Shop Talk is a weekly column featuring locally owned and operated businesses. This week, we talk to Holley Giles, who with her husband, Richard, owns the farm, store and inn.
How long have you lived in the area?
We moved here 11 years ago.
Tell me about your business:
Lucky Dog Farm is a certified organic produce farm. We sell our produce at the Callicoon Farmers Market, the Pakatakan Farmers Market, two markets in New York City (Fort Greene and Union Square), as well as at Lucky Dog Farm Store.
We have also done a community supported agriculture program where people pay to have shares of our harvest.
Lucky Dog Farm Store specializes in selling locally produced farm products, organic and bulk foods and assorted other items from local craftspeople. The Hamden Inn is a popular lunch-time stop with homemade soups, sandwiches, salads and specials with a beverage service and dinner menu for evening meals.
Describe a typical day in your business:
We are up and working by 6 or 7 in the morning, feeding chickens, harvesting for farmers markets and transplanting seedlings into the field. The store operation begins by 6 or 7 in the morning also to bake fresh bread. The store opens at 10 a.m. and a typical day involves cashiering, baking, stocking shelves, and packing bulk foods.
How did you get started in this line of work?
We wanted to farm and live in the country.
What have you learned from your work?
The value and rewards of good old-fashioned work.
What is the most challenging part of what you do?
Getting through the lean winter months is a challenge.
What are some advantages as well as drawbacks of doing business in this area?
It's a beautiful area to live in and enjoy nature, but since our businesses are to a large degree seasonal, the winters can be tough.
What advice would you give to someone trying to enter your field of work?
Be ready to work hard.
Shop Talk interviews are conducted by Terry Hannum. For information, call The Daily Star at 432-1000, ext. 213, or email news@thedailystar.com.
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Welcome to our story comments feature. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including the unpopular ones. We only ask that you keep your conversations clean, civil and on the topic of the story you are commenting on.
Coinciding with our websites redesign, we launched our new story comments feature through Disqus.
Disqus gives users the ability to log into our story comments feature so that they may be able to track their conversations, receive emails when their comments get a reply or to even have your comments update onto your Facebook or Twitter accounts.
For the time being, our story comments feature will continue to have the ability to post comments anonymously. We reserve the right to require registration in the future using your name and verified email address.
Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified at the newspaper’s discretion for a number of different reasons. Please follow our Online Rules of Conduct at all times.
RULES OF CONDUCT:
We reserve the right to remove comments that are unacceptable, to wit:
1. False and inacurate statements.
2. Personal attacks. Explicit name-calling.
3. Harassing, harmful, vulgar, obscene and defamatory language.
4. Threatening statements or statements that suggest violence.
5. Hate speech of any kind.
6. Intolerant comments on religion, race, age, gender, sexual preference or disabilities.
7. Accusations of criminal activity.
8. Content that is harmful to children and minors in any way.
9. References to any type of sexual activity and other private matters.
10. Random and inflammatory statements that are off topic.
11. Advertising of any kind.
12. Typing in all caps.
WE ENCOURAGE REASONABLE AND COURTEOUS COMMENTS THAT:
1. Create conversation on issues of interest and concern to fellow readers and local community members.
2. Express opinions and contrarian views.
3. Stimulate debate with respectful language.
4. Stay within the boundaries of these rules.
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SUSPEND OR TERMINATE ACCESS FOR:
1. Violating any of these Online Rules of Conduct.
2. Deliberately disrupting discussions with repetitive messages, meaningless messages or spam.
3. Misrepresentation of identity or impersonating another user.
WE WELCOME:
1. Flagging violations of these rules that you observe to our attention.
MONITORING:
We monitor comments regularly Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Approval of comments outside of this time (including weekends) will be sporadic.
January 14, 2012
Shop Talk: Lucky Dog Farm & Store, The Hamden Inn
Lucky Dog Farm & Store, The Hamden Inn 35796 State Hwy 10, Hamden Owners: Richard and Holley Giles Established: Farm: 2000; Store: 2001. Employees: Three to nine on the farm; two at the store; and two full time and four part time at the inn.
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