Don’t all rush at once…space yourselves…but one of the most innovative shop windows in Beacon right now is at Echo Boutique at 470 Main Street, on the east end of town near the mountain. This boutiques with a wide curated selection of women’s clothing, kids toys, and some men’s accessories as well, was one of the first stores to voluntarily shut down - even before the Executive Order. Now, they are one of the first windows on Main Street to organize inventory in such a way that people can shop by number from the other side of the glass.
Owner Karen Donohue has a 14 year old daughter in school. When districts closed state-wide, so too did she on Main Street. Trouble is, Karen did not have a website to fall back on while her doors were closed, and remain closed during the phased reopening across the country and in Dutchess County specifically. But Karen is no newbie. She is a veteran of Main Street, having run her shop here for 19 years, always changing its inventory and display, depending on her mood and customer reactions. “I opened the shop a short while before 9/11 happened, so I wasn’t sure I’d survive. But I’m still here,” she tells A Little Beacon Blog. Karen also lives with Lyme disease, so summoning strength can at times be challenging.
“I started in a little 10x10 space as an art gallery next door to where the Korean deli, Seoul Kitchen, used to be.” That small storefront space she is referring to changed to a home brew beer shop for a minute, and is now part of No. 3 Reading Room & Photo Books Works, who bought the building and transformed it to an artist studio live/work space. “470 Main Street is my 3rd space on the east end of Main Street. I went from the little one to around the corner, which later became Waddle and Swaddle and is now Hyperbole. Then to my current spot at 470 Main Street, which is basically two storefronts in one.”
Extremely comfortable in the visual, physical space, Karen has a degree in photography from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and went on to be a prop stylist for almost a decade. Her window displays are known in Beacon for being extremely imaginative.
When she was comfortable with reopening in her own way, she and her daughter headed back into the store to bring as much as they could to display in the windows. Parents were eager to buy the toys she carries in the store, both to support her, and also to benefit from her educational and science-based selection.
Each item in the window is labeled in a box, and a sign with ordering instructions is taped in the window. Customers are told to snap a picture or simply text 845-863-3166 with what they want, and porch delivery within Beacon will be arranged. We can tell you this, however: this is a fraction of what you’ll find inside of Echo. Karen is always going to market to bring back new designers and toy makers. If you need something else, just ask her!
As for the lovely bras you see in the window, those are from The Bra Fit Expert, Christina (Tina) Faraj, who permanently pops up inside the shop with her wide selection of high quality women’s under things and comfy PJs. The benefit of Tina was her expert fitting, but if you contact her, she can telacoach you through a fitting christina.faraj@gmail.com.
When A Little Beacon Blog first shared a video of her shop in our Instastories, the positive reaction we received was swift. Several people shared heart eye emojis and explained: “Genius!”
What Beacon’s shop owners (and shop owners across the country) have done to stay connected to their customers has been astonishing. Many don’t qualify for unemployment because of their business entities, and applying for the PPP loan could be challenging, depending on what type of business they are. Translation: some businesses receive a fraction of stimulus funds, as some business owners are stuck between a rock and a hard place with how rules around these stimulus monies work and change on an almost daily basis.
Main Street business owners are always hustling hard, and they rose to the challenge of this crisis.
Shop Echo at 470 Main Street by shopping their window (spacially distance yourself), and look in their Instagram for product postings, as well as their Facebook.
For some brick and mortar businesses, establishing an online presence pre-pandemic may not have been a priority. Walk-in business was good enough to keep them in business, so perhaps building an online website store was not needed. Plus, a shop owner is quite busy with customers who walk into the store, so spending a lot of time online to build a web shop is not easy. That all changed with the shutdown of Main Street back in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, when the doors shut and foot traffic disappeared.
Overnight, the digital way of reaching a customer was the only way to reach a customer. Any store without a social media presence on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok was cut off from their customer base (unless they had been sending newsletters, which is even less of a percentage). Anyone who did not have an ecommerce website lost the ability to sell to the customer stuck at home - looking for something to do, or who needed that special something only available at the boutique.
Some brick and mortar shops in Beacon have not committed to the daunting task of establishing an online presence - it could be because they think it’s too hard, or feel not tech-savvy enough. When once they felt it a waste of time and money if not enough customers use it, that percentage shifted as no customers are currently walking through the door.
Boutiques Build Their Webshops
A Little Beacon Blog traveled around the web to find new or enhanced websites that popped in some of Beacon’s Main Street businesses up post-pandemic. With so many resources available now to sell online, shop owners don’t need to be coding experts to get one up and running. Required, however, is a lot of patience to build it, and good ideas for how the shop owner wants the web shopping experience to flow. Below is a sampling of brick and mortars who expanded online:
Blackbird Attic
Website Platform: WordPress with WooCommerce
Blackbird Attic, a consignment shop on Beacon’s east end of Main Street, already had a website but didn’t convert it to an online store until recently. Prior to that, they utilized their Instagram account (@blackbirdattic) to host pop-up shops and gather sales through Instagram via Direct Messaging (DMs). Owner Michelle Caves-Deal tells us “Selling on Instagram definitely works - people like to see the items live in Instastories, They've said it feels like they’re back shopping in person…”
But this does come with some extra steps for shop owner Michelle in order for the sale to happen, like sharing additional details and photos with the customer prior to purchasing. Being a consignment shop, she needs to create two invoices, merchant account and one for the WooCommerce software they use for sales.
The Underground Beacon
Website Platform: WordPress, WooCommerce, eBay
2020 has already been a challenging year for The Underground Beacon, a well known comic book store with weekly comic book release days and in-person gaming events. First, they faced the risk of closing due to the usual pressures of personal life (family loss) and revenue streams to pay the rent, only to be saved by a new partner just earlier in March.
The shop has been hosting the weekly Magic The Gathering sessions on Zoom. They also created a website to sell t-shirts promoting love to the store in addition to selling comics through their eBay store.
Comic book shops were hit pretty hard when Diamond Comic Distributors - the main distributor for most comic book publishers including Marvel and DC Comics, announced a halt to all product distribution on March 23rd. This meant comic shops, like The Underground Beacon, would not get new merchandise coming in until further notice. Thankfully, at the beginning of May, Diamond announced they will resume distribution May 20th. Marvel and DC Comics have announced are being shipped to stores beginning in late May 2020.
Flora Good Times
Website Platform: Squarespace for the main website; Square for the Delivery Shopping
As we shared in this recent article, Corrine from Flora Good Times was concerned dealing with such a tactile store “from seeing the plants and flowers to the smell of the shop itself” she says “it was such an unknown for me whether or not people would continue to shop at Flora through the computer.” She created a second website through Square just for local orders. This was convenient since they also use Square for their point-of-service sales. “It is easy to integrate into your inventory and create a delivery radius..” Speaking personally as a customer, it was super easy to place an order for delivery (twice!).
Still a new business with just 8 months under its belt, the plan for an online shop was in the cards but current circumstances really rushed that project. “I find that a lot of people are looking to spruce up their homes during this time, and adding a plant or some flowers to their quarantine definitely appears very popular!” says Corrine.
RAVEN ROSE
Flower shops for the longest time relied upon centralized flower delivery websites to host their flower bouquet options. Raven Rose on Beacon’s east end of Main Street has a large space, most of which is filled with home goods, despite their large floral business. Years ago when owner Courtney Sedor bought the former floral shop that was located there, she relied upon a florist website service for her ecommerce, which locked her in into different template and selling options. After the COVID-19 shut-down, she dove in and put her home goods online, and now is part of the “release” news when a shop owner puts something new up on the website.
LAST OUTPOST STORE
Website Platform: Shopify
Getting a website up and running quick was a concern for a few businesses. When starting a brick & mortar business, a website could be on the to-do list but building it in stages like how Last Outpost Store was doing.
While timing was of the essence, the Last Outpost store still wanted their website to capture the feel and vibe of their shop, while wanting the online experience to be as close to the interior shopping experience as possible.
Co-owner Allison Cimino was able to finish the site 2.5 weeks after their March 17th shut-down. Allison shares with A Little Beacon Blog: “The response has been really good. The local delivery has been great as well. I have been learning just how many locals really love our shop. That alone really drives me to want to see through this so we can be there for all of our customers when we return!”
BINNACLE BOOKS
Website Platform: IndieCommerce (Drupal)
Binnacle Books, the small independent bookstore located in the middle of Main Street, always had a website, but did not always have the ability to shop on that website. They started with a form you could fill out if you wanted to order any book (possibly any book in the world?), and they would process the order. Different weeks into the pandemic brought different iterations of their website. First the ordering of any book got more advanced, and then their book collection appeared online in a searchable organized fashion. Binnacle Books offers a monthly membership that locks in a discount on book prices, and devised a way to make it easy to checkout without using your credit card so that the shop keepers could credit it against your monthly membership card on file.
LUXE OPTIQUE
Website Platform: Squarespace
While Luxe Optique always had a website, they were dependent upon walk-in foot traffic. Glasses fitting on your face is a personal, physical experience. Over the years, they added the ability to buy the frames online in their Collections section of the website, and even play with the SALE button to give shoppers a discount. Luxe Optique confirms to A Little Beacon Blog that they have seen an increase to the eCommerce section during this time, and they have more to come: online contact lens ordering. “Not only can you order from us using a prescription from our doctors, but you can also use prescriptions from any other practice,” Luxe Optique tells A Little Beacon Blog. “It might seem common, but it’s not something a lot of privately owned practices do. We can’t wait for that to launch. Should be soon!”
While having an online presence allows you to expand your customer reach outside of the immediate area, it appears to be a pleasant surprise to shop owners that local residents are taking advantage and showing their support. Local customers love their shops, connecting with the owners, and want to support any way they can.
When the day before’s number of new cases in Dutchess County was 9, one day later, it was 158. The number of tests given shot up to 972 from the previous day of 337. Yet, the number of people from that test group who tested positive more than doubled to 16%. The usual percentage of people testing positive from a day’s test kits ranges between 4% and 10%. The last time it was at 16% was on 4/26/2020 when 389 people were tested and 64 of them tested positive.*
A Little Beacon Blog reached out Dutchess County to inquire as to if there was a known reason behind the spike. Dutchess County’s Communications Director Colleen Pillus responded: “The state recently inputted a backlog of testing data. It appears that it is all lumped into the ‘Person Tested Today’ column, and then appears as a spike in the ‘New Positives Today’ category. However, based on the data dump we just received from the state, much of this is older data….some dating as far back as March.”
A few briefings ago, Governor Cuomo did indicate that the numbers would change, and to take them with a grain of salt. However, the takeaway from this data dump is that there are more numbers out there than are making it into these charts. Maintain social distance.
Beacon’s numbers are on the decline. From 130 to 125 to 120 on this day. In fact, there is a decline in Fishkill and Wappingers as well. Except Putnam. Their number of new cases for this day is at 18, which is up from 5 the previous day. The percentage of people tested who tested positive rose from 4% to 14%. The numbers for Newburgh did not change. ALBB did not inquire with Putnam to see if they also experienced a data dump.
*Not all of these numbers are displayed cumulatively in New York State or Dutchess County Trackers. A Little Beacon Blog does keep these numbers in our own spreadsheet, which is how were were able to go back for comparative numbers. The first day we started recording these numbers was 4/25/2020.
How Many People Tested In Dutchess County: 23,195 (yesterday 22,223 via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE As Of This Day: 3,710 (yesterday, 3,552, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested This Day: 972 (yesterday 337, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE This Day: 158 (yesterday 9, via New York State Tracker) Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day: 55 (yesterday 56, via Dutchess County Tracker) How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day: 126 (yesterday 124, via Dutchess County Tracker)
BEACON Active COVID-19 Cases In Beacon On This Day: 120 (yesterday 125, via Dutchess County Tracker)
FISHKILL Active COVID-19 Cases In Fishkill On This Day: 112 (yesterday 122, via Dutchess County Tracker) Active COVID-19 Cases In East Fishkill On This Day: 94 (yesterday 104, via Dutchess County Tracker)
WAPPINGERS Active COVID-19 Cases In Town of Wappingers On This Day: 82 (yesterday 98, via Dutchess County Tracker) Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers Falls Village On This Day: 27 (yesterday 31, via Dutchess County Tracker)
POUGHKEEPSIE Active COVID-19 Cases In Poughkeepsie On This Day: 150 (yesterday 185, via Dutchess County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In Poughkeepsie City On This Day: 241 (yesterday 255, via Dutchess County Tracker)
ORANGE COUNTY 5/18/2020
How Many People Tested In Orange County: 39,748 (yesterday 39,386, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE In Total: 9,988 (yesterday 9,965, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested On This Day: 362 (yesterday 367, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE On This Day: 23 (yesterday 22, via New York State Tracker) Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day: 96 (yesterday 96) (via Orange County Tracker) How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day: 419 (yesterday 419, via Orange County Tracker)
NEWBURGH Active COVID-19 Cases In Newburgh On This Day: 687 (yesterday 687, via Orange County Tracker) Active COVID-19 Cases In City of Newburgh On This Day: 1,397 (yesterday 1,397, via Orange County Tracker)
PUTNAM COUNTY 5/18/2020
How Many People Tested In Putnam County: 6,697 (yesterday 6.572, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE As Of This Day: 1,159 (yesterday 1,141, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested On This Day: 125 (yesterday 116, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE On This Day: 18 (yesterday 5, via New York State Tracker) How Many Active Cases In Putnam County On This Day: 23 (yesterday, 33 via Putnam County Tracker) Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day: 11 (yesterday 10, via Orange County Tracker) How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day: 57 (yesterday, 57, via New York State Tracker)
PHILIPSTOWN Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Total In Philipstown As Of This Day: 113 (last week 113, via Putnam County Tracker) Putnam doesn’t seem to publish an “Active Cases” per city/town/village number like Dutchess and Orange do. “Active Cases” can fluctuate up or down. “Confirmed Cases” only go up, as they are cumulative.
The antibody test for COVID-19 is a hopeful test linked to helping others by way of donating plasma to those infected, and considered by policy makers and employers when designing how to open a business back up safely. However, as it is so new, most antibody tests are not FDA approved, and are instead FDA “authorized” under Emergency Use Authorization. Different antibody tests offer different degrees of being accurate for various reasons, and there is no evidence to suggest that once a person has antibodies, that they cannot contract SARS-Cov-2 another time within a period of time. Also unknown is how long antibodies would last in a recovered person’s body from the time of the initial infection. Testing positive for antibodies could lead to a false sense of security, as testing is still underway to explore immunity and re-infection.
Taking The Antibody Test
But I wanted an antibody test anyway. Back in February, my children and I were very sick. All of the kids at elementary school were sick, as different bugs seemed to be circulating throughout the school. If the After School Program had 25 kids in it, 7 kids would easily be out. The “heard” theory wasn’t working as I would have thought, as once my one child got through with a 2-week long Flu B and intense leg pain where he couldn’t walk, he got another 2-day stomach bug after it cleared up. And that was just one of my children.
As for me, I was in my bed for 3 days, and was tired for days later. The first day I couldn’t get up to take my kids to school, my dizziness was so severe. I fainted more than once and made sure to have coffee nearby to keep my blood pressure up. My kids all stayed home and fed me Honey Nut Cheerios and Gatorade. The next day, neighbors picked up my kids to take them to school. It wasn’t until a week later that my daughter developed a never-ending nausea after vomiting for 2 days and hurting her stomach muscles and spiking fevers.
Dark circles were under her eyes where I thought she was iron deficient, yet she wouldn’t eat the cheeseburgers like she normally did. She had no appetite She begged to not go to school, even though no other symptoms presented. My toddler started needing the neutralizer every day for a week and I had to keep him home to give him Albuterol to stop his cough, which got worse as he slept. Otherwise he was in good spirits. It wasn’t until Quarantine that this all cleared up and disappeared. We have been healthy ever since.
After the antibody tests got announced as being available, I waited a bit, and then Googled where to go. I picked Caremount Medical Center, and this is how the experience was:
Antibody Testing At Caremount Medical Center In Poughkeepsie
Caremount’s Fishkill Urgent Care office is closed, but their lab remains open. Poughkeepsie’s office is open and seeing walk-in patients for any reason. Splinter, not feeling well, whatever you need. But you don’t physically walk in (well, you could, there are people in PPE greeting you at the door armed with thermometers and computers to put you on a list). Once you park, call the nurses inside to get put on the list, and then wait in your car in the parking lot.
The urgent care is actually in the back of the building, so if you GPS it, you’ll want to go around by the Hudson River, through through an underpass, and wait in the parking lot behind the main building. If you are there for a COVID-19 test, which you can do without a prescription, you will wait in your car, and the nurse will come out to take your vitals and administer the nasal swab test.
For the anti-body test, this is a simple blood draw. When it’s your turn, the nurse will call you inside from the parking lot and assign you to a room. Because most everyone is in their cars in the parking lot, there aren’t that many people in the medical office. In the appointment room, your vitals will be taken, and a nurse dressed in PPE will draw your blood. Then you are done and the test will be processed in 24-48 hours in the Caremount lab in Brewster.
How Much Does The Antibody Test Cost? Is it Covered By Health Insurance?
ALBB has not dug into the CARES Act to find this answer, but we can tell you this: when we called around to different urgent cares, the prices were different and depended on office visit fees, and lab processing tests.
At Caremount, the out of pocket self-pay (no insurance) cost would be a down payment of $150 for the test office visit. This fee can be kept on your account for future billing. Depending on your symptoms and things wrong with you that day, this fee could increase. But if it’s just the test, it should stay. Then, the test itself is $55 additional from the lab, even though the lab is in-house at Caremount.
By comparison, at Pulse MD Urgent Care in Poughkeepsie, which is also walk-in service but requires a tela-health visit first for $50. Then, the in-person office visit is $120, and the $50 telahealth is deducted, bringing the charge you’d pay at the office to $70 (so, $50 paid for the telahealth call, and $70 paid in person). If this sounds a little confusing, do call them.
Pulse MD uses Quest to process the test, and that fee is $150. However, the lab rate for the test has been changing, said an employee at Pulse MD, but $150 seemed like the average price.
If you have insurance, call first to see what they cover. In my case, I do have insurance and they are paying 100% of the lab fee, and the usual for the office visit. If you are a front line essential worker, rules may have been created for you that entitle you to a free test, but you’ll need to inquire with your employer, and ask if the office visit is covered.
So…Do You Have The Antibodies?
Alas, no. All of that sickness, and it was just the usual mush. Unless the results were not 100%. But it is fine, because I probably would start being less cautious anyway, and we have to keep being cautious even if we have antibodies.
FAQs From A 7 Year Old
“Did it hurt?”
I have a high pain tolerance, so blood tests don’t usually hurt me. I just take deep breaths and look away. On the other hand, an experienced nurse will know where to place the needle in just the right spot in your arm, nail it, and if you’re looking away and thinking of something else, you usually won’t feel anything. Once the needle is in your arm, the blood shoots through the thin blood collection tube. It’s kind of fun to watch because it moves so fast.
“What if a food source was in your blood and came into the tube?”
I am understanding this question to be: “What if a lump of food was in your blood and came through the tube.” So, I think that would be pretty bad, as food chunks usually are not in your veins. But blood clots can be in your veins, and those are bad. Blood clots are also connected to COVID-19 that are connected to strokes. I am not a medical professional, but I don’t think a food source would be in your vein, but a blood clot could be. If this were to happen while you were getting a blood test, the medical professionals would start helping you right away.
Desperate times called for desperate measures. My daughter had completed a lot of jobs around the house to earn enough money to order two outfits from the Target brand American Girl Doll series, Our Generation. Persistently, she earned the money, researched the outfits, and had us place the order online for curbside pickup at Target. Finally it arrived via email notification, and it was ready for pickup. Trouble is, we weren’t ready to drive up to the store in Poughkeepsie until days later, and that’s when the next email came in on a Sunday: “You missed your pickup window, and your items have been placed back on the shelf, and your order refunded.”
#ParentFail. The Sunday that the refund email came, I got into the car and headed up Route 9, mask and wipes in hand, to go inside of Target to get those outfits back off the shelf. At the time, Target had a corner in the front of the store that contained bags of orders, similar to how they do it at Christmas when orders from other stores get shipped to yours for pickup. This corner has since been replaced with swimwear, but at the time, it’s what a store associate searched through to find the outfits.
The outfits weren’t there, so I went deeper into the store, all the way to the Kid section, to sadly not find those outfits, but did find two others that would work. It was 6pm on a Sunday, and foot traffic in the store was low. Social distancing felt fine. In the name of journalism, I headed back to Target the following Sunday at 2:30pm to test a busier time, days after the May 15th Reopening Day in New York.
Social distancing had gone out the window at Poughkeepsie’s Target. Being used to Beacon’s vibe of politely moving out of the way for each other in the social distance dance, this two-step wasn’t really happening here, yet. There were some COVID-19 changes, however.
Clothing, Beauty and Book Isles Are More Spacious
Target in Poughkeepsie used to have some very cramped clothing isles. So cramped in fact, that a Target shopping cart wouldn’t fit through. Those isles have since been cleared out a bit, and the feeling is more breathable. The Beauty section has been opened up, where once it too had corners so tight, the cart would barely turn the corner. The books, which were crammed into the back of the Electronic section, have been brought out more into the Toy section, so browsing through them is easier and more spacious.
The entire Sports section has been moved and replaced with Pets, yet in the back corner of the store, which is usually reserved for changing seasons (think Back To School, Christmas Decorations, Patio Furniture) also has more room to browse. When asked if these more spacious changes were COVID-19 related, a store associate answered that they were planned in the works the before the pandemic hit, and just happened to be COVID-19 friendly. ALBB has not confirmed with Target Corporate yet to see if this layout change really was a coincidence, but if we get confirmation, this article will be updated.
The main isle of Target is still crowded, with people moving in any direction, not minding how close they are moving past each other. Another citizen shopper reports in to A Little Beacon Blog that at Adams, just down the Route 9 strip, isles have been marked with direction arrows, and the number of people allowed into the store at Adams has been limited.
Masks and Cleaning Inside Of Target
Signs posted at the entrance tell everyone to wear a mask inside of Target. Most everyone had one on, and at one point, an announcement came over the loud-speaker, thanking people for their cooperation in wearing masks, and to continue doing so.
Target associates have been assigned to cleaning surfaces of the drink refrigerators and shopping carts. Meanwhile, up the parking ramp at Best Buy, that retail location remains closed to the public, but with curb-side pickup that has been happening since the shut-down. In-home installations, however, have resumed. For example, if you buy a stove from Best Buy, their team can come in and install it for you.
As of this post (5/19/2020), Starbucks inside of Target remained closed.
Overall, the vibe at Target was crowded. If social distancing is important to you, and you don’t want to leave feeling like you need to take a shower, then you’ll want to go at off-times, like in the morning during a weekday. This writer did take a shower after the afternoon trip on Sunday. There were too many people.
The number of new confirmed cases in Dutchess County on this day was 9 - that is much lower than it has been. Though testing kits processed on this day was also down by half, the percentage of people testing positive of those tested is down for this day. The number of hospitalizations remains at 56 in the Dutchess County Tracker, which has been the number for a few days.
Additionally, Putnam County’s numbers have not been updated in 3 days for their own county tracker. That county was updating by posting a new PDF daily. May 15th was the last day of their daily numbers. The Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell stated in an advertisement that she and the Legislature was ready for the reopening, but the Philipstown Supervisor Richard Shea said that he was not, as reported in the Highlands Current. The advertisement was placed in official county newspapers such as the Putnam County News & Recorder.
UPDATE: Putnam County published their May 18, 2020 numbers.
How Many People Tested In Dutchess County: 22,223 (two days ago 21,395 via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE As Of This Day: 3,552 (two days ago, 3,527, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested This Day: 337 (two days ago 627, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE This Day: 9 (two days ago 29, via New York State Tracker) Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day: 56 (two days ago 56, via Dutchess County Tracker) How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day: 124 (two days ago 117, via Dutchess County Tracker)
BEACON Active COVID-19 Cases In Beacon On This Day: 125 (two days ago 130, via Dutchess County Tracker)
FISHKILL Active COVID-19 Cases In Fishkill On This Day: 122 (two days ago 133, via Dutchess County Tracker) Active COVID-19 Cases In East Fishkill On This Day: 104 (two days ago 113, via Dutchess County Tracker)
WAPPINGERS Active COVID-19 Cases In Town of Wappingers On This Day: 98 (two days ago 104, via Dutchess County Tracker) Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers Falls Village On This Day: 31 (two days ago 33, via Dutchess County Tracker)
POUGHKEEPSIE Active COVID-19 Cases In Poughkeepsie On This Day: 185 (two days ago 196, via Dutchess County Tracker)
Active COVID-19 Cases In Poughkeepsie City On This Day: 255 (two days ago 275, via Dutchess County Tracker)
ORANGE COUNTY 5/17/2020
How Many People Tested In Orange County: 39,386 (two days ago 38,357, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE In Total: 9,965 (two days ago 9,878, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested On This Day: 367 (two days ago 715, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE On This Day: 22 (two days ago 54, via New York State Tracker) Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day: 96 (two days ago 106) (via Orange County Tracker) How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day: 419 (two days ago 408, via Orange County Tracker)
NEWBURGH Active COVID-19 Cases In Newburgh On This Day: 687 (two days ago 645, via Orange County Tracker) Active COVID-19 Cases In City of Newburgh On This Day: 1,397 (two days ago 1,314, via Orange County Tracker)
PUTNAM COUNTY 5/17/2020
How Many People Tested In Putnam County: 6,572 (last week 6.325, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE As Of This Day: 1,141 (last week 1,127, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested On This Day: 116 (last week 153, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE On This Day: 5 (last week 6, via New York State Tracker) How Many Active Cases In Putnam County On This Day: 33 Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day: 10 (last week 10, via Orange County Tracker) How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day: 56
PHILIPSTOWN Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Total In Philipstown As Of This Day: NA (last week 113, via Putnam County Tracker) Putnam doesn’t seem to publish an “Active Cases” per city/town/village number like Dutchess and Orange do. “Active Cases” can fluctuate up or down. “Confirmed Cases” only go up, as they are cumulative.
Discussion of the use of a Short Term rental was reopened tonight during the City Council meeting in the form of a Public Hearing. This Short Term rental would be viewed in a similar way that there is an Accessory Use in a residential home. The Mayor emphasizes that this would require permit and inspection, but would legalize Short Term rentals, and would be allowed in all zoning districts.
Important to note is that as proposed, they would be owner occupied. If there was an Accessory Apartment on the property of a home, the Accessory Apartment would not be available as a Short Term rental. A tenant who uses an apartment as their primary residence would also be eligible to rent out that property as a short term rental. The proposed legislation does not require that the owner be present at the time of the rental. There are many other points of detail in the legislation, that you can read about here.
The inspection was the major linchpin last year when this almost got voted to be legalized. Since that time, the assistant Building Inspector, Dave Buckley, is now the lead Building Inspector, and at a City Council meeting this year, he presented why he interpreted the inspection requirement to be different and more affordable to achieve by building owners.
Backstory of this issue in Beacon can be found in A Little Beacon Blog’s coverage here. “The property being owner occupied would be the only way the City Council is considering passing this,” concured Councilperson Air Rhodes.
UPDATE: This Public Hearing has been adjourned to June 1, 2020 so that the City Council can Workshop it first. “Workshopping” means to discuss it among themselves. This means there is another opportunity for a Public Hearing.
Since before Mayor Lee Kyriacou was elected mayor, the council has been working closely with its City Planner, John Clark, to make the city’s Zoning Tables easier to understand. According to reporter Jeff Simms, who covers City Council meetings for the Highlands Current, the City Council has been working on this simplification “for 2 years at least,” he told A Little Beacon Blog right before the meeting began at 7pm (watch it live here on the city’s new YouTube Channel!).
You may have received a robo-call about a Public Hearing about a Zoning change that affects your property. If you are subscribed to the Emergency Alert System and checked all of the boxes to get all of the calls, then you maybe have gotten this one. The City Council has expressed interest in reaching people more proactively about when Public Hearings happen, and considered using the robo-call system.
The Public Hearing about the Zoning tables will cover the following:
Draft Use Table 1. Simple X - Y axis chart grouped by use types – shorter and easier to understand; 2. Combines Off-Street Parking (PB) and Office Business (OB) into Transitional (T) zone with some additional uses and residential options; 3. Combines Local Business (LB) and General Business (GB) districts; 4. Reduces the number of required Special Permits and shifts some Special Permits to the Planning Board; 5. Adds several new use categories:
Vehicle Sales or Rental Lot
Animal Care Facility
Golf Course
Eliminates a few use categories:
Ski Facility
Retail Truck or Trailer
Medical Service Structure
Draft Dimensional Table 1. Adds standards for new Transitional (T) district; 2. Eliminates inconsistencies in the table; 3. Decreases some setbacks in single-family districts and increases side setbacks in certain multifamily districts; 3. Adds dimensional standards (setbacks, building height, building coverage, minimum open space) instead of floor area ratios; 4. Removes more than half of the existing footnotes.
Draft Zoning - Major Text Amendments: 1. Updates uses and cross-references to be consistent with the new tables; 2. Broadens the general Special Permit conditions in Section 223-18 to include potential conflicts with adjacent blocks and adds traffic hazards or congestion, emergency services, infrastructure requirements, and consistency with the Comprehensive Plan as factors to consider; 3. Adds hotels to the list of potential uses allowed by Special Permit in the Historic District and Landmark Overlay Zone 4. Requires 25% non-residential uses in the Waterfront Development district within 400 feet of the Train Station; 5. Requires 1st floor non-residential uses in the Linkage district along the north side of West Main Street and Beekman Street; 6. Removes the expedited review process in the Linkage district; 7. Adds missing definitions.
In response to these changes, Beacon’s Planning Board reviewed the change and submitted feedback, which is attached to the meeting’s agenda on the City’s website, and republished here on A Little Beacon Blog.
“As requested, the Planning Board reviewed the Local Law amending Chapters 223 and 210 of the City of Beacon Code concerning the Schedule of Regulations and associated amendments, and changes to the Zoning Map at their May 12, 2020 meeting. City Planner John Clarke gave a detailed explanation of the proposed zoning amendments and creation of the Transition Zone. A lengthy discussion and review of the revised zoning tables took place. There was much debate about the commercial requirement for the Linkage Zone and the affect increased density would have on properties in the Transition Zone. Members felt the City Council should consider generating a schematic example of both a commercial and residential site by applying the new zoning regulations to better understand the resulting bulk increased density would have on neighboring properties.”
For those new to this, the Linkage Zone is the area down by the train station, where Brett’s Hardware is. The Parking PB district was an area created years ago when Beacon was being planned as a walking mall and parking was projected to be needed. According to Jeff: “The Transition Zone replaces an existing zone and gives it a better name that makes more sense. The one it replaces is PB (Parking).” The goal is to better transition from Main Street to the residential areas. There is flexibility for commercial as well as residential in these proposed changes.
Since the last publishing of numbers here at A Little Beacon Blog, Dutchess County completed its first wave of testing of nursing home residents in two facilities: Wingate in Beacon, and The Pines at Poughkeepsie. County Executive Marcus Molinaro had advocated for more testing kits for the nursing home residents specifically, and PPE for staff.
As of the first declaration of testing of nursing home residents, staff were not included in this roundup. Governor Cuomo mandated last week that staff also be tested twice weekly, however, tests need to be produced and provided in order to carry out that mandate, and labs need to be able to process those tests.
The preliminary results of resident testing were:
104 residents were tested at Wingate at Beacon, with 13 new cases of COVID-19 identified;
157 residents were tested at The Pines at Poughkeepsie with 6 new cases of COVID-19 identified.
According to Dutchess County’s press release, and first reported on by the Poughkeepsie Journal: “The majority of these 19 new cases of COVID-19 were asymptomatic and were only identified because of the County’s testing initiative. The families of these residents were notified immediately, and the COVID-19 positive residents have been moved to secluded and secure areas of each facility to be cared for.“
As for the regional numbers, ALBB has added Poughkeepsie to the roundup. The numbers as of 5/15/2020 (Friday) are as follows:
How Many People Tested In Dutchess County: 21,395 (last week 18,964 via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE As Of This Day: 3,527 (last week, 3,359, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested This Day: 627 (last week 471, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE This Day: 29 (last week 47, via New York State Tracker) Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day: 56 (last week 56, via Dutchess County Tracker) How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day: 120 (last week 101, via Dutchess County Tracker, but Google still shows 84)
BEACON Active COVID-19 Cases In Beacon On This Day: 130 (last week 146, via Dutchess County Tracker)
FISHKILL Active COVID-19 Cases In Fishkill On This Day: 133 (last week 174, via Dutchess County Tracker) Active COVID-19 Cases In East Fishkill On This Day: 113 (last week 153, via Dutchess County Tracker)
WAPPINGERS Active COVID-19 Cases In Town of Wappingers On This Day: 104 (last week 136, via Dutchess County Tracker) Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers Falls Village On This Day: 33 (last week 40, via Dutchess County Tracker)
POUGHKEEPSIE Active COVID-19 Cases In Poughkeepsie On This Day: 196 Active COVID-19 Cases In Poughkeepsie City On This Day: 275
ORANGE COUNTY 5/15/2020
How Many People Tested In Orange County: 38,357 (last week 34,404, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE In Total: 9,878 (last week 9,543, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested On This Day: 715 (last week 535, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE On This Day: 54 (last week 57, via New York State Tracker) Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day: 106 (last week 99) (via Orange County Tracker) How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day: 408 (last week 367, via Orange County Tracker)
NEWBURGH Active COVID-19 Cases In Newburgh On This Day: 681 (last week 645, via Orange County Tracker) Active COVID-19 Cases In City of Newburgh On This Day: 1,383 (last week 1,314, via Orange County Tracker)
PUTNAM COUNTY 5/15/2020
How Many People Tested In Putnam County: 6,325 (last week 5,570, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE As Of This Day: 1,127 (last week 1,089, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested On This Day: 153 (last week 155, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE On This Day: 6 (last week 9, via New York State Tracker) How Many Active Cases In Putnam County On This Day: 33 Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day: 10 (last week 13, via Orange County Tracker) How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day: 56 (last week 55, via Putnam County Tracker)
PHILIPSTOWN Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Total In Philipstown As Of This Day: 113 (last week 106, via Putnam County Tracker) Putnam doesn’t seem to publish an “Active Cases” per city/town/village number like Dutchess and Orange do. “Active Cases” can fluctuate up or down. “Confirmed Cases” only go up, as they are cumulative.
A few updates were made to A Little Beacon Blog’s List of COVID-19 Links and Resources page, as you go to keep up with changes rules and guidelines. You can find the full List of COVID-19 Links and Resources here.
The changes are these:
New York State’s Phased Reopening Plan Industries Reopening By Phase An updated page of industries with descriptions of the industry, and plans that need to be met by the businesses in order to open.
It's Reopening Day today in New York State! That brings mixed feelings for different people, but we know this: you need a face covering when you venture out to that gardening center, golf course (already has been open, sans bathrooms or food), or drive-in movie theater.
And you need more than one face covering. A Little Beacon Blog has started our list of local recommendations - who is sewing and making local. See our Face Mask Gift Guide here.
If you are making and selling dynamite masks, we want to know about it. Please contact us with details on how to purchase. We know that there is an army of Makers who have been strictly making for the front lines. Now that the public is mandated to wear them when 6' social distancing is not possible, we want to help people feel proud and confident in their mask fashion.
BEACON NATURAL MARKET
Beginning Friday May 15, Beacon Natural Market will open their doors to the public with these Safety Guidelines:
-Only Five customers allowed in the store at a time.
-Mask must be worn to enter the store.
-Hand sanitizer will be provided at the front of the store and must be applied upon entering.
-Please observe the six foot distance tapes marked on the floor.
-Additionally, only one customer at a time will be allowed in the bulk section.
- Gloves provided at the station must be used.
Hours are 10am-6pm Monday-Saturday & 10am-5pm Sunday. Curbside pickup and delivery orders will still be available with a processing fee of 5% (Min $5.00 charge) View ordering instructions at www.beaconnaturalmarket.com Information >
EAT CHURCH
Thursday through Sunday you can grab a bite to eat from Eat Church. You can grab their daily special or pick from their menu. Visit their website to view current menu & place your orders for pickup or delivery or call (917) 364-0838. Online ordering is super easy! And the view of the mountain is spectacular.
Eat Church food truck located on the hill at Industrial Arts at 511 Fishkill Avenue. Plenty of parking in the swooping parking lots.
Follow them on Instagram (@eatchurch) for daily specials only available at the truck. Eat Church is a ALBB Sponsor!
BARB'S BUTCHERY
We are absolutely drooling over this bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit sandwich from Barb's Butchery. (Have we mentioned how happy to have you back??) They're also keeping their cases filled with lamb hotdogs, smoked kielbasa, smoked linguica, and a new smoked tomato sausage!
Give them a follow on Instagram @barbsbutchery or on Facebook.
LAST OUTPOST
It's chilly outside, now it's almost 80, back to chilly - we can't keep track! One day we are sipping iced coffee, the next a hot scotch! Get yerself a cup that does both! Stainless steel tumblers available on LastOutpostStore.com (free local delivery with code LOCALDELIVERY). Information >
COLORANT
Check the new naturally-dyed cotton face masks by Colorant. Infused with Indigo & Cutch. Solid & Two-tone available. Made in partnership with @sigunikstudio to support the continuation of mask donations to the frontlines and community organizations in NY's Hudson Valley region. Information >
BINNACLE BOOKS
If you see a book on Binnacle Books's Instagram account that you’d like or if you can think of a book you’d like that they might have, please special order it here. Include your address in the notes! They will find that book for you, invoice you, and then they will bike it over to your home or ship it, depending of course on where you are. View Binnacle Book's Instagram Here > Binnacle Books is a ALBB Sponsor, thank you!
PTACEK HOME
The Spring Sale continues! Your food is local, but your table might not be! Chow down on PTACEK's Chow Table! Order now with curbside pickup or front door delivery. The Chow Table is now 30% off which means now it is $1,330. Visit their website for more information! Shop Now > PTACEK Home is a Sponsor, thank you!
LUXE OPTIQUE
Remember this guy? Ryon from Luxe Optique misses you too. Check out this photo shoot he did pre-pandemic. Photographers are looking at ways to safely photograph once again. Luxe Optique is looking to work with new people for photo shoots. "Bringing together talented people from all over the Hudson Valley is one of the reasons we enjoy our photo shoots so much." Let them know if you or someone you know is interested in modeling for them! No prior experience required. Luxe Optique is a Sponsor, thank you!
CUTE STYLES FOR KIDS
Put the scissors away!! Check out these cute style for the little ones! They are quick and easy. Send a DM to @audrinashair on Instagram for suggestions on styles and products. Let her know A Little Beacon Blog sent you!
BEAUTY TIP
Are you trimming your own bangs? Shaping your own beard? Plucking your own eyebrows? Massaging your own neck? If you miss your stylist for these things, go ahead and send them some cash when you're doing this beauty update to yourself. They will thank you, and it helps them see you on the other side.
Online Philosophers Youth Café via Zoom
Day: Wednesday, May 17, 2020 Time: 4pm Location: Howland Public Library via Zoom
Dan Fisherman will be hosting a Youth Philosophers Cafe for young inquiring minds in grades 6-9. Dan will lead students in in a discussion that explores a philosophical, ethical, or socio-political issue. Information >
Online Socrates Cafe via Zoom
Day: Tuesday, May 19, 2020 Time: 4-5pm Location: Howland Public Library via Zoom
join moderator and Beacon resident, Daniel Fisherman, online on as he leads a Socrates Café program. Email Adult Services Librarian, Alison Herrero, for the invitation link at adults@beaconlibrary.org. Information >
ANTALEK & MOORE
It's Foodie Friday at Antalek and Moore! They really want to know...What did you order tonight? Was it Brothers? Hattie's? Kitchen Sink? Eat Church? MOD's? The Beacon Hotel? The Beacon Daily? OMG, which one!?! Ok, ALBB will go first: Tonight we ordered a pizza from the wood burning oven of Ama. Last weekend Marilyn ordered from the Dutchessbier Cafe in Fishkill. Let Them Know! > Antalek & Moore is a Sponsor, thank you!
TIN SHINGLE
Are you trying to pitch the media, hoping to get PR about your company? Are you emailing a newspaper, blog or TV station to let them know about something interesting you have done with your business? There is a great way to do this, and an off-putting way to do this. Watch this video tip to learn the difference, and flip the switch on how you are communicating with the media! Watch This >
We got a suggestion in from a reader, who wanted to know how to send A Little Beacon Blog financial support to help us continue to produce. Even just $5. First of all: THANK YOU to that reader for wanting to do this! Support Here >
People Who Have Given Reading your comments of what ALBB means to your life has been humbling and keeps us going. Thank you. See Who Supported >
Due to COVID-19 and state regulations, we are required to wear face masks when social distancing is hard to do. Like, going to the grocery store, post office, gas station, etc. As the reopening starts, you might be coming out of your house more and more. You’re going to need a lot of different face masks! An easy solution is to keep a face covering in your car(s), in your purse, on your key rack, etc. You may have already noticed the new dice hanging above the dashboard in cars - yup - it’s the face mask.
Friendly Facial Cue Alternatives
When you can’t make a smile, here are some facial cue alternatives:
Nod your head & hello.
Make a really big smile so your eyes really crinkle up!
Do a friendly wave.
Talk a little louder than normal so people can hear you.
Don’t be shy!
For all of the years plain white face masks have been worn in China, it is a bit unbelievalbe that they did not use pretty or stylish printed patterned fabric before. During this pandemic crisis, the CDC has issued new guidelines that relax the fabric and construction requirements of a traditional medical mask for a person wearing a face covering in a socially distanced situation out in public. The CDC and the Surgeon General of the United States of America even allow bandanas or T-shirt material folded in a special way and secured with rubber bands around the ears.
Not only can we wear stylish face coverings, we can buy them from an army of makers. Many makers in Beacon have been stitching the face masks since before the mandate went into place. At first they were stitching for front line workers, like nursing home and medical office staff. And some continue to that. Some makers have opened their proverbial shops to sew for the rest of us who want to support them and buy from them. Some are artists who have lost income streams, and others has shifted their fashion production lines to produce masks.
Below is A Little Beacon Blog’s Face Mask Gift Guide. Most are from makers, but if a local boutique is selling them from a larger fashion line, we will include that as well because it helps the shop. Additionally, if we know of a wholesome source of face masks that is out of state, we may include that as well. Please note, these coverings and masks are not medical grade. Use CDC guidelines and use FDA-approved items if possible and these only as a last resort. These products have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These masks are not an N95 Respirator. Use these products at your own risk. I If you cannot afford to buy a face mask, please email Beacon’s Mutual Aid Group mutualaidbeacon@gmail.com who can direct you to a way that free face masks are being handed out for free to those in need.
Beans Cat Café is a cafe in Beacon that offers they baked goods from Frida’s Bakery and Café in Milton, NY, as well as a wide variety of beverages that will only be served in the café area. Included is a cat lounge that includes seating, board games, and up to 8 cats at a time that are all adoptable through Hudson Valley Animal Rescue and Sanctuary (HVARS) in Poughkeepsie.
Blackbird Attic is a Modern & Vintage Consignment Celebrating 10 Years in Business. Although there doors are currently closed, they are operating as an Insta PopUp Shop! See their instagram HERE. They will be accepting seasonal items soon (40% pay out) and are offering curbside pick-up, free local delivery, flat rate shipping for $7.50, and free shipping for purchases above $80.
Dulce is a local "Crafter in Training" who has always had the passion for sewing. “The Crafty Squirrels” was in the process of becoming a small home business when COVID happened. Sewing has been helpful for Dulce in these dire times and after many friends and family requested face masks, she decided she would like to also help make them available to our community. Dulce likes to put time and effort into each of the items made. Just recently, she added the "Beacon = Strong" mask for sale.
Masks are $10 each with 3 layers of fabric, choice of pocket filter and elastic around the head or ears. The Beacon Strong masks are $12 with a portion of the proceedings to be donated to Fareground Community Kitchen.
BEACON BEE
beaconbeebiz@gmail.com (845) 337-8319 SHOP MASKS HERE
Beacon Bee has added a handmade, 100% cotton, bee print face mask to their line of honeybee related products. The mask has two layers of fabric (backing fabric comes in dark or light blue), and a versatile loop strap. $10.00 each and 10% goes to Fareground Community Kitchen.
ARIELLE
info@shop-arielle.com @shop_arielle SHOP MASKS HERE
ARIELLE is a sustainable apparel company committed to organic, recycled and zero-waste fabrics, local manufacturing, fair-trade operations and plastic-free packaging & production. Non-medical fabric masks meet the CDC suggestion for face coverings. Organic, washable, reusable mask features interior wool filter for particle capture, moisture wicking, and antimicrobial protection.
Betsy Wise is a local beaconnite making and selling masks out of her home. Typically, Betsy runs Betsy Wise Bridal, a custom tailoring business, but with weddings having to postpone, Betsy has created a temporary new business. Custom made masks for adults, kids and businesses! Her fabrics are featured on her site from Beetle and Fred.
Bendable nose wire conforms to the bridge of your nose for a snug fit
Choose between elastic ear loops or ties
Request an optional pocket to add your own filter. Ideal for healthcare workers!
Choose from a wide variety of colors and patterns suitable for adults and children.
INNER BEAUTY EFFECTS
hello@innerbeautyeffects.com (845) 391-0938 SHOP MASKS HERE
Inner Beauty Effects is a Hudson Valley based fashion design company, who for a brief period rented a hallway studio in Atlas Studios in Newburgh to conduct podcasts with women entrepreneurs. Originally they made durable bags with an exciting pop of fabric on the inside. Now they are making face masks in pleasant fabrics you’ll feel good about wearing around. Inner Beauty Effects is also selling surface & hand sanitizer! Free shipping on 3 or more masks with code: FREESHIP DO GOOD FACTOR: For every mask purchased, one mask will be given away to a health care worker. There is also a way to submit if you cannot afford a mask and need one for free. Additionally, there is an option to simply donate materials.
BEACON NATURAL MARKET
348 Main Street Beacon, NY 12508 Beacon348@verizon.net CONTACT HERE TO PURCHASE MASKS
Beacon Natural Market has been selling face masks from local makers and artists. This is a good opportunity to buy from an artist you did not know about before. Not all masks from the same maker may be in stock. The mask pictured here is made by Brady Quinn, who Beacon Natural says is their “favorite quilter extraordinaire and Habitat for Humanity Newburgh site manager! We’re selling them for $12 each & the money raised will be split between Habitat Newburgh and Beacon Community Kitchen.”
Tara McPherson is a well known artist who moved to Beacon with her family. People collect her art as stickers, posters, dolls, board games, etc. Now her art is collectable as a face mask. Learn more about the meaning of her paintings here. “Tara exhibits her paintings and serigraphs in fine art galleries all over the world. Named the crown princess of poster art by ELLE Magazine, she has created numerous gig posters for rock bands such as Beck, The Pixies, and Metallica. She has worked with Sony Pictures Animation doing character designs & creative development. Her array of art also includes a variety of toys with Kidrobot, painted covers for DC Vertigo Comics, advertising illustrations for Wyden+Kennedy, Barton F Graf, Publicis, and Bernstein Andrulli. She taught in the Illustration department at Parsons in NYC for 4 years.”
LAMERE CLOTHING & GOODS
Online 24/7 436 Main St. Beacon, NY 12508 (646) 236-3908 SHOP MASKS HERE
La Mere Clothing and Goods is a clothing boutique base on Main Street in Beacon. Brands carried include Free People and other labels.
20% OFF SITEWIDE CODE: STAYHOME20 + FREE SHIPPING!
Amy lives in Beacon, with a shop in the Old Beacon High School now known as KUBE. “Amy is a celebrated Spiritual Medium, Psychometrist and practitioner of the Magickal Arts. She is a teacher of Witchcraft, gifted healer, psychic reader and long-time Witch. Amy is much sought-after for her Energy Work and has contributed her impressions in missing persons cases.
”Amy has worked in various New York City occult stores for over 25 years, specializing in healing others through Candle Magick. She is presently the proprietress of Other Worldly Waxes, an online and brick-and-mortar magickal apothecary located in Beacon, New York, that features magickal oils and incenses for spell-work, and custom-dressed and ritually charged spell candles for both online customers and her private clientele.”
HONORABLE INK
Honorable Ink is a tattoo shop located on Main Street in Beacon, and is selling masks made out of the sleeves of T-shirts! SHOP MASKS HERE
ALABAMA CHANIN
462 Lane Drive Florence, AL 35630 +1 (256) 760-1090 office@alabamachanin.com SHOP MASKS HERE
Alabama Chanin is “slow design” pioneer in fashion design. She began early in 2000 with the creation of hand-sewn garments made from cotton jersey t-shirts. “We are a leader in elevated craft due to a strong belief in tradition and dedication to locally sewn garments and goods—both hand and machine-sewn. We maintain responsible, ethical, and sustainable practices holding ourselves to the highest standards for quality. We are makers and educators, working to elevate and merge design, craft, and fashion.”
ZAKKA JOY
177 Main Street Beacon, NY 12508 (845) 632-3383 SHOP MASKS HERE
Zakka Joy is a boutique on Main Street that has lots of fun things in stock. Now, they have face masks.
This face mask has a filter pocket and great reviews.
KENNY’S MASKS
kennysmasks@gmail.com (845) 240-0039 SHOP MASKS HERE
Please your orders through Instagram direct message @kennysmasks, email or text.
LILAC HILL DESIGNS
PO Box 3672, Kingston NY 12402 (845) 853-6068 SHOP MASKS HERE
Lilac Hill Designs is run by a creative who has been a graphic designer for 30 years, but returned to her love for sewing which started at age 10. She is an avid gardener, developed a cross-body gardening bag, and is making masks with a bendable nose and filter.
MIXTURE
1607 Route 300 Suite 1 Newburgh, NY 12550 (845) 561-2857 SHOP MASKS HERE
Mixture is a screen-printing shop based in Newburgh who prints t-shirts, bags, and more for many local businesses, including A Little Beacon Blog! They printed our totes.
Gardening centers in New York are open on the first reopening day in New York state - May 15, 2020 - but retail floral shops have to keep their doors closed. But that does not mean they aren’t open for business and slinging flowers from inside behind a closed door. According to Governor Cuomo, “Certain low-risk business and recreational activities --including Landscaping, Gardening, Tennis & Drive-In-Movie Theaters -- will reopen statewide on May 15th.”
A garden center is usually outside, but can have a retail component to it inside, like Sunny Gardens on Route 9D in Wappingers. A retail flower shop on Main Street, however, falls under retail, and shops on Main Street have been keeping their doors closed, but doing as much business as they can from the inside via curbside pickups and deliveries.
Since the beginning of the PAUSE order, retail shops have been able to have one person in the store to process orders and get shipping ready. Many shop owners in Beacon have been doing personal deliveries - sometimes same day!
Retail In Dutchess County As Of Reopening Day: Doors Closed, But Owners Serve As Personal Shoppers From Inside Via Phone
The physical shopping experience inside of retail shops remains on New York’s PAUSE plan, and when a region meets its metrics, Retail is in Phase 2. Dutchess County has not yet met its metrics. According to a press release sent by Dutchess County earlier this week, the County Executive Marcus Molinaro at a Town Hall delivered digitally on May 13, 2020, indicated that the reopening would come in time.
“The final two criteria the region must meet – 14 consecutive days of decline in new hospitalizations and 14 consecutive days of decline in deaths – will prove extremely difficult for the region, including Dutchess County, to meet. A single day with an increase over the previous day in either category resets the 14-day clock. The County Executive noted that without some adjustment to those metrics, the Mid-Hudson Region could be forced to wait much longer than originally anticipated to enter ‘Phase 1’ even though there is overall improvement in all categories.”
Shop owners of all kinds - from clothing to floral - have turned into personal shoppers for people. During this spring season, floral shops on Main Street have been busy - as busy as they can be in a shut-down. Says Courtney Sedor of Raven Rose: “Raven Rose is open per the mandate for curbside pickup and delivery Tuesday-Saturday 11am-3pm. Flexible pickup is possible as I live above the store so have accommodated customers for early morning pickups or evenings if they are still working.”
Flora Good Times’s owner Corinne Bryson has been taking questions and special requests via her shop’s Instagram, and even started a new virtual consulting service for people needing to know how to plant indoors or out and need a plant whisperer.
Ordering From Flower Shops On Main Street
Batt’s Florist and Sweets in the middle of Main Street has been delivering almost daily since before Easter, Raven Rose on Beacon’s east end (near the mountain) has been inside her shop making bouquets and arrangements for pickups, Mother’s Day, weddings, elopements, baby showers, and funerals. Flora Good Times has been hosting bouquet making video workshops, slinging a subscription flower service, and making deliveries.
“Can I Come In…?”
People are ready to shop. That much is clear. Target has been open, hardware stores are open, grocery stores, etc. The social aspect and visual experience of shopping is real, and people want it back. Corinne of Flora Good Times told A Little Beacon Blog: “I had a dozen or more people hell-bent on coming into the shop last weekend.”
Last weekend was Mother’s Day, and Flora Good Times had been heavily promoting Mother’s Day bouquets that people could come pick up outside of the store, or could arrange for delivery. Flora Good Times is a very small shop with somewhat of a greenhouse in the back, so the humidity factor inside is high, and social distancing inside would be difficult. “I had to keep the door locked and I put a sandwich board out saying ‘curbside pickup pre-orders only.’ I made people order from their cars, to be honest.”
Back on the east end of Main Street, at Raven Rose, owner Courtney has been inside of the shop during her regular open hours, “partially to keep my sanity,” she told A Little Beacon Blog, but with the door closed. “People can pick up, and I am inside making arrangements for delivery orders like weddings for a single bridal bouquet and boutonniere, and funerals. One woman pre-ordered a bouquet, picked it up, and as she was walking down the street with it in her arms, another woman asked where she got it. So, that woman called the store to ask if she could buy one too, and I said sure, and had it ready in 20 minutes.”
Flora Good Times’ Home page, letting visitors select the online retail side, or the brochure side of the site. Photo Credit: Flora Good Times
Website Shopping - The Floral Shops Go Online For Pickup Orders
What has been one of the biggest trends in storefronts staying alive or keeping a pulse - is building a website that makes their inside inventory available online. Not all brick and mortars go down the path of offering a website, as it is a daunting task, but the pandemic called for desperate measures. Several of store owners took deep breaths and took the plunge into building a website in order to keep selling to their customers.
Both Flora Good Times and Raven Rose were florists that put energies into getting their inventory online quickly. Flora Good Times launched a second website via Square that just lists the items for sale right now. This includes seeds, planters, indoor plants, bouquets, home goods and plant care like this very necessary metal watering can.
Raven Rose has a large store with an open-air feeling. Her inventory goes well beyond flowers to include home goods, books, interior design items, and gardening items like these totes adorbs pruning sheers.
However you get your flower on this spring, you do have options in Beacon. See A Little Beacon Blog’s Shopping Guide to COVID-19 tips and retail discoveries.
A barbershop in Kingston has been cutting hair “illicitly,” as announced by Ulster County on Wednesday via press release on their website and Facebook post. The post, which went up yesterday, has 1.4K shares and 462 comments. A Little Beacon Blog has reached out to Kingston’s Mayor and Ulster County’s Executive to see if this knowledge was gained from a contact tracing program.
Ulster County’s Health Commissioner Dr. Carol Smith encouraged people who had gotten a hair cut at a barbershop on Broadway within the last 3 weeks should pursue testing. The press release reminded people about the low priority level of salons and barber shops during the pandemic: “During the ongoing New York Pause directives from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, no barbershops, beauty salons, nail salons or other personal hygiene services are allowed to be open and operating for fear of spreading the potentially deadly virus.”
Governor Cumo’s Position On Barbershops and Salons
Hair care has been one of the hardest things to live without during quarantine. In theory, it seems like a semi-solitary activity. Only two people are involved, though direct contact is required. Governor Cuomo told Trevor Noah on Noah’s Daily Social Distancing Show in April 23, 2020, that he didn’t view salons and barbershops as essential, as too much risk is involved to operate. As reported in Vulture, “It has to be phased in,” said Cuomo when asked whether or not he’d pull a Georgia and open everything at once. “It has to be slow and building and watch that infection rate as you start to open up the valve to reopen … Basically, it’s a matrix. How essential is the business and how high a risk does the business pose?”
Meanwhile, At A Salon In Texas…
A salon owner in Dallas, Texas tried opening before she was allowed to, was issued a citation for doing so, but kept the salon open. She was arrested and held in contempt. The judge gave her the option of apologizing for opening, and she declined, then was sent to jail.
As reported in Time the salon owner told the judge: “I couldn’t feed my family, and my stylists couldn’t feed their families,” Luther testified, saying she had applied for a federal loan but didn’t receive it until Sunday. The federal loan, if she is referring to the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) does cover payroll for 8 weeks if granted to the business based on the previous year’s payroll, but can only be issued to people on payroll. If stylists are contract workers or pay rent to the salon in lieu of payment from the salon owner, as is the case many times in small salons, the PPP money cannot be paid to them.
The Texas Attorney General stepped in by sending a letter to the judge, appealing for her release. He wrote: “I find it outrageous and out of touch that during this national pandemic, a judge, in a county that actually released hardened criminals for fear of contracting COVID-19, would jail a mother for operating her hair salon in an attempt to put food on her family’s table,” Paxton said.
Meanwhile, Back In Kingston…
Mayor Steven T. Noble announced the enactment of Phase 2 of Kingston’s Recovery Plan. “Phase 2 of the plan includes temporary layoffs of 10 part-time and 9 full-time staff through July 31, 2020 across eight City departments, including the Assessor’s Office, Building Safety, City Clerk’s Office, Civil Service, Comptroller’s Office, DPW, Parks & Recreation, and the Waste Water Treatment Plant. Per an agreement with CSEA, impacted employees will retain their medical and other benefits during the layoff period. Layoffs will predominantly affect positions whose duties have been curtailed or restricted as a result of COVID-19.
“We have worked hard over the years to place the City in a strong fiscal position, which has allowed us to weather the initial financial impact of this pandemic.” said Mayor Noble. “Now is the time to make hard decisions to overcome this unprecedented challenge and embark on our path to economic recovery. To date, we have been able to maintain all essential City services, but the full extent of the pandemic’s impact has not yet been realized. It is critical that over the next few months we continue to exercise strong fiscal oversight and advocate with our federal representatives for funding for Kingston and its sister cities across the country.”
Mayor Noble added that due to businesses respecting the shut down, sales tax revenue has declined significantly, and impacted what was budgeted for 2020. According to the press release: “The first two sales tax payments received this week are down 27% (March) and 38% (April) from 2019. Additional income sources such as investment interest, parking revenue, fees, permits and others will also be impacted. With available data, the City Comptroller, John Tuey, is now projecting that the City of Kingston will have revenue decreases between $4,00,000-$6,000,000.”
Ulster County does pass the metric test for reopening, but because it is lumped into the Mid-Hudson Region, it will not open, as reported at Daily Voice. “I am proud of the progress Ulster County has made toward meeting Governor Andrew Cuomo’s guidelines for Phase One opening, but the Mid-Hudson Region as a whole still has work to do before the State will permit anyone to reopen,” County Executive Pat Ryan said in the Daily Voice article.
As of today, according to Ulster County’s Dashboard, Kingston has 109 active cases, and 1 fatality. In total, Ulster County has 1,542 confirmed cases, 732 active cases, and 64 fatalities.
Editorial Note: Based on comments seen at Ulster County’s Facebook post, please know that any comment that wishes anything other than a healthy recovery to those infected or impacted will not be published here.
Of the counties that A Little Beacon Blog tracks for these reports - Orange and Putnam - both matched Google results with the number of deceased. Dutchess County’s was always lower: say 36 in Dutchess County’s Tracker vs 70 in Google’s Tracker.
The New York State Department of Health has authority and oversight over many of the facilities reporting case data, including hospitals and nursing homes. These facilities are not required to report to local health departments, including the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH). While DBCH does communicate regularly with each of the individual facilities and has been getting some of the data from them, it is difficult to reconcile on a daily basis with the state data and creates confusion for the public. Additionally, State data can include presumed positive cases in fatality numbers, unlike the data reported by local health departments.
DBCH was recently provided access to the New York State Health Emergency Reporting Data System (HERDS), however, the data is reported in the aggregate and does not provide the necessary specificity for county reporting.
Active case data, which are the cases that DBCH are currently monitoring, will continue to be reported by DBCH as well as the breakdown by municipality and number of recoveries...Dutchess County’s COVID-19 Community Impact Data Dashboard will continue to be updated daily, following NYSDOH data updates.
Beacon’s number of Active COVID-19 cases was rising as of 5/10/2020. This last report on 5/10/2020 was at 146. The last time we recorded it in our spreadsheet was 5/4/2020 and the number of active cases was 137. Not a huge difference, but a consistent increase nonetheless.
One might argue: “Well, the number of people tested is going up, so that must be the reason.” And that may be. However, the daily percentage of those who test positive for COVID-19 for the day - of those tested - has remained consistent. We track that number also. The percentage of people who test positive from those tested per day has been at 8%-9% in the last few days. Additionally, the number of tests issued in Dutchess County, according to the tracker, has remained consistent, averaging in the 400s tests given per day.
While some “low-risk” business types can open state-wide in New York on Friday (drive-in movie theaters, landscaping/gardening, tennis) Dutchess County has 3 more criteria to hit before meeting the 7 state requirements to begin reopening, which are:
14-Day Decline in Hospital Deaths OR fewer than 5 deaths (3-day average).
New Hospitalizations (under 2 per 100k residents - 3 day rolling average.
The last time we published reporting on these numbers was 5/1/2020. This gap of 11 days is for no other reason that Distance Learning started in our home, and while we get into that rhythm of that schooling, finishing articles got a little tricky. We have several unpublished drafts, though!
Sources: New York State Tracker: Updated daily. Dutchess County Tracker:Updated daily, but there could be lags, according to their Source notes. Orange County Tracker: Updated daily, with the exception of municipality information which is updated every 2-3 days, according to their Source notes. Putnam County Tracker: Updated daily. Google via Wikipedia Testing is limited, which implies that people testing positive for COVID-19 is not total, as many people are not tested.
DUTCHESS COUNTY 5/10/2020
How Many People Tested In Dutchess County: 18,964 (last week 15,558 via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE As Of This Day: 3,359 (last week, 3,049, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested This Day: 471 (last week 473, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE This Day: 47 (last week 48, via New York State Tracker) Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day: 56 (last week 69, via Dutchess County Tracker) How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day: 101 (last week 38, via Dutchess County Tracker, but Google shows 84 (previous 73)
BEACON Active COVID-19 Cases In Beacon On This Day: 146 (last week 134, via Dutchess County Tracker)
FISHKILL Active COVID-19 Cases In Fishkill On This Day: 174 (last week 175, via Dutchess County Tracker) Active COVID-19 Cases In East Fishkill On This Day: 153 (last week 151, via Dutchess County Tracker)
WAPPINGERS Active COVID-19 Cases In Town of Wappingers On This Day: 136 (last week 163, via Dutchess County Tracker) Active COVID-19 Cases In Wappingers Falls Village On This Day: 40 (last week 45, via Dutchess County Tracker)
ORANGE COUNTY 5/10/2020
How Many People Tested In Orange County: 34,404 (last week 28,848, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE In Total: 9,543 (last week 8,910, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested On This Day: 535 (last week 839, via New York State Tracker) How Many People Tested POSITIVE On This Day: 57 (last week 159, via New York State Tracker) Number Of People Hospitalized For COVID-19 As Of This Day: 99 (last week 147) (via Orange County Tracker) How Many COVID-19 Related Deaths As Of This Day: 367 (last week 329, via Orange County Tracker)
NEWBURGH Active COVID-19 Cases In Newburgh On This Day: 645 (last week 587, via Orange County Tracker) Active COVID-19 Cases In City of Newburgh On This Day: 1,314 (last week 1,165, via Orange County Tracker)
PUTNAM COUNTY 5/10/2020
Did not grab data in time for this report.
PHILIPSTOWN Confirmed COVID-19 Cases In Total In Philipstown As Of This Day:
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A podcast from A Little Beacon Blog. Your hosts: Katie Hellmuth martin & Brandon Lillard.
The City of Beacon entered into a contract with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley to provide increased access to Beacon tenants facing eviction. They may also be able to help with sources of rent arrears assistance. Call the paralegal, Steven Mihalik at 845-253-6953 to inquire.
Dutchess County Helpline. Open 24/7 to take your calls, listen, and give you resources.
