The building we bought - before

If anyone told me six years ago that I would be writing about myself, my business, and life with my partner, I would have thought them crazy.  That being said, here I am.

Jeff Serouya and I started High Falls Mercantile in 2004.  What had been a dream of mine since I was about 15 was becoming a reality.  I had come a long way from the young teen stealing away to local auctions at dawn to find the best of the best. Whatever that was or meant at the time.  We found ourselves instantly feeling at home in Ulster County, NY and quickly realized that chasing our tails in New York City was no longer an option and that it was time to fulfill our dreams of slowing down and making some changes.

Jeff made the jump first.  Having been long frustrated by working downtown, he resigned and started contemplating what was next for him.  Thankfully for us he chose a career in Real Estate in the Hudson Valley.  What would it take for me to leave my job in the textile industry?  We had to be in High Falls and we had to own our building.  Easier said than done but Jeff heard the call and was up to the challenge.  About 9 months later, we closed on an old 1910 building that had previously been run as a deli for years.  Yuck is all I can say now after walking into that windowless moldy place.  It had been vacant for about 6 months and the wet spring and leftover grease made for a really unsightly canvas.  “What had we done?” I quietly thought but Jeff never lost sight of our plan.

The interior of the old deli

What was supposed to have been an “easy” clean up and moderate renovation turned into a lengthy and beautiful overhaul.  Traditional storefront windows went in where there were none.  An entrance worthy of the oldest downtown department store replaced flat plexiglass panels that pretended to be windows.  We were on our way. Our architect, Kurt Sutherland, completely understood what we were going for and guided us along the way.  Finally, we were down to paint colors and finishes and relied on some amazing local artisans to bring our vision to completion.

The day that our crew was out there on two ladders hanging our beautiful hand gilded sign that declared the building “High Falls Mercantile” was one of the proudest days of my life.

The day the sign was hung

We opened our doors on April 16^th 2004 to hundreds of friends, family, local residents, curious onlookers, and strangers.  It was an amazing Spring day that set the tone for our days, weeks, months, and years that have followed.  Many of the vendors that we started with back then are still with us today.  Perrin Mowen, Dash and Albert, Santa Maria Novella and Libeco Linen have been important players in who we are and have helped develop the reputation for quality that we still maintain today.  Creating the mix that became High Falls Mercantile was never a struggle.  We have always followed the rule that if we wouldn’t have it in our home then it wouldn’t be in our store.

The finished product

Now that the stage has been set, I encourage you to check back with us often and visit us at HighFallsMercantile.com.  I look forward to sharing all of the stories, tips, and ideas that have taken shape over the years.

-Larry Ruhl

Be Sociable, Share!

•