Roxbury General set to open Saturday

Above: Doug McLaurine and Robin Factor, owners and founders of Roxbury General, stand in front of the building that will soon house the town's newest Main Street business. Photo by Suzanna Finley; published with permission. 

There's no denying it: Roxbury is having a moment. Along Main Street, once-empty storefronts are bustling with life. Until recently, one would be hard-pressed to find an espresso in Roxbury; these days, the Route 30 hamlet boasts rollicking art parties, dumplings shipped in from New York's Chinatown, and a food truck.

On the morning of Saturday, Jan. 18, the town will welcome its latest new business to the recently-renovated Enderlin building on Main Street: Roxbury General, a labor of love for husband-and-wife owners Doug McLaurine and Robin Factor. 

A few days before the store's big opening, Factor ticked off a list of Roxbury's newest businesses, obviously delighted to be among them. 

"I think we can call it the Roxbury renaissance," she said. "Its time is now. We're so happy to be a part of it."

Factor and McLaurine have been second-homeowners in the area for several years, shuttling back and forth between publishing jobs in New York City and precious time upstate. The recently-retired McLaurine has now settled upstate full-time to run the store, which will be open seven days a week.

The store will carry a mix of the beautiful and the practical, featuring jewelry from Hamden's discomedusa, pottery from Pine Hill, and New England-made clothing alongside items like hardware, flashlights and pantry items. Factor sees Roxbury General as a place to showcase local products and artisanal wares.

"What we're trying to do is bring together the great things of the Catskills. We have great local crafts," she said. But also: "We're trying to have a lot of practical things that people need."

Roxbury General Store. 53538 Route 30, Roxbury. 607-326-6118. Visit the store online at roxburygeneral.com. Opens 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18.

Also worth a read: Our feature on old-timey general stores of the Catskills, published in our print 2014 Catskills Food Guide.

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