratoga County native, were living Galway when a friend invited them to the Ballston Spa Christmas parade.

“I was bowled over by the sense of community,” Womer recalled. “We just loved the feeling, and we knew we wanted to live here.”

Womer soon joined the Ballston Spa Business and Professional Association as a volunteer and eventually became its executive administrator. The organization is run by 15 volunteer board members and made up of business owners, village residents and those working for local nonprofits.

“I started volunteering heavily for the board because I love Ballston Spa, and when the administrator position opened, I jumped,” Womer recalled.

She said the retail growth in the village has been steady despite the disruption of the pandemic.
“Weathering that was a real feat, but most of the businesses are still here,” she said, noting that new businesses, such as Sustainable Sundry (a zero-waste cleaning product refillery) continue to crop up.

“The other unique thing about Ballston Spa is the majority of downtown businesses are owned by women,” she said. “And that just adds to the collaborative spirit here.”

 

A tapestry of tastes
The Medbery Inn & Spa is the crown jewel of Front Street and features the Front Street Social Club restaurant as well as hotel rooms and a spa offering mineral baths and a menu of services.
Jamie and Jessica Fronk moved from Los Angeles to open the Front Street Social Club in 2019, serving what the owners describe as “American cuisine with a Latin flair.” When the pandemic decimated indoor dining, Jessica Fronk said, DoorDash saved the day.

Today, though, the demand for sit-down dining is again robust, and on any given night, Jamie and Jessica can be found in the eatery’s bustling kitchen prepping Baja fish tacos and fried chicken with beignets for a full house.

Some of the other businesses on the north side of Front Street are The Sweetish Chef, a sugar-free and grain-free bakery; the Rilassare day spa, Iron Roost Restaurant, Front Street Home, Daisy Dry Goods, Whistling Kettle Restaurant, and O’Brien Pharmacy — a village mainstay since 1960.

The south side of Front Street includes Wiswall Park, a barber shop, liquor store, deli, Henry’s Tavern, and Next Door Kitchen and Bar.

A block away on Science Street is the sourdough-centric Night Work Bread Company, while Augie’s Italian Restaurant draws diners to Low Street. The village also has eateries offering everything from brewpub fare and pizza to Turkish and Indian cuisine.

“When I was a kid, Ballston Spa was noted for having lots of bars,” Cromie recalled. “Now it’s known for having lots of restaurants.”

Oberai, who recently moved her jewelry studio to 10 Washington St. off of Milton Avenue, said the recent addition of The Speckled Pig Brewery across the street has given the neighborhood an added dimension.

“It felt a little empty for awhile, but now it’s like every evening is a street festival,” she said.
Womer said the village has increasingly become a destination for lovers of antiques. There are plenty of individual antique emporiums throughout the village, and the mammoth space that is Waverly Square Antiques, at 19 Low St., features 38 vendors under one roof.

Sherrie Fonda, director of design operations at Front Street Home, said the local business has built a loyal following of customers seeking one-of-a-kind furniture, artwork, table settings, custom fabrics and design services.

“We offer things you can’t find at big box stores,” Fonda said. “And it’s a big part of why people come to the village — all the individually owned businesses.”

 

‘It takes a few pioneers’
Although Ballston Spa is bustling today, it hardly seemed so 20 years ago when Kevin and Meaghan Borowsky decided to open their restaurant and tea shop, The Whistling Kettle, in one of what were then several empty storefronts on Front Street.

In their lengthy search for suitable space, the couple ruled out Saratoga Springs.
“There’s good visibility and foot traffic in Saratoga, but it’s a competitive environment and the rents were too high — even back then,” Kevin recalled.

The Borowskys had initially nixed Ballston Spa as “too sleepy.” But when they revisited the village a year later and noticed major renovations under way at what is now The Medbery Inn & Spa, they decided the time was ripe to join in the downtown’s revival.

“We saw a storefront for rent and met with the owners, who said they wanted a quality addition to the community,” Borowsky recalled. “We sold them on our vision, and they helped us with the renovations.”

Twenty tons of debris-removal later, the couple’s dream was a reality.
“Affordability was a key factor,” Borowsky said. “I don’t think we would have survived our first few years if we’d been in Saratoga. We were new to the restaurant business and needed a few years to work out our business model.”

 

 

Kevin Borowsky, co-owner and manager of The Whistling Kettle in Ballston Spa, delivers afternoon tea to customers. Joan K. Lentini photo

Thanks to the combination of reasonable rent and a supportive community, Borowsky said the success of their Ballston Spa venture allowed them to expand; they now have additional restaurant locations in Schenectady and Troy, a tea bar in Albany, and growing online tea sales.
Betsy Seplowitz, who opened her Nourish Designs gift store two years ago at 87 Milton Ave., said she also has found Ballston Spa a place to thrive.

“I’ve lived here 20 years,” Seplowitz said. “Ballston Spa is a tremendously supportive and collaborative community. … There’s a lot of outreach going on.”

In addition to selling fair trade artisan creations ranging from pottery and woodwork to stained glass, Seplowitz sells her own mandala artwork and offers classes in topics such as mindfulness drawing.

“My motto is ‘selling gifts that give back,’” she said. “Every purchase provides funding for meals for kids in upstate New York.”

Cromie said that one of reasons for the downtown’s success is its aesthetic appeal, thanks to the integrity of its rows of 19th century buildings. Very few have been lost since the Depression era.
“There’s a very Victorian feel to the village,” he said.

Borowsky said he’s been delighted by the village’s evolution over the past two decades, but not surprised.

“I think having a diverse ecosystem of businesses in a good location helps,” he said. “It takes a few pioneers with vision to show it can be done, and that attracts like-minded people.”

Mindful of Ballston Spa’s identity and its potential, Cromie said the village’s comprehensive plan has been crafted with the goal of preserving its the charm and history as well as its economic viability.

“The village’s master plan is that everyone lives here,” Cromie said. “No one is classed out.”

Visit www.ballston.org for a complete listing of Ballston Spa retail businesses, restaurants and service providers.

The village’s 2024 Chocolate Festival will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, offering “sweet spots” at participating businesses with chefs from around the region purveying chocolate creations at $1-2 per sample.

 

Ballston Spa attractions

• The National Bottle Museum, at 76 Milton Ave., preserves local and national bottle history with permanent and temporary exhibitions such as those on Ballston Spa bottles, commemorative shot glasses, and Coca-Cola bottles.

• The Saratoga County History Center At Brookside Museum, at 21 Fairground Ave., occupies a two-and-a-half story mansion originally built as the Aldridge Hotel in 1792. The building became a repository for local history in 1970, with rotating exhibitions, meeting space, gardens, archives, artifact storage and a research library. See www.brooksidemuseum.org.

• Iron Spring Park, at 198 Front St., is set on a scenic hillside with a bandstand for summer concerts, benches for relaxation, and the Old Iron Spring. Drilled in 1874, the spring remains a source of drinking water today, and the park provides access to the half-mile-long Old Iron Spring Fitness Trail.

• Wiswall Park, at the corner of Front and Low streets, has been a gathering place for more than a century and today hosts events such as weekly farmers markets, concerts and Victorian festivities in December. Water from the Sans Souci spring flows at a fountain in the park.