A Charlton business owner is hoping that his establishment will become a place the entire community can congregate, and he’s getting on the road to that goal by hosting bimonthly car meets.
Eran Wasserman reopened a service station on Route 67 at Harmony Corners in February under the name of Route 67 Country Store and CafE, and has been working ever since to expand the business into something unique for both Charlton and the surrounding area by lending the historic building a nostalgic character.
Eventually this place will be what people used to think of as a country store, he said. `I would say I am shooting towards a retro-country store style.`
To that end, he’s looking to bring Moxie Soda ` the nation’s first commercially produced soft drink ` into the store and is dedicating his cafE to serving old fashioned, home cooked food.
The cafE serves breakfast and lunch fare, and Wasserman said he would be open to expanding to dinner in the future, if the demand is there.
There’s also plenty of room on the property for gatherings, and car meets held the first and last Thursday of the month are the first of what the owner hopes will be a trend of community use.
`I’m open minded. If the community would like to use this property for a good purpose, I would be very interested,` he said.
The inaugural car meet was held earlier this month, said Wasserman, a self described auto enthusiast. About 20 people turned out as the result of word of mouth to meet, socialize and, of course, admire one another’s rides. The meetings will run as long as weather allows.
`The idea is to bring people together after work and just have a good time,` said Wasserman.
Though he expresses a great admiration for the character of the community and its inhabitants, Wasserman only recently came to live in Saratoga County. Originally from Israel, he studied mechanical engineering at Stony Brook, and came across the closed convenience store when working in real estate in Westchester County. He moved to Charlton in November of last year and began renovating the property.
Already, Wasserman said he’s been impressed by the local response to the business, which is located on an otherwise rural stretch of Route 67 at Harmony Corners.
`I didn’t expect to get such a response from the community,` he said. `They’re used to the fact it’s been closed for so long.`
He received help from locals along the way, including Howie Eskin of the Charlton Historical Society, who filled him in on the history of the building.
Wasserman said he’s aiming to stay connected with the surrounding area by making an effort to use local suppliers whenever possible. So far, he has lined up Thomas Poultry in Schuylerville for eggs and chicken, Park 19 Cookies of Mechanicville and South Farms, which is located practically around the corner and provides the Texas longhorn beef for burgers.
`I believe the relationship between and service and the community is a two-way street,` said Wasserman. `I think that any business, especially in such a small community, has to give back.`
The Route 67 Country Store and CafE is located at 1958 Amsterdam Road and is open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.“