Fort Orange General Store Opens At 412 Broadway

July 21, 2017

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ANNOUNCEMENT PRESS RELEASE 

A popular and wide-ranging soft-goods retail business that closed its doors in early June 2016 has reopened under new ownership at a new location, 412 Broadway, across from the SUNY Administration building. The Fort Orange General Store opened last week as part of a soft-opening phase, a ribbon cutting event was held on Friday, July 21 at 11 a.m. The Store’s regular hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. City of Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan, Capitalize Albany Corporation, the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District and members of the local business community joined the Store’s new owner, Schuyler Bull, in celebrating the opening of downtown’s latest attraction.  

Serving as an incubator for local makers, crafters and creatives the Fort Orange General Store will continue selling many locally made products, handmade soaps and lotions, candles, jewelry, stationery, kitchen and barware—but will now be offering an even larger selection of home décor, accessories, men’s specialty products, and Albany-area themed objects. With a full calendar of workshops and community events the Store’s 2,000 sq. ft. of space was designed to be adaptable. The Fort Orange General Store will feature a variety of workshops and classes available to the public—from jewelry making and candle making, to yoga, calligraphy and embroidery classes. It can also serve as a unique event space for local groups and organizations.

The Argus Building at 412 Broadway is across from the SUNY Administration building. The property was completely renovated in 2014 to include 40 apartments on its upper floors and retail space on its ground level. This location is just a short distance from the site of the original Fort Orange that was built by the Dutch West India Company in 1624. 

Renovations and fit up for the Store was supported in part by the Downtown Albany Retail Grant Program—made possible by the City of Albany Capital Resource Corporation and Capitalize Albany Corporation. The Program, created in 2016 to support business attraction and retention in downtown Albany, can assist with a location’s renovation, fit-up costs, and exterior improvements. 

The Fort Orange General Store will join Stacks Espresso Bar—which received support from the Retail Grant Program—as one of downtown Albany’s newest retailers, just a few minutes’ walk from each other along Broadway. The Impact Downtown Albany strategic plan’s retail market analysis’ recommendations for downtown Albany had identified both a third-place coffeehouse and a soft-goods retailer as two priority types of retail with the greatest potential to capture market demand and reinforce current retail businesses. With support from the Grant Program, Albany stakeholders’ vision for downtown retail is becoming a reality.

Downtown residential population growth as well as the influx in visitors from the opening of the Albany Capital Center in March and additional investments being made at the Times Union Center played a large part in the decision to move the Store to the Argus Building.

For more information and Store updates, visit www.fortorangegeneralstore.com, or follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.