A local business made big news last week when it announced the creation of one of the largest solar farms in the region. Arnoff Moving and Storage decided to go green and reduce its carbon footprint at its Millerton warehouse, which will now ultimately produce close to 100,000 kilowatt hours of energy each year through solar power.The move falls in the footsteps of the forward-thinking business’ transition three years ago to have 80 percent of all of its packaging material purchased from suppliers who use recycled materials.The regional moving and storage giant also examined its truck fleet and during the past year improved 20 percent of that fleet so it’s now more fuel efficient.These are all steps that Arnoff President Michael Arnoff has overseen while at the helm of the family business. For that he deserves congratulations, and a big thank you, for setting an exemplary example for other businesses to follow — think green, think sustainable.When considering that the Arnoff family purchased the Millerton location from the former Taconic Products K&E site in 2005, after it was declared a (possibly toxic) brownfield site, the Arnoffs should be especially proud. The site is no longer on the state’s registry of inactive disposal sites and is now one of the largest solar projects in the Hudson Valley. The solar farm will reportedly generate 65 percent of the building’s energy usage and there are plans to bring that number up to 100 percent in the near future.The federal government is doing its part to make projects like Arnoff’s a reality. It’s offering tax credit incentives which will allow for the system to pay for itself (the project cost $525,000) in the first few years. After that, the system will actually be able to generate income, not a bad deal considering it’s simultaneously helping the environment.The state is also trying to encourage people to power up using solar energy. Gov. Cuomo has announced his New York Sun Initiative program this year, along with his goal of doubling solar power subscribers in 2012 and tripling solar power subscribers by 2013 — a worthy, though highly ambitious task, to say the least.Hopefully Arnoff’s move toward solar energy will encourage other power customers to think outside the box and do the same. There are many benefits to using a renewable energy source, whether a business or a residence, not the least of which is the lessening of carbon emissions that come with burning fossil fuel. Using solar energy means there will be no smoke, gas or other chemical by-products, and once initial installation and maintenance are accounted for, there are no further costs.Again, the benefits of harnessing the sun’s power are great. That a well-known business with local roots like Arnoff’s Moving and Storage is at the forefront of this very important issue is not only encouraging, it’s inspiring. We hope its actions move you, too.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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