Itching For Second Saturday - Happening This Weekend: 7/10/2020
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Local Fitness Facilities Come Together To Speak Out Against Phase 4 Mandate
/Editor’s Note: Marilyn Perez is a Yoga Instructor at Firefly Yoga in Fishkill, NY
Pictured: The Studio @ Beacon, Beacon Pilates, Firefly Yoga
Two weeks ago, local fitness studios and gyms in our region were preparing their businesses, staff, and its members to reopen Tuesday, July 7th as we enter Phase 4. Five New York regions - Central New York, Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, North Country, and Southern Tier, entered Phase 4 on Friday, June 26th. As first reported by Times Union, a conference call was held with local leaders that Tuesday afternoon with New York's budget leader, Robert F. Mujica Jr. where he informed them that gyms, fitness centers, malls, shopping centers and movie theaters were no longer a part of Phase 4’s reopening plan - three days before those regions were set to reopen.
What Does Phase 4 Look Like Now?
As the mid-Hudson region enters Phase 4 today, Phase 4 now allows low-risk indoor and outdoor arts and entertainment, film and TV production, higher education and professional sports without fans. Phase 4 also includes groups of up to 50 can gather in Phase 4 and places of worship can allow up to 33 percent capacity, up from 25 percent, although a Federal Judge ruled on Friday that New York cannot limit religious gathering attendance if BLM protests are still allowed.
This change in the policy left many health & fitness business owners in our area feeling like the rug was pulled underneath them. Businesses were working with the state’s NY Forward website for Sports and Recreation guidelines to establish what their new protocols were going to be like. The sudden change seemed abrupt and did not provide additional information on what these businesses can expect next. Will there be a Phase 5? Will there be a change in the Sports and Recreation guidelines?
Petitions, Speaking Out, and Taking Action
County Executive Marc Molinaro and Senator Sue Serino have spoken out against the change, agreeing that it left businesses feeling blindsided. Serino has stated “I stand in support of the countless Hudson Valley employers and employees who are on the brink of financial ruin in calling on the state to allow these businesses to reopen as planned…when asked to step up and stay home, New Yorkers kept their promise. Now, it’s far past time for the state to keep its own promise by allowing these businesses to safely open as originally scheduled.”
Molinaro shared in a Facebook comment “I don’t think it’s unfair to expect the data and science associated with a decision that was unexpected and exactly contrary to what they had been advising even the day before - especially when it contradicts the “science” of opening higher risk businesses… I respect everyone is concerned and frustrated - regardless of viewpoint. Our job is to attempt to navigate it all for those we serve.”
Serino created a petition urging the state to allow these businesses to open as originally scheduled. This petition is in addition to the several petitions created on Change.org requesting New York to reopen its gyms. All citing how these facilities serve as a necessity for people dealing with physical conditions, mental illness, depression, anxiety, addiction, trauma, stress, loss of energy and more.
Separating Fitness Boutiques From Gyms
Smaller, specialized studios that cater to specific workouts like Pilates, Crossfit, Spin, and Yoga are better equipped to control attendance than most businesses. Larger gyms have general open hours and equipment for members to enter throughout the day. Smaller studios are based on scheduled classes, session times, and usually limited to one room. Limiting amount of clients, enforcing face masks, pre-registration, and wellness check-ins are just a few of the many new regulations that will be enforced.
Since March, gyms have had to freeze or cancel memberships altogether while landlords continued to charge full rent for a space that is not being used. Two local yoga studios have closed their doors - Namastesis in Fishkill and Pavonnine Yoga in Beacon. While gyms are doing what they can to keep members engaged with Zoom and outdoor classes, membership numbers are not what they were. The only way to keep afloat is to get people through the door, even with restrictions. Facilities like All Sport Health & Fitness, Firefly Yoga, The Studio @ Beacon, and Orca Empire Fitness have shared on their social media and/or newsletters what they are doing to adhere to CDC guidelines.
What’s Next?
In light of this, the New York State Fitness Alliance was created for owners of Gyms, Studios, and Fitness centers of all types and sizes throughout the State to come together for the purposes of developing a plan to safely reopen. New York State Fitness Alliance (NYSFA) worked together with fitness centers and studio owners to create a plan to reopen safely. This plan has been presented to the Governor’s office, Regional Control room officials, State Legislators and County Executive’s.
iHRSA, a global community of health and fitness professionals committed to the growth, protection, and promotion of the health and fitness industry - has been in talks with members of Governor Cuomo's reopening team and has provided additional data supporting the ability of clubs to operate safely in the new COVID environment. They also cite research from this study that has shown “low possibility of coronavirus transmission in fitness facilities implementing social distancing and other safety measures.”
During his daily briefings, Governor Cuomo has expressed concern over the air quality in indoor spaces and have called out shopping malls specifically to incorporate air filtration systems that can filter out the COVID-19 virus. “There are HEPA filters, which are high-efficiency particle air filters, that can actually filter out the COVID virus,” Cuomo said on Monday during a COVID-19 briefing. "The COVID virus is .1 microns. There are HEPA filters that can filter out .01." In the meantime, essential businesses have been open, and businesses have been reopening throughout Phases 1-3. This leaves smaller studios questioning if this also applies to them? They’re still waiting for answers and guidance.
The Back Together Guide - 7/3/2020
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LUXE OPTIQUE
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New "Parklets;" Shopping Experiences; Things To Do Guide! - 6/26/2020
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STINSON'S HUB
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Beacon Pride Pop-Up Event This Friday At Roosevelt Bar (HV Food Hall) And Pride Caravan This Weekend
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This year is the 50th anniversary of the first Pride march which took place in June 1970, a year after the Stonewall Riot in New York City, beginning the Gay Liberation movement. With this milestone year, big celebrations were in store throughout New York, but with the COVID-19 outbreak, the celebration has been switched to online events.
In addition, the Black Lives Matter protest came to forefront also reminding us that #blacktranslivesmatter and that the Stonewall Riots was lead by people of color like Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. This year, Global Pride celebrations are more subdued with virtual events and replacing parades with protests organized along side with Black Lives Matter organizations - as both groups come together to rally for change.
Staying Local? Beacon Pride Pop-Up Event
It has come to our attention that while there is a healthy population of LGBTQ+ residents in Beacon and nearby, there are not many ways to connect regularly and have some social recognition of Pride. This is where Beacon resident Joe Waring comes in! Joe is member of the Beacon Human Relations Commission focused on LGBT issues and concerns. This year, Joe is arranging a Beacon Pride Pop-Up event at The Roosevelt Bar at the Hudson Valley Food Hall, Friday, June 26th from 7-12am.
Joe’s intention in organizing this pop-up is to create community and opportunity, he shares with us “While Beacon and the surrounding communities are chock full of amazing LGBTQ+ folks and allies, it can be isolating for many of them as its hard to actually get to know new friends.... and with Pride / Racial Change being so intertwined, I feel like this is an opportunity for likes minds to come together….I am doing this solely to bring community together in a strange and tenuous time in our lives.”
The event will include a remote DJ who’s being sponsored by The Solstad House, a local LGBTQ+ owned business in Beacon.
Social Distancing Still In Place
A Little Beacon Blog only agreed to publicize this socializing event if pandemic-safety measures were in place. We want to help people meet, but safely.
According to Joe, “Hudson Valley Food Hall has all of the appropriate signage up for COVID Protocols and taped off 6-ft markers visible. There will be welcome sign at the entrance to reinforce Mask Wearing and Social Distancing. The main Food Hall space will be closed off as will the bar seating area so this will be outside and will have a counter in place to limit the size. Inside tables will be off-limits and outdoor seating on sidewalks to the side and in front of HVFH will be available.”
Joe continues: “I don't envision people being there for more than 1-2 hours in general but if so we will rotate folks to socially distant areas should crowding be an issue.” That’s nice - give others a chance to meet.
Pride Caravan Protest, Local Resources & Support
This Sunday, The Newburgh LGBTQ Center is hosting a Pride Caravan Protest For Black Lives Matter Against Police Brutality. This is the First Pride Caravan in the Mid-Hudson Valley and you must sign up ahead of time. You can read more about this event on their Facebook page. The Newburgh LGBTQ Center are the only POC led LGBTQ+ led organization in the mid-Hudson Valley.
Mid-Hudson LGBTQ+ Resources
Dutchess Pride Center in Poughkeepsie
The Newburgh LGBTQ Center in Newburgh
Hudson Valley LGBTQ Center in Kingston
Big Gay Hudson Valley
Beacon's Union (PBA) Publishes Letter To City Council In Response To Stories Told By Public At Scheduled Listening Sessions After Peaceful Protest Marches
/After a series of scheduled story and listening sessions outdoors after peaceful protest marches down Beacon’s Main Street, the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association of Beacon issued a statement via letter published on Facebook on June 19, 2020 in response to one of the stories shared with the public on the stage following one of the marches. The story involves a black man being shot by a police officer in 2006. You can read a picture of the letter here on Facebook, and we have retyped it below for easy access:
To The Beacon City Council,
We feel it necessary to address some issues that could greatly impact this great community. The members of the PBA stand by our previous statement condemning the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis officers. We have also kept our word by setting up a safe environment for each protest and demonstration over the past few weeks.
We have performed our sworn duty to this city with professionalism as we watch police across the nation being villainized, slandered and attacked. Our members have not been exempt from these feelings here in our own city. Thankfully, we are able to keep some kind of morale due to a large of amount of support from the community as well.
Regardless of people’s assumptions, we are listening to the people at the protests, council meetings and general interactions with the community. While we still support the right of free speech, we cannot stand by and allow the truth to be twisted and inaccuracies to be used as the continued rhetoric against police. Many of the incidents as told by speakers of the movement are not accurate. We implore you, as elected leaders of this community to do your due diligence and research the facts of some of these incidents.
We must specifically address the inaccurate story of the police involved shooting that took place on October 26th 2006. The statement that a City of Beacon police office shot a woman’s son for “no reason” is a complete mistruth and dangerous statement for the public to believe. The event in question started with a suspicious vehicle complaint, called into our station by a resident of the city. As a uniformed City of Beacon police officer approached the vehicle to speak with the male occupant, the male occupant immediately fired two shots at that officer through the vehicles window, striking the officer in the chest. If not for the body amour worn by officer, on a Tuesday at 1:45pm, responding to a simple suspicious vehicle call, that officer would have been killed as testified to by a medical expert. If not for the firearm carried, as per department guidelines by his backup officer, that officer would not have been able to return fire, saving his injured partner, himself and possibly another uninvolved innocent person.
It is false allegations, like the public allegations that an innocent man was shot for “no reasons” by a Beacon police officer with no repercussion that creates a greater anger towards and mistrust of the police. This story should have been corrected publicly to the crowd to prevent fear and anger to spread.
We ask that prior to making any statements or decisions regarding your police department that may slander the good, hard working members of the Beacon Police, you do your research. Please seek the truth in regards to allegations used as examples of police brutality, as any misinformation could cause irreversible damage to this city.
Thank you,
The members of the Beacon PBA
EDITOR’S NOTE: That story was published as part of a transcript series on A Little Beacon Blog. The story was told at the first march with the listening session. You can read that story here.
Juneteenth Celebrations, Happening This Weekend, AND Retail Therapy Guide! - 6/19/2020
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Juneteenth Events in Beacon, Poughkeepsie, Newburgh And More Including Marches, Cookouts
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Winners of ALBB’s 2020 Juneteenth art contest, Cameron and Zora of Millennial_Matriarch and Blue Green Lawns.
Juneteenth is a critical time in Black History as it commemorates the emancipation of the last remaining enslaved African Americans in the Confederacy in 1865 - two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was formally issued. Juneteenth has been celebrated by Black people since the 1800s when it was referred to as “Jubilee Day” but the name changed to Juneteenth in 1890. Juneteenth is also known as Black Independence Day, Emancipation Day, Freedom Day, Juneteenth Independence Day or Juneteenth National Freedom Day.
In his daily press conference Wednesday, Governor Cuomo announced he's proposing to make Juneteenth a paid NY State holiday beginning 2021. There are currently 46 states that recognize Juneteenth as a holiday including Texas, the first state to pass this into law in 1979. At the June 15th City Council Meeting in Beacon, Mayor Lee Karyiacou declared Juneteenth official in Beacon.
Happening This Friday & Saturday
This weekend there will be several events to join your community and learn about the history of this date that is not often discussed in school.
See the fliers below, all designed by Beacon resident Justice McCray, from the group Beacon 4 BlackLives (@beacon4blacklives on Instagram). Here are the following events taking place in the lower and mid-Hudson Valley this weekend:
Beacon, NY
Juneteenth Celebration March/Protest
Day: Friday, June 19, 2020
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Meet at Pohill Park, Beacon, NY
An opportunity for community. March from Pohill Park to Memorial Park in Beacon.
Croton-on-Hudson, NY
Croton Black Lives Matter Protest
Day: Friday, June 19, 2020
Time: 3pm
Location: Vasallo Park, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
Organized by The Black Student Activists of Croton.
Newburgh, NY
March For Justice
Day: Friday, June 19, 2020
Time: 5-7pm
Location: Downing Park, Newburgh, NY (North side South St & 9W)
The members of the Youth Arts Group of Rural & Migrant Ministry, Inc. will lead a marchin support of the Black Lives Matter Movement. The march will start at Downing Park and it will at City Hall at 7pm.
Poughkeepsie, NY
Juneteenth Cookout Celebrating Freedom
Day: Friday, June 19, 2020
Time: 5:30pm
Location: Tubman Park, Poughkeepsie, NY
An opportunity to learn more about African American History. Any and all donations welcome - from food, silverware, plates, drinks, DJs, etc.
White Plains, NY
March For Justice & Change
Day: Saturday, June 20, 2020
Time: 6pm
Location: Greenburgh Town Hall, 177 Hillside Ave, White Plains, NY
Coming together for a peaceful protest. Wear masks, bring signs, bring water, social distance.
The Retail Therapy Guide - 6/12/2020
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A Protest, Happening This Weekend, And The Retail Therapy Guide - 6/5/2020
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The Retail Therapy Guide - 5/29/2020
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The Retail Therapy Guide - 5/22/2020
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Boutiques In Beacon Quickly Build Websites To Stay In Business On Main Street
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For some brick and mortar businesses, establishing an online presence pre-pandemic may not have been a priority. Walk-in business was good enough to keep them in business, so perhaps building an online website store was not needed. Plus, a shop owner is quite busy with customers who walk into the store, so spending a lot of time online to build a web shop is not easy. That all changed with the shutdown of Main Street back in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when the doors shut and foot traffic disappeared.
Overnight, the digital way of reaching a customer was the only way to reach a customer. Any store without a social media presence on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok was cut off from their customer base (unless they had been sending newsletters, which is even less of a percentage). Anyone who did not have an ecommerce website lost the ability to sell to the customer stuck at home - looking for something to do, or who needed that special something only available at the boutique.
Some brick and mortar shops in Beacon have not committed to the daunting task of establishing an online presence - it could be because they think it’s too hard, or feel not tech-savvy enough. When once they felt it a waste of time and money if not enough customers use it, that percentage shifted as no customers are currently walking through the door.
Boutiques Build Their Webshops
A Little Beacon Blog traveled around the web to find new or enhanced websites that popped in some of Beacon’s Main Street businesses up post-pandemic. With so many resources available now to sell online, shop owners don’t need to be coding experts to get one up and running. Required, however, is a lot of patience to build it, and good ideas for how the shop owner wants the web shopping experience to flow. Below is a sampling of brick and mortars who expanded online:
Blackbird Attic
Website Platform: WordPress with WooCommerce
Blackbird Attic, a consignment shop on Beacon’s east end of Main Street, already had a website but didn’t convert it to an online store until recently. Prior to that, they utilized their Instagram account (@blackbirdattic) to host pop-up shops and gather sales through Instagram via Direct Messaging (DMs). Owner Michelle Caves-Deal tells us “Selling on Instagram definitely works - people like to see the items live in Instastories, They've said it feels like they’re back shopping in person…”
But this does come with some extra steps for shop owner Michelle in order for the sale to happen, like sharing additional details and photos with the customer prior to purchasing. Being a consignment shop, she needs to create two invoices, merchant account and one for the WooCommerce software they use for sales.
The Underground Beacon
Website Platform: WordPress, WooCommerce, eBay
2020 has already been a challenging year for The Underground Beacon, a well known comic book store with weekly comic book release days and in-person gaming events. First, they faced the risk of closing due to the usual pressures of personal life (family loss) and revenue streams to pay the rent, only to be saved by a new partner just earlier in March.
The shop has been hosting the weekly Magic The Gathering sessions on Zoom. They also created a website to sell t-shirts promoting love to the store in addition to selling comics through their eBay store.
Comic book shops were hit pretty hard when Diamond Comic Distributors - the main distributor for most comic book publishers including Marvel and DC Comics, announced a halt to all product distribution on March 23rd. This meant comic shops, like The Underground Beacon, would not get new merchandise coming in until further notice. Thankfully, at the beginning of May, Diamond announced they will resume distribution May 20th. Marvel and DC Comics have announced are being shipped to stores beginning in late May 2020.
Flora Good Times
Website Platform: Squarespace for the main website; Square for the Delivery Shopping
As we shared in this recent article, Corrine from Flora Good Times was concerned dealing with such a tactile store “from seeing the plants and flowers to the smell of the shop itself” she says “it was such an unknown for me whether or not people would continue to shop at Flora through the computer.” She created a second website through Square just for local orders. This was convenient since they also use Square for their point-of-service sales. “It is easy to integrate into your inventory and create a delivery radius..” Speaking personally as a customer, it was super easy to place an order for delivery (twice!).
Still a new business with just 8 months under its belt, the plan for an online shop was in the cards but current circumstances really rushed that project. “I find that a lot of people are looking to spruce up their homes during this time, and adding a plant or some flowers to their quarantine definitely appears very popular!” says Corrine.
RAVEN ROSE
Flower shops for the longest time relied upon centralized flower delivery websites to host their flower bouquet options. Raven Rose on Beacon’s east end of Main Street has a large space, most of which is filled with home goods, despite their large floral business. Years ago when owner Courtney Sedor bought the former floral shop that was located there, she relied upon a florist website service for her ecommerce, which locked her in into different template and selling options. After the COVID-19 shut-down, she dove in and put her home goods online, and now is part of the “release” news when a shop owner puts something new up on the website.
LAST OUTPOST STORE
Website Platform: Shopify
Getting a website up and running quick was a concern for a few businesses. When starting a brick & mortar business, a website could be on the to-do list but building it in stages like how Last Outpost Store was doing.
While timing was of the essence, the Last Outpost store still wanted their website to capture the feel and vibe of their shop, while wanting the online experience to be as close to the interior shopping experience as possible.
Co-owner Allison Cimino was able to finish the site 2.5 weeks after their March 17th shut-down. Allison shares with A Little Beacon Blog: “The response has been really good. The local delivery has been great as well. I have been learning just how many locals really love our shop. That alone really drives me to want to see through this so we can be there for all of our customers when we return!”
BINNACLE BOOKS
Website Platform: IndieCommerce (Drupal)
Binnacle Books, the small independent bookstore located in the middle of Main Street, always had a website, but did not always have the ability to shop on that website. They started with a form you could fill out if you wanted to order any book (possibly any book in the world?), and they would process the order. Different weeks into the pandemic brought different iterations of their website. First the ordering of any book got more advanced, and then their book collection appeared online in a searchable organized fashion. Binnacle Books offers a monthly membership that locks in a discount on book prices, and devised a way to make it easy to checkout without using your credit card so that the shop keepers could credit it against your monthly membership card on file.
LUXE OPTIQUE
Website Platform: Squarespace
While Luxe Optique always had a website, they were dependent upon walk-in foot traffic. Glasses fitting on your face is a personal, physical experience. Over the years, they added the ability to buy the frames online in their Collections section of the website, and even play with the SALE button to give shoppers a discount. Luxe Optique confirms to A Little Beacon Blog that they have seen an increase to the eCommerce section during this time, and they have more to come: online contact lens ordering. “Not only can you order from us using a prescription from our doctors, but you can also use prescriptions from any other practice,” Luxe Optique tells A Little Beacon Blog. “It might seem common, but it’s not something a lot of privately owned practices do. We can’t wait for that to launch. Should be soon!”
While having an online presence allows you to expand your customer reach outside of the immediate area, it appears to be a pleasant surprise to shop owners that local residents are taking advantage and showing their support. Local customers love their shops, connecting with the owners, and want to support any way they can.
Visit A Little Beacon Blog’s Shopping Guide for a list of all of the shops on Beacon’s Main Street.
The Retail Therapy Guide - 5/15/2020
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The Retail Therapy Guide - 5/82020
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This Mother's Day Edition of the Retail Therapy Guide is dedicated to a mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones, who lost her son, Ahmaud Arbery, when he was shot and killed while out jogging. If you have not seen the now famous video that shows it, 
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