Advertisement. Advertise with us

Theresa’s Emporium

Lifts Oneonta’s Morale

Theresa Cyzeski and her sister, Kathy Verrelli, at Theresa’s Emporium, show off the store’s offerings. (Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)

By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com

ONEONTA – Theresa Cyzeski believes that, as Christmas approaches, Oneonta could be a destination not just for holiday shopping, but for holiday cheer.

“We could be like a Hallmark movie,” she said. “I had such a blast doing the scarecrows with the college students. Why couldn’t we have people downtown decorating light poles or making snow sculptures?”

A Main Street staple for more than a decade, Theresa’s Emporium has been named the Key Bank, NA 21st Annual Small Business of the Year by the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce.

Cyzeski, who worked as a teacher’s aide at Cooperstown Central School for 19 years, started her shop at West End Archery, at 435 Chestnut St., then owned by her husband, David. “He was out of the house in the evenings and the kids” – daughters Bridgette and Kelly – “were out of the house. I didn’t just want to stay home all alone.”

There was an empty room at the range, and a friend suggested she set up shop inside. “I’ve always loved retail,” she said. “I had been a cashier at Fay’s and Grand Union. I love chatting with customers and making them happy and comfortable.”

She began selling gifts and home goods, but quickly outgrew the space. For a while she had a space at the Southside Mall, then in Price Chopper Plaza, and at two separate storefronts on Main Street before becoming the ground floor retail anchor of Klugo’s Parkview Place in the former Bresee’s Department Store.

“I grew up when Main Street was vibrant,” she said. “Those are some of my fondest memories, and I want to offer that to the next generation.”

The larger store allowed her to expand her offerings to include apparel and more toys. “We had looked into opening a separate toy store,” she said. “But when we moved here, we had room for it.”

It’s been especially popular this year, she said, as parents are homeschooling their children in the COVID-19 pandemic. “They’re really looking into educational toys,” she said.

And in 2010, her sister Kathy Verelli joined her, having just retired as a teacher’s aide at the former St. Mary’s School.

“I buy what I like,” she said. “I really love the fair-trade gourds from Peru, and the glass bulbs from Washington. They’re made with ash from Mount St. Helen’s, and they’re virtually unbreakable.”

“It’s not the usual kind of shopping, where you come in and you know what you want,” said Cyzeski. “It’s an adventure. You don’t know what you are going to find.”

In addition to running the store, Cyzeski and Verelli are active in the downtown community, including hosting a mini petting-zoo during the annual Christmas tree lighting, hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for the people who live in the apartments above her store, and putting together sidewalk sales as part of the “Survive, Then Thrive” events downtown.

“Those Saturdays this summer felt more like the old days than anything I’ve felt in years,” said Cyzeski. “We need to keep doing things like that.”

With COVID-19 still a concern for many shoppers, she had to stop offering fresh-baked goods at the counter in the store’s right-front window.

But new this year will be online shopping, as well as private shopping parties, featuring games, snacks and discounts for the host and guests.

“Main Street is a community thing,” she said. “It gives people pride in where they live.”

Posted

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Related Articles

SCOLINOS: It’s All We Need To Know: Home Plate 17 Inches Wide

COLUMN VIEW FROM THE GAME It’s All We Need To Know: Home Plate 17 Inches Wide Editor’s Note:  Tim Mead, incoming Baseball Hall of Fame president, cited John Scolinos, baseball coach at his alma mater, Cal Poly Pomona, as a lifelong inspiration, particularly Scolinos’ famous speech “17 Inches.” Chris Sperry, who published sperrybaseballlife.com, heard Scolinos deliver a version in 1996 at the American Baseball Coaches Association in Nashville, and wrote this reminiscence in 1916 in his “Baseball Thoughts” column. By CHRIS SPERRY • from www.sperrybaseballlife.com In 1996, Coach Scolinos was 78 years old and five years retired from a college coaching…

Sports Can Resume, Superintendents Told

CLICK HERE FOR MEMO TO SCHOOLS Sports Can Resume, Superintendents Told COOPERSTOWN – In a memo released Friday evening, county Public Health Director Heidi Bond advised local school superintendents that sports can resume as early as Monday. “Effective Feb. 1, participants in higher-risk sports may participate in individual or distanced group training and organized no/low-contact group training,” Bond wrote, “…including competitions and tournaments, if permitted by local health authorities.”…

Piper Seamon Scores 1,000th point

1,000 THANKS! Piper Seamon 5th CCS Girl To Hit High Mark The Cooperstown Central student section erupts as Piper Seamon scores her 1,000th career point in the Hawkeyes’ 57-39 win over Waterville at home last evening. Seamon becomes the fifth girl and only the 14th player in school history overall to score 1,000 points.  Inset at right, Pipershares a hug with teammate Meagan Schuermann after the game was stopped to acknowledge her achievement. Seamon will play basketball next year at Hamilton College. (Cheryl Clough/AllOTSEGO.com)  …

Putting the Community Back Into the Newspaper

Now through March 30, new annual subscribers to “The Freeman’s Journal” and AllOtsego.com (or subscribers who have lapsed for two or more years) have an opportunity to help their choice of one of four Otsego County charitable organizations.

$5.00 of your subscription will be donated to the nonprofit of your choice:

Cooperstown Farmers’ Market, Cooperstown Food Pantry, Greater Oneonta Historical Society or Super Heroes Humane Society.