By Patricia Breakey
A business that survived fire and flooding and a village dedicated to books are being honored by the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce at its annual dinner.
The chamber's annual Business of the Year award will be presented to Brookside Hardware LTD in Margaretville, and the Tourism Property of the Year will be presented to the Hobart Book Village of the Catskills, said Mary Beth Silano, chamber executive director.
Silano said that despite a fire March 5 that destroyed its business and extensive damage suffered during the 1996 flood, Brookside Hardware has refused to give up.
"Instead of closing the doors permanently, Will Finch chose to rebuild, making a huge financial commitment," Silano said.
"I was surprised and very honored when I heard about the award," said Finch, owner of Brookside Hardware.
Silano said Finch saved the jobs of his eight employees and expanded the local economy.
Finch said Wednesday that he rebuilt his business within five months of the fire.
"We finished up and we are up and running in a brand-new store," Finch said. "And the garage is also up and running. Everything is new. We also lost everything but the building in 1996, but we have come back twice."
Finch said he would not have been able to accomplish what he has done, or accomplish it as quickly, without support from employees, friends and neighbors.
"It's a tremendous community," Finch said "Everybody pitched in and went the extra mile." The company's website is www.brooksidehardware.com.
Bookstores also honored
Silano said many individuals in Hobart "had a vision and worked tirelessly to bring it to fruition."
She said the Hobart Book Village is a distinctive tourism destination that attracts visitors by providing a diverse experience while stimulating economic growth in Hobart and the surrounding towns and villages.
The Hobart Book Village, in the village, has been operating as the only book town east of the Mississippi River since it opened May 2005, according to Velga Kundzins-Tan, owner of Cook the Books Coffee Bar/The Hobart Book Mart.
Kundzins-Tan said the concept began in the 1960s in Hay-on-Wye in Wales. Since then, it has flourished internationally.
In November 2004, Donald S. Dales began recruiting community members to help build his vision of a Main Street lined with bookstores.
William H. Adams Antiquarian Books store on Main Street and two other bookshops, Bibliobarn and Blenheim Hill Books, just a few miles outside the village, started the effort. In August 2007, Elda Stifani, former EU Council's Ambassador to the United Nations in New York, opened the Hobart International Bookport.
Kundzins-Tan said there are five book stores on Hobart's Main Street and one within a few miles. The stores hold special events on the second Saturday of every month.
The stores' website is www.hobartbookvillage.com.
"I admire and appreciate those individuals who created the book village concept and who had the energy and foresight to implement their ideas," William Webb, Hobart village trustee, said in a media release. "What they have accomplished for the village is truly wonderful."
The chamber's awards dinner will begin at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at the Andes Hotel on Main Street. Tickets are $60 per person or $115 per couple. For reservations, call 746-2281.
