Shopping at the Last Minute? Check Out Cooperstown

By SARAH ROBERTS
COOPERSTOWN

Main Street Cooperstown and the surrounding avenues are lined with small, local businesses that give the village its distinctive flavor and identity. While in the summer these shops bustle with visiting baseball teams, Hall of Fame goers, those drawn to Glimmerglass State Park and others, in the winter months their main clientele is locals from Cooperstown and other nearby communities. At no time is this local focus more prominent than at Christmas time—with special deals for shoppers, community decorating and visits from Santa Claus.

Alessandra Paul, operations and marketing coordinator for the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce, listed some of the many retail businesses Cooperstown has to offer when it comes to shopping locally this holiday season, including J. Gorman Fine Jewelry, Mohican Flowers, and a variety of baseball, clothing, artisan, and gift shops.

“Cooperstown is a great place to shop local—there are so many local artisans and locally-owned shops to choose from,” Paul said.

Some of these stores, such as Baseballism, at 131 Main Street, sell unique Cooperstown merchandise, while others, like Tin Bin Alley, 114 Main Street, feature Polish Pottery, novelty socks, stuffed animals and candy, among myriad other items from which to choose.

“We strive to create a fun and welcoming shopping experience, and we also love to feature hundreds of items that are under $5.00,” said Tin Bin Alley owner Lori Fink.

Rigby Handcraft, 43 Pioneer Street, makes recreations of 1880s ornaments which are in high demand. The self-proclaimed “schemer” behind the store, Emilie Rigby, stepped away from soldering ornaments to answer a couple questions.

Their pieces are unique to Cooperstown, Rigby said, and have been made in Cooperstown since the 1990s. She produces a new collection every year, as well as a limited edition “Ornament of the Year,” past iterations of which are available to view at the Cooperstown retail location.

“This store is about encouraging craft and buying handmade,” Rigby said, adding that she loves when Santa comes to town.

“Our ornaments are in his window,” she said, gesturing in the direction of Santa’s Cottage on Main Street.

Rigby Handcraft also features greeting cards, ceramic goods, jewelry, and more, as well as offering classes and workshops.

The Local Bird, at 139 Main Street, has a plethora of gifts, live plants, and fresh-brewed tea, coffee, and baked goods. Gifts come from a variety of small U.S.-based creators, and plants are potted for free with the purchase of a plant and a pot. Upstate New York and Cooperstown clothing are printed and embroidered in-house and feature designs inspired by baseball, Otsego Lake, and other local landmarks and locations. Candles, cards and other stocking stuffers can be found here as well.

FR Woods House of Pro Sports, 61 Main Street, offers a variety of goods, from baseball gifts, Cooperstown sweatshirts and clothing, books, and even novelty nutcrackers.

Across the street at 62 Main Street, Kate’s Upstate sells locally-made jewelry, as well as candles and sweaters and a variety of other made-in-Cooperstown items. Kate’s Upstate is currently hosting a “Twelve Days of Christmas” sale event from now until December 23. Deals include Buy-One-Get-One 50 percent off leather goods on Thursday, December 19, and 15 percent off five or more stocking stuffers on Friday, December 20.

LJ’s Sassy Boutique, at 164 Main Street, is a one-stop shop for clothing, shoes, jewelry and other gifts. Women’s clothing and accessories make up the bulk of their offerings, but they also feature men’s shoes, novelty socks, and patterned umbrellas. As an additional piece of fun for those wandering Main Street, boutique owners LJ and Wayne Alexander take pride in their winter wonderland-themed store window.

“Strangers pop in off the street and say our windows look like Fifth Avenue,” said LJ. “It’s our own Christmas tradition.”

There are also a variety of eateries and restaurants from which to choose this holiday season, ranging from sit-down dining experiences at Mel’s 22 and Toscana, to bakeries and coffee shops such as Schneider’s Bakery and Stagecoach Coffee, to casual dining at New York Pizzeria and Cooley’s Stone House Tavern.

Rudy’s Wine and Liquor and the Cooperstown Distillery Beverage Exchange are also located on Main Street, convenient for those looking to purchase holiday spirits, and “experience” stops such as the All Star Arcade and Cooperstown Escape Rooms offer interesting and fun ways to spend an afternoon.

When store owners were asked about their favorite Main Street Christmas traditions, the most common responses were Santa visiting the village, and the community decorating of Main Street.

Kate Lanza of Kate’s Upstate said that taking her kids to see Santa is her favorite Christmas Main Street tradition, while team members at Baseballism and FR Woods House of Pro Sports both said community decorating is a favored annual event. The Tin Bin Alley team agreed:

“Our community transforms the Village of Cooperstown into a magical hometown snow globe. Tin Bin Alley is proud to provide complimentary hot cocoa to all who volunteer on Decorating Day. It’s a tradition we look forward to each year,” said Fink.