Cooperation among village mainstays builds a stronger Millerton

MILLERTON — There’s no question the village of Millerton has seen a renaissance in the past few years. It has welcomed new businesses, additional residents and oodles of tourists. The good news is the trend is continuing, with the development of such properties as 34-36 Main St., the future home of Little Gates Wine Merchants, which will be moving from its South Center Street location in time for Memorial Day. Across the street, at the former M&T Bank, Jill and Paul Choma bought the vacant building to expand their shop, Gilded Moon Framing.Around the corner, on South Center Street, Village Cycle and Fitness opened where Fudgy’s closed, saving Millerton from having an additional vacant storefront.Just up Route 44 toward Connecticut there are plans to build a super-sized supermarket, as yet unnamed. The project that’s being proposed promises to be a draw to shoppers from around the Tri-state region.All of this activity bodes well for the village of Millerton, according to Salisbury Bank & Trust (SBT) President and CEO Rick Cantele. SBT also set up shop in Millerton just last year, developing the highly visible corner of Maple and Main streets with a brand-new building that houses not only the bank but also the well-established law firm, Downey, Haab & Murphy.“I think Millerton has done a great job,” Cantele said. “That’s one reason, certainly, why the bank put a branch and new office in Millerton. Millerton is a shining star in terms of what can be done in a small town in terms of creating a town center that has some vitality and excitement about it.”Which is exactly why entrepreneur Andrew Gates, co-owner of Little Gates Wine Merchants, is so enthusiastic about the development of 34-36 Main St., which he is working on with his business partner, Will Little. Little is also the chairman of the board of investors of The Lakeville Journal Co., LLC, which owns The Millerton News. Gates also works as a broker at Sotheby’s International Realty in neighboring Salisbury, Conn.Once completed, the development of 34-36 Main St. will be home to more than just the wine shop. Kamilla’s Floral Boutique is on the ground floor of 36 Main St. already. Eckert Fine Arts will also join the retail space, moving from Kent, Conn., to be a co-tenant at 34 Main St. One of the executive office spaces on the second floor is already rented, and there will be a personal fitness studio on the third floor. Gates will personally occupy loft space upstairs.“It’s a unique property in our micro-region — I think of that as our little Tri-corner gap between Great Barrington and Rhinebeck where we don’t have a bigger town,” Gates said. “Millerton has emerged as a smaller but viable alternative to those bigger towns. “In an era of rising energy costs we are returning to the more traditional mixed-use model. It’s going to be an enormously important trend in the upcoming decades,” he added. “I guess for now I’m the guinea pig in that I am occupying the third-floor apartment of the new Little Gates.”Cantele toured the future Little Gates property recently, as he has done with other properties in the bank’s vicinity, just to get a feel for his customers and their businesses. He said it gives his clients an opportunity to get to know the bank’s management on a personal basis and to show the bank “how proud they are of what they do.” Gates said he was appreciative of Cantele’s visit. “I thought Rick would like to see what’s going on in the community,” Gates said. “And he really enjoyed seeing the project.”And the project is moving full steam ahead. Earlier this month Little Gates received its approval from the New York State Liquor Authority to complete its move; a May 30 opening day is the goal. Taken in context of the entire village landscape, Gates said the completion of 34-36 Main St. can only add to what’s already great.“It’s creating additional vibrancy and adding to Millerton’s already existing good momentum,” he said. “I think we’ve done a good job of paying attention to the particular business mix downtown and I think we’re very lucky in terms of where we lie on the global map.”