Business Profile: Cold Spring General Store, Cold Spring
When Craig and Deanna Muraszewski thought about opening their own business, they both knew it had to be a store the two of them would be interested in shopping at if they were the customer, rather than the business owner.
That included organic foods locally sourced and artisan goods for uses around the home.
“Things that people in our own age in our 30s, 40s and 20s,” Craig said. “A place where you could feel like you were shopping but it was fun at the same time.”
And with that all in mind came the birth of the Cold Spring General Store, which opened on March 29 in the downtown part of the village. With the married couple that tied the knot this past September working together and bringing different strengths to the table, the Muraszewskis are hoping to “offer a different variety that Cold Spring hasn’t seen before.”
The newly minted Cold Spring residents said they’ve been talking about opening up a general store for years, Craig said, but they wanted to find the right location to pursue that goal.
They moved to Cold Spring last June, coming from Mamaroneck in Westchester County with the hopes of finding more open space to enjoy. When they got here, the Muraszewskis didn’t think they would open up a place just yet and continued to commute to their jobs in the city.
But that travel got to be too much and once they saw their current location open up on Main Street, they knew it was time to a jump.
“It all fell into place too much that it was a coincidence so we knew that we were in the right place,” he said.
And while some couples prefer to work away from each other during the day, it doesn’t seem to be the case for the Muraszewskis. In fact, they each have an area of expertise that leads to a combined effort to best manage the store.
Craig, for instance is, handles the relationship with all the vendors because he has that experience from his line of work in the restaurant business and working for an organic food company. As for Deanna, she works for a social media company so naturally she tackles the social media and publicity of the business in order to get the word out.
And most importantly as co-owners, they are striving for the same thing.
It’s good because neither one of you is an employee, you’re both working toward the same common goal,” Craig said. “It makes it much easier than having an employee.”
So far, Craig said the response since the store’s opening day is “better than our wildest dreams” with the community opening up their arms to the Muraszewskis.
Craig said he and his wife decided to have a soft opening last week, but word spread like wild fire and soon the 1,000 square foot space was jam-packed. While Craig knew a few village residents before moving in, he knows a lot more.
“I feel like I’ve met the whole town in one week so it’s been really great,” Craig added.
The Cold Spring General Store is located on 61 Main Street in Cold Spring. Its number is 845-809-5522 and website is coldspringgeneralstore.com.
