© J.N. Urbanski
My persistent, resolute village envy has been exacerbated by the opening of The Annex in Andes, a boutique indoor market selling freshly cut flowers, cider, honey and herbs grown from seed, all locally produced. The building is on the corner of Main Street, that is Route 28, where it does a sharp right on its way to Delhi. Its interior looks like a rustic, aged restaurant made lovelier by the presence of herbs and flowers in the front and thirst-quenching Wayside cider in the back. Phoenicia Honey Co makes a welcome appearance.
Alex Wilson of Wayside Cider, and his business partner Irene Hussey, started the market as a collaboration with Sean Schere of Kabinett and Kammer after they spotted the empty building. “I’ve always loved Sean’s stuff,” says Alex. “The idea was that I really loved the space and thought it could be a great community hub. It just needs to be used. It reminded me of an English gastropub, but that was way too soon in our business model, so we basically talked to Sean and asked him if he wanted to do something together. The landlord has been very reasonable with the rent, very flexible and fair.”
Other vendors selling in the market are Lucky Dog with their crocodile bread, Volto Creamery Cheese, Dan Finn’s cheese, Phoenicia Honey, Louann Aleksander’s plants and cut flowers by Treadlight.
“We decided to try it for six months and see what happens,” says Alex. Talking about his tasty cider, he added: “We were able to make cider that we actually like. You can take risks up here that you simply can’t in New York City.”
For the market, they’re also looking for locally-sourced meat and vegetables to sell.
© J.N. Urbanski
© J.N. Urbanski