When Did The Old Dunkin' Donuts at 435 Fishkill Avenue Close?

/

Dear People of Beacon:
Do you recall the year the Old Dunkin’ Donuts closed at 435 Fishkill Avenue? Several Dunkin’ Donuts closed in the Hudson Valley during the shutdown of 2020 COVID, but an ALBB reader who goes by “B.” reminded us that this Dunkin’ Donuts at 435 Fishkill Avenue was already closed.

Do you recall the year? Please tell us in the comments below.

Roma Nova has since moved in, after a dramatic closing of the original owner’s 25 years at 6 Eliza Street. When the Antalek & Moore building sold to new owners for a reported and confirmed $2.3 million, rents were going up and all of the tenants moved out. Roma Nova’s departure was particularly dramatic, as evidenced in the Comments section of the Highlands Current article, which were later closed, and paired IG post.

The current Roma Nova on Rte 52, or 435 Fishkill Avenue is new owners, as the original owners Ana and Miguel Tapia sold it to the current owners.

Now a second business concept wants to resurrect on Fishkill Avenue that is desired by some, but is meeting vocal resistance by others. If you know when the first (if it was the first) Dunkin’ Donuts closed on Fishkill Avenue, please let us know.

A photo of the proposed new Dunkin’ Donuts at 420 Fishkill Avenue, which is where the Healey car dealership building is, is below. This location is across the street from where the first Dunkin’ Donuts was. This new development project has been approved by Beacon’s Planning Board on March 11, 2025, but faces a banning from Beacon’s City Council.

The photo has been taken from the Fishkill Avenue Concepts Committee March 9, 2025 online presentation packet.

Editor’s Update: Reader @aron._.li/ “November 2, 2020.” When asked why they think that year, they answered: “It is this date cause I remember goin there to get something two days after my birthday, and i remember seeing the date November 2 and their closure and why.” They confirmed it was during COVID.

Cigar On Main Is Moving From East End To Middle Main Street In Former Dentist Office

/

The former Prospect Dental office on Main Street, that has been vacant for some time, is getting a new tenant: Cigar On Main. The cigar store opened early last year on the east end of town, with a double-room layout to accompany their walk-in, temperature-controlled cigar cave. Cigar On Main are moving to 288 Main Street where they will now occupy two floors. This is right next door to Hudson Valley Food Hall.

In their new location, which is being completely renovated and built out, they are dedicating a the second floor “to all the cigar smokers in our community to come and interact with each other,” the owner told A Little Beacon Blog.

The ground floor will showcase the products Cigar On Main is known for (see a sampling here on their website). The new location will be open in a few months. During the renovation, Cigar on Main remains open at their current location of 520 Main Street, near the Hudson Valley Marshmallow Co.

Below are photos of what Cigar on Main looks like inside right now, before they head west for the former Prospect Dental spot.

Chinese Restaurant Reopens, and OG Beacon Is Here For It

/

Left: Owner of the building and Chinese restaurant, Fa Tuan Ni was spotted behind the counter by a previous regular, the artist Teron Wright.
Right: Chinese character painted onto the side of the building: “Strength”

Fa Tuan Ni, owner of building and the Chinese Restaurant known as Xin Xing at 250 Main Street, has fired up the burners again and opened as promised on March 1st, 2025. The Beacon Internet is excited. Beacon-grown basketball player Elijah Hughes said on ALBB’s Instagram: “U can shakeback from anything in life.” Beacon-grown rapper TonyEChandy commented “Best Chinese spot in Beacon.”

Chef Drake KellzyLieu Hall said: "They're not new to this, they're TRUE TO THIS!"

The daughter of the artist Teron Wright who stopped in to the restaurant on opening day after delivering a piece of commissioned art to a collector who lives in Beacon.

On opening day, the Beacon-grown artist Teron Wright declared: “One time for the one time lol…They tried to shut us down but we back like we never left.” Teron had been delivering a commissioned piece of artwork to one of his collectors who lives in Beacon, and “figured why not grab me and my daughter a meal while we was in town,” Teron told ALBB.

“For those asking,” Teron reported on his own Instagram, “OG still behind the counter,” meaning, Teron was impressed and excited to see the familiar face of Fa Tuan Ni.

After a pause, Fa Tuan Ni gradually made changes to his building, which included painting the facade red and adding new characters to it that say “Peace” on the front of the building and “Strength” on the side of the building.

The Chinese character painted onto the front of Fa Tuan Ni’s building: “Peace”

Fa Tuan Ni can be seen on the outdoor fitness circuit, where he jogs up to the Beacon High School track to do calisthenics, or drops and does a few sets of 20 right outside his building on the sidewalk. In case anyone needed a dose of morning motivation.

The Return: New Fu Xing Chinese Restaurant To Re-Open March 1st

/

Like a 🐦‍🔥 phoenix, the Chinese restaurant at 250 Main Street next to Key Food is reopening on March 1st. True to the message stenciled on their building: #strength

This news first published on ALBB’s Instagram, and the comments were matched:

_elijahhughes: U can shakeback from anything in life

tonyechandy: best chinese spot in beacon

thegreenbowlny: Yessss

libgaza: I hope they don’t change the name. Never been there, but I loved the name.

chefkellzylieu: They’re not new to this, They’re TRUE TO THIS!!

kaydiane27: Omg! :-D

flexinoverzeke: YESSSS

bigmeechavelii: @_elijahhughes 🔥🔥

Beacon Farmers' Market To Remain Open During Ice Storm To Help SNAP, and FMNP/WIC Customers

/

This Sunday, the Beacon Farmers’ Market will remain open for vendors to pop up and customers to pop out to purchase food and goods from them. “We’re open for all, and especially to ensure our food benefit customers can double their dollars to access fresh, local food. Because food justice means showing up—no matter the weather,” the market manager Amy Bandolik said on their Instagram.

The Beacon Farmers' Market accepts SNAP, and FMNP/WIC Benefits to service more people at different income levels. The Greens4Greens program is a food benefit incentive program using eligible state funded food benefits that are matched dollar for dollar through Greens4Greens. “The program has been completely community funded through contributions made by local businesses as well as the annual 'Soup4Greens' event,” according to the Beacon Farmer’s Market website.

Amy continued: “Last week’s closure is behind us, and we’re back with all your favorite fresh produce, local goods, and cozy market vibes...With a smaller vendor turnout this week — but still a mighty 30+ vendors — we’ve adjusted the market layout to one main corridor, looping around to the back to create a more cohesive shopping experience.”

While the City of Beacon had been plowing the night before, some vendors could not make it for safety reasons. Conditions in Beacon are icy and slushy on the streets. A Little Beacon Blog has been checking in with several member businesses, who are so far open if their employees can make it in. Several farming vendors live outside of Beacon, and the drive is too risky, and some have more snow on their properties.

The Beacon Farmers’ Market has the added pressure of staying open, as they are in the county parking lot, the DMV, which the City of Beacon can close down when they needed it for emergency snow parking for cars who cannot park on the streets when snowfall is more than 2” and the plows are out. This is why they closed last week, and the City’s mandate.

Alchemy Opens - The Wellness Spa 3 Stories Up - Feels Like You're In A Different Country

/

Last Saturday seemed like a collective day of release mixed with expressions of feeling uncertain. It was also the day that Alchemy Beacon opened, the wellness spa in the long awaited building that was Kitchen Coffee Beacon (formerly Ella’s Bellas) and now is again at 418 Main Street. The restaurant Carter’s is down there also. Both Carter’s and Kitchen Coffee are known for their delicious gluten free options. Kitchen Coffee goes the extra step of being vegan.

The Station Dispensary and the soon to be Piggy Bank 2.0 (formerly The Vault) is just down the block also.

Inside Alchemy, on the 3rd floor, there are yoga classes available, sound experiences, reiki, massage, acupuncture (face or whole body), craniosacral therapy, and LED platinum heat therapy. Soft, thick blankets are available everywhere.

There is also the opportunity to just sit. In the sauna or steam room.

Followed by a shower in one of the uniquely designed showers that make one feel like they are in Morocco maybe. Three stories up from Beacon’s Main Street. For some reason, we took an affinity to the hooks placed all around Alchemy for hanging convenience. Shampoo, conditioner and body wash is from Public Good and smells citrus-y.

In addition to class packs and other membership levels, there’s an introductory sauna/steam room membership going on now for $39/month for the sauna and steam room exclusively (like…if you aren’t committing to classes and just want to sit in the heat). They say you could go to the sauna unlimited times. Like 3x a day if you wanted! Not that you would want to do that. But it’s an example of the flexibility. Lockers are available for your bag. Bring a robe or bathing suit for sitting. Alchemy provides the towels.

On a day like last Saturday, before the snow storm, and in the middle of the figurative storm, this exhale-sit-sweat was deeply needed. Personally, ALBB jogs outside. So it was a jog out on the ice, followed by the warm sit.

So far, there isn’t a lock-it-in contract. One could try the intro rates. If the wind blows the price higher and they no longer suit the budget, one could exit. But for now, the fluffy towels, the plain water, the special water, the showers, the hair dryer (!!) was worth feeling like you were somewhere else for a little bit.

When you go for the first time - watch out for the elevator! It opens backwards :)

Business Owner of Smoker's Mecca and The Leaf, Grant McCabe, Has passed

/

Grant W. McCabe, a local area resident, entrepreneur and business owner, passed away on January 16, 2025. He was 43 years old. Grant was a former owner of The Leaf in Beacon, and currently owned Smoker’s Mecca in Beacon.

The Leaf, located at 498 Main Street, was open for 5 years before closing in October 2024, as reported by WRRV. “After five amazing years of helping you find balance, calm, and those much-needed chill moments, we’re reaching out with a bittersweet message. The Leaf will be closing its doors. We'll still be online...” the radio station reported from the store’s announcement to customers via email.

The Leaf provides “the highest quality hemp CBD products and provides the education you need to get the most benefit from them.” According to their website, the Leaf is part of the US Department of Agriculture’s industrial hemp research program and harvested crop in the Hudson Valley. The Leaf was not one of the three cannabis businesses in Beacon to hold a microbusiness license, a designation that only recently was made available to New York based businesses.

The Hudson Valley Post reported that Grant opened the Smoker’s Mecca at 285 Main Street in 2014 on Main Street in Beacon and sold CBD products purchased from other suppliers. Smoker’s Mecca was known in Beacon for its brief offering of free marijuana during “Joint Free Fridays,” an incentive some stores were doing before microbusines licenses became available. Grant paused it after the cannabis board announced it would pursue stores that made that offer, according to the Times Union.

“Grant was a hardworking entrepreneur,” his obituary states, and “was a former owner of The Leaf in Beacon, and currently owned Smoker’s Mecca in Beacon, multiple online stores, stores in Florida, a Distribution business in New Windsor and an ATM business covering the Tri-State area. He had begun his working career as a salesman in the car business and continued his excellence in sales into all of his businesses. Grant also was a very caring and giving person who helped many people down on their luck over the years.”

According to his obituary, Grant grew up in Illinois and was a professional motocross racer there. "Grant was born on January 14, 1982 in Joliet, Illinois, the son of Debra Dorich McCabe and the late William McCabe who predeceased him on October 18, 2020.

“Grant met his fiancé Darcy Wang and called it love at first sight,” the obituary explains. “He said there was no way he would let her go and spent 4 wonderful years together.”

Grant is survived by his mother, Debra McCabe; his fiancé, Darcy Wang, and numerous cousins, aunts and uncles; his many friends and loving employees; his 2 dogs, Nugget and Uki.

Family and friends gathered on Saturday, January 25 and on Sunday, January 26 at Riverview Funeral Home by Halvey, 2 Beekman Street, Beacon. A private cremation followed. Said one person who attended the funeral: “Grant was loved by many people. You could tell. His mom and fiancé seem to be surrounded in community.”

To send a personal condolence please visit www.riverviewbyhalvey.com.

Due To Anticipated Weather, Beacon Farmer's Market Closing An Hour Earlier - Encourages Shoppers To Come Early

/

The Beacon Farmers Market, the all-weather outdoor market, announced today that they will be open on Sunday before the anticipated snowfall begins. Both the Beacon Farmers Market and Cold Spring Farmers Market do their best to stay open despite weather (cold, hot, rainy, snowy), and the vendors do their best to arrive each week, unless being out in the weather is bad for their health, or the roads are dangerous.

The manager of the market, Amy Bandolik encourages shoppers to come early. “We’ll close at 1pm to get vendors home safely,” she said in an Instagram post.

The next day, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration and parade has been postponed to February 17, 2025, President’s Day.

The Station Dispensary Opens: A Look At The Products For Sale Inside The Old Beacon Police Station

/

After carefully waiting, The Station Dispensary has opened! Months in the making, the dynamic duo of Kamel and Lena Jamal are ready to serve you in their building that is the old Beacon Police Station at 463 Main Street. Products can also be purchased for pickup on their website.

Find brands like Fernway, RVEST, Holiday, 4orty Tons, Live Rosin, Harvest, dank., Platinum, Harney Brothers, Chef Higher, and more.

As for decor, Kamel and Lena are thrifters by nature, and travel frequently. Eighty percent of the furniture inside is thrifting finds. The large cabinets on the wall are from an old candy shop in upstate New York. Ask them to show you what is from Egypt and Mexico.

Their soft launch party was last Friday, and from now on, you are free to walk through the doors of the old Beacon Police station, and walk back out, still free, and perhaps a little more relaxed.

The Station Dispensary is a Member Advertising Sponsor of ALBB, and always lifting us to higher spirits. Look for more features of brands carried at The Station in our free newsletter (subscribe here) and Instagram.

Riverview Funeral Home Merges With Libby Funeral Home

/

The Riverview Funeral Home has announced via press release that this December, Libby Funeral & Cremation Services will transition to Patrick Halvey at Riverview Funeral Home by Halvey. All business will be conducted from the Riverview Funeral Home location at 2 Beekman Street, Beacon. The Libby location at 55 Teller Avenue will be closed.

The plaque at Libby Funeral Home, which reads: “In Honor and Memory of Harrison S. Libby, 1936-2015 Founder and Previous Owner of the Libby Funeral Home. God Bless You and God Bless the United States of America.

Current Libby Funeral Home owner, Matthew Fiorillo, and General Manager, Joseph Schuka, stated, “This is the merging of two great legacy funeral homes in the city of Beacon. We have chosen Patrick and his team at Riverview Funeral Home because we trust them to continue caring for families with professionalism and to uphold our outstanding level of service. We believe the families of Beacon deserve nothing but the best and made this decision because we know it will have a positive impact on them.”

Riverview Funeral Home by Halvey is a third-generation business founded by Patrick Halvey’s grandfather, John Halvey in 1933. Patrick relocated the business to its beautiful location overlooking the Hudson River in 2017. The brand-new facility is elegantly appointed and features one of the largest viewing rooms in the Hudson Valley.

“I have immense respect for the legacy and tradition of Libby Funeral Home. As a homeowner in Beacon with extensive community involvement, I welcome the opportunity to service all members of our city with the comfort and care instilled by my father and grandfather,” said Halvey.

Riverview Funeral Home Used To Be In A House Also

Before relocating to Beekman Street, Riverview Funeral Home used to be in a house on Willow Street. It moved to its current location in late 2017, which they completely renovated after that property was a series of restaurants. According to Patrick Halvey, the third-generation son who was taking over the family business at the time, positioning funeral homes in neighborhoods was historically preferred by grieving families and well-wishers in times past.

Years ago, more parking spaces drew Halvey to the Beekman location. They have 36 marked spots in the new lot, with room for parking in back and front yielding another 12 spots, for a total of 48 [parking spots].

To contribute to Beacon’s walk-ability, Riverview Funeral Home extended the sidewalk near their property from a city-owned lot on 9D to Beekman Street to accommodate walkers to and from the train and Dia:Beacon. During their construction.

New Krispy Krunchy Chicken Opens On Fishkill Avenue At Home Town Deli From Beacon, NY Owners

/

The Home Town Deli on Rte. 52 across from the Town of Fishkill Town Hall has a new addition/offering inside: Krispy Krunchy Chicken from the local owners of Krispy Krunchy Chicken Beacon on Main Street next to Key Food and Maximus Smoke Shop,
who has since moved his smoke shop to be next door to Home Town Deli and this new Krispy Krunchy. Now you can enjoy the fried chicken before you hit the highway or in between errands in the area! Or for a sit-down lunch date. Plenty of parking!

The hand-breaded, Louisiana style, halal fried chicken is rolled daily in the breading to be fried and freshly placed under the warming lamps for you to enjoy. Says owner Max: “Come over and try us. Say hi!” Seating is ample and everything shiny and new. Deli sandwiches are available, plus loads of cookies from the likes of Pepperidge Farm and Tate’s. Parking is easy too. Chicken includes tenders, wings, and drumsticks with choices of sauces, to be paired with those wedge fries that cook so good the next day in a skillet for make-at-home hash browns. And the biscuit! Enjoy.

Located at 812 NY-52, Fishkill, NY. Follow them on Instagram @krispykrunchychickenbeacon

Sky Diamond Jewelers Is Second Jeweler To Leave 226 Main Street; Flourishing In Flagship Space In New Windsor

/

In October 2024, Sky Diamond Jewelers left their Beacon location at the new-ish building of 226 Main Street to focus entirely on their flagship New Windsor location. “It was going to be an uphill battle after the robbery. And we had the opportunity to leave, so we had to make a decision,” Sky Diamond Jewelers told A Little Beacon Blog. “We’re still here to service you in our New Windsor location.”

The robbery on June 13, 2024 happened at the same time as two other robberies of jewelry stores in Cold Spring and Danbury, CT. The glass of the front door was broken and a neighbor called the Beacon Police at 4:30am, at which point the Beacon Police pursued a car already speeding away from the store to the Newburgh/Beacon Bridge, where the police stopped their pursuit due to high speeds. Suspects were later arrested in Newark, NJ in connection to the burglaries.

Sky Diamond Jewelers are the second jeweler to leave this location, the first being Hudson Valley Goldsmith. Sky Diamond Jewelers moved in shortly after Hudson Valley Goldsmith moved out. Currently a retail boutique selling clothing, crystals, signs and other home goods has moved in.

Sky Diamond Jewelers was established in 2016 by husband and wife team Isreal & Jennifer Morales in New Windsor, NY. They specialize in custom designed jewelry made on site, bridal jewelry, and permanent jewelry. They are deep in the thriving lab grown diamond market, and are always having events and reasons to buy new bling. Follow them on Instagram for more.

Beacon Community Kitchen Seeks Turkeys and Ham; Members Of Community Donate All Year

/

Days before this year’s Thanksgiving, the Beacon Community Kitchen, currently located in the Tabernacle Church of Christ at 483 Main Street (the intersection of Main Street and Church Street), put a call out for turkeys and ham for the holiday: “We are in need of turkeys and ham for our holiday meals. We are usually overwhelmed with the amount that we get but this year we have not received any. Spread the word and love.”

Beacon Community Kitchen serves one hot meal to go on Mondays - Thursdays. After this call was made, some turkeys were donated by people in the community, but more may be needed:

“Today we had a generous donation from Tom Kenny who brought us two fresh turkeys for our Guests. Thank you Tom for your generosity. We also want to thank Tina Finkelsten for her generosity. She brought down a turkey and a five pound bag of potatoes. Thank you for thinking of us!!”

Community member JOe (seated) eats a meal with Beacon Community Kitchen. Joe has lived in various locations in the woods of Beacon.

Candi Rivera, spokesperson for the Beacon Community Kitchen, continued to describe what was cooked that day: “Tuesday lunch: [Chef] Joe had to improvise. He rallied through nicely!! He made gnocchi creamy vodka sauce over oven warmed baguette and a fresh green baby kale salad to accompany the meal. Thank you Joe, Janice, Anna, Peggy and Tina.”

Beacon Community Kitchen accepts ingredients for dishes all year round.

On A Monday - In April

As Giving Tuesday approaches (the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and Black Friday holiday consumption), Beacon Community Kitchen celebrated any day a person or business donates food for them to cook. Like this day in April.

Owner Beth George of Bagel-ish Donates bagels on any given day.

In April 2024, Candi reflected: “Most people celebrate Giving Tuesday. Well today (Monday), we celebrate the generosity of many who came forward to donate back.”

Candi listed a few donations in a post at Facebook:

MAX’s of BEACON
“Peggy picked up at Max’s with the assistance of her friend Noah who helped with his truck. We received chicken breast, burgers, salad stuff, cream cheese, French Fries, cod, BBQ sauce, brown sugar, baking powder, corn starch, liquid smoke and more. We can’t thank you enough for consideration.”

PUSH TRANSPORTATION: and their Proprietor’s
“Joe Simmons and Shamikah Jones for their generosity and donation of boxes and boxes of guacamole, tossed salads and sugar snap peas. Thanks for your support and generosity in thinking of us. We also extend special thanks to Elmer Arroyo for his assistance today.”

EGGBERT’S FREE RANGE FARM
“[Farmer Carrie and her brother Tom] surprised us also and bought a case of pork products which included: pork jowls, ham hocks, and more……”

BEACON NATURAL MARKET of BEACON:
“Picked up and delivered by our own TROOPER PEGGY B!! We received spring mix, Dijon mustard, Swiss chard, yogurt, assorted cookies and teas.”

Candi concluded: “Talk about Acts of Kindness! Beacon is it!! We’re so blessed to have the support of sooooooo many kind and loving individuals with great big hearts. We can’t thank you enough for all you do, in one way or another, that keep us serving for 8 years strong.”

To donate money or coordinate food delivery, email or call: incareof.beacon@gmail.com (845) 728-8196.

Wait...What Happened To Famous Footwear And Regal Movie Theater?

/

Upon arriving to the Fishkill Town Center to shop for new and affordable kids shoes at Famous Footwear, the store was gone. And so was the Regal Movie Theater. The Bass shoe-store had left long ago. The Read Scout Reservation Shop is there, as is Dogtopia with all of their dogs, but Olivia’s Barber & Unisex Salon was gone as well.

Photo Credit: Screenshot of photo from WPDH.

Inside the former movie theater, the floor had been ripped up, and renovation work of some kind looked active. WPDH reported on October 4, 2024 that Facebook users of the East Fishkill Community Forum reported that the theater had closed. According to the radio station: “The person that posted the news of the closing, Heather L. Dini, also said that the workers had just found out the week prior. No other information on the closing of the theater was available at the time of this writing.”

On October 3rd, a photo of a man in a truck working on the forever-faded Regal Cinemas sign was taken and published to WPDH, a day before they published their news article about the closure.

ALBB has not verified with Regal Entertainment Group as to when they notified employees of the closure. The media outlet also reported that the movie theater group had announced dozens of closings: “Back in January 2023, Regal Cinemas announced that they would be closing 39 theaters across the U.S. and unfortunately that included a one Hudson Valley theater, the Cortlandt Town Center Regal 'United Artist Theaters' in Mohegan Lake.”

Upon the news of this suddenly almost vacant building, readers of ALBB chimed in with different reactions. Bespoke suit tailor David Reese said: “I remember a time of chaos... ruined dreams... this wasted land. But most of all, I remember The Road Warrior.”

Wearable art designer Selma Karaca said: “We are bankrupt but we have $ to supply all the wars in the other side of the world.”

Jillian Rotsky aka @therealpurpletutu said: “It's pretty dead. But there is an excellent wine store, Boutique Wines Spirits and Cider, and a great Indian restaurant!” OliveGaza and others agreed: “Gymkhana the Indian restaurant is 🔥 (esp the lunch buffet!)”

Now residents must drive further up to the Poughkeepsie Mall to find Famous Footwear and DSW for a wider variety of lower priced kids shoes. Plato’s Closet is coming to Poughkeepsie, and there are other consignment shops in the area to help with this.

ALBB readers also chimed in to say that Planet Fitness is moving in to the movie theater spot, which has been confirmed.

Inside The New Old Max's - Lyonshare Public House - During Their Soft Launch Party

/

We see you peeping! And it’s not at the leaves, but through the new windows of the eatery that used to be Max’s on Main, after its complete transformation under new owners and has opened its front doors to welcome you into what is Lyonshare Public House.

The once warm, dark and cozy Max’s, adorned all year with Christmas lights accompanied by live music and Karaoke in the back corner, has completely transformed its look to be an equally as warm, white, brassy, dare we say “fancy”. The “f” word in Beacon (“fancy”) is to be used carefully, as some people in Beacon like fancy but not too fancy.

Lyonshare, brought to you by new co-owner Bud Schmeling, is like a gentle hand taking yours, telling you it’s OK to step into this beauty; to surround yourself with this white marble, brass table and toilet accents, and bistro inspired lighting, with notes from a black piano rising lightly from the former music corner. There may be no TVs, but you have your hand-held mini-computer phone device to watch anything from!

This spot might be referred to “The New Old Max’s” for a little white, much to any new business owner’s chagrin. But that’s how it works in Beacon. A property is known by its former personality for a time until it settles in, makes its own roots, and spreads out.

The Soft Launch Party

Attending Lyonshare’s soft launch party were a few local business celebrities, notably Terry Williams (some may know her as Terry Amoroso Greenough) and Vince Lemma from Antalek and Moore, as well as Jon Lombardi and Janelle Cruz from Carter’s (Carter is their young son). You may recognize Atticus Lanigan from her previous work with Beacon Farmers Market and trash and recycling. She’ll now be making sure you have a most pleasant dining experience. You may recognize other faces from past eateries, like Homespun, who were happy to find work in the new restaurant.

What Is “Lyonshare”?

The name Lyoneshare, Bud explains, pays homage to Capital John Lyon, “a legendary figure who navigated the waters of the Hudson River for 71 years never missing a day,” which is painted onto the portrait of the Captain hanging near the bar. Bud tells A Little Beacon Blog that he wanted to root the restaurant in the local, and was drawn to the river.

The captain was devoted to commanding ships from a young age, and was good with people. He was known to have celebrities on his ferry, including Babe Ruth and Theodore Roosevelt. John Lyon said to Theodore Roosevelt when he was running on the Bull Moose ticket: “You should have stayed at home. You shouldn’t break up the party.” You can read more about the captain here.

Much like Max’s, Lyonshare has a literary vibe. This space may inspire wordsmiths who care to pause to read the framed articles hanging on the wall. From the poem “O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman to past media coverage in the Village Voice of Bud’s former restaurant Black Betty in Williamsburg just before the tipping point turned over that Brooklyn neighborhood. Co-owner Bud Schmeling (pictured below) is an English major, for those who majoring in English is notable and sparks a fire deep inside them.

The Bathroom

Regular readers of A Little Beacon Blog may know that we love a good bathroom in Beacon. Some of the best are at Reserva Wine Bar, Beacon Bread/WTF, and The Beacon Movie Theater (at one point StoryScreen). The bathroom at Lyonshare does not disappoint. It comes with a fancy little antique lock on the door knob, and a real fancy faucet. Notable to old time Max’s patrons are the doors of the bathroom, which once had XX and XY to indicate Female and Male bathrooms. The doors now simply read TOILET and anyone is welcome within.

The dark green walls feel like a nod to an Adirondack green, which is common in these parts. Not sure ALBB has seen a bird perched on any other toilet rolls in Beacon.

Do take note of the oyster bar! Lyonshare is not messing around. While this was a soft launch night, and these photographs did not capture anyone in action just yet, you can see the layout.

For those who loved the paper on the tables for drawing with crayons, you will still have your paper. Though paper is associated with fancy, the striped napkin rolls on the table indicate it’s OK to get messy and comfortable.

The menu for the soft launched was scratched in pen. While it was a short stay for ALBB, there was a young child who was enjoying the Buttermilk Fried Chicken with Tart and Creamy Slaw and Biscuits very much.

The first menu has been released, which you can see here: