Strolling the Shopping Scene in Skaneateles

By Kirk House
Story curtsey of The Syracuse Chamber and Visitor’s Bureau Magazine. Available online at http://www.visitsyracuse.org/media/VisitSyracuseMagazine.pdf

Nobody can say it – everybody loves it. Skan-ee-AT-las is the name… “Long Lake” in the local Iroquoian tongue. It’s just the right size for strolling from shop to shop to shop, and the lake itself makes a wonderful backdrop for the 19th-century shopping district.

Half an hour from bustling Syracuse, Skaneateles is a place where you keep meeting smiles in the shops and on the streets. It’s quietly and justifiably pleased with itself,
and it’s always glad to see you. The main shopping space forms a T where Jordan Street meets Genesee Street, right at the foot of the lake. Just at the corner of Jordan and Fennell is the Paris Flea, three levels of “things old and new” suggesting a flea market in Paris. Naturally the stock is constantly changing, but Joyce and I were attracted in particular to good, solid antique furniture, and to an eye satisfying series of pre-war framed color prints from Japan. Cranes strut through the reeds in these prints, and boats sleep on the evening river. Traditional scenes such as these often feature humanity — either in person or through artifacts — but humanity never overwhelms. Wildlife and scenery always shine through.

Right at the corner of Jordan and Genesee in a huge brick edifice is The Hitching Post, a fifty-year-old gift shop where we enjoyed looking over the puzzles and the books, not to mention some of the unusual clocks. One row of windows faces the lake across the road, only adding to the fun. Down on East Genesee is Pomodoro, which on the day we visited was wall to wall with people enjoying themselves. Pomodoro (and Pomodoro, Too, back on Jordan) carries good stocks of numerous trademarked selections, such as Willowtree Angels, Williraye Studios, and The Thymes. Nearby Chestnut Cottage is well equipped for those with Christmas on their minds.

We ourselves also like to look into specialty shops. At Rhubarb Kitchen and Garden, Joyce got to study a power hand mixer that she’s often seen Emeril Lagasse using, and that she’s thinking of adding to her own arsenal. At Elegant Needles on Jordan Street she ran her fingers through yarn so soft you felt like going to sleep on it, and inspected metallic and mohair yarns before contenting herself with a book of patterns. We kept our cat in mind as we browsed through Aristocats and Dogs, and dreamed about horses at Gallop On Saddlery. At The Teddy Bear Nursery we had a chance to design and stuff a teddy bear. And we’re both former teachers, so we were pleased to discover that the toys and games we found in The Kinder Garden (“grandparents welcome!”) give the kids a chance to think and act and play, rather than having all the fun for them.

“Not the same old, same old,” said Joyce with approval. I personally approved the number of dinosaurs present. Dinosaurs always give a store a touch of class.

While there’s a lot of action on Jordan and Genesee Streets, there’s still more to the walk-around shopping experience in Skaneateles. At Skaneateles Artisans on Fennel Street, I had to restrain myself from breaking out with “The Hippopotamus Song” that Flanders
and Swann used to sing… “Mud! Mud! Glorrrr-i-ous mud!”

Skaneateles Artisans is a co-op representing numerous creators, and what inspired me to
delighted if stifled song was a life-size wooden sculpture of PARTS of a hippopotamus (complete with tick birds) breaking the black surface of the “water.” This lovely hippo looked just like the famous member of its tribe who kept thinking it was Tuesday, and I
longed mightily to take him directly home with me. Joyce liked the fact that the many creators make for a very eclectic stock — “not all just pottery.” Pottery shares pride of place with paintings, photography, jewelry, and more.

And, a little further down the street, it’s gratifying to sit for a few minutes at Creekside Books… look through the titles, and sample a page or two… maybe get a little something at the café… and quietly conclude our shopping stroll in Skaneateles.

Aforementioned Skaneateles attractions can be found at www.skaneateles.com.

A Little Something to Eat

Genesee Street is Route 20, running from Albany and the Hudson River through the towns on the northern tips of the Finger Lakes. Two centuries back it was the northeastern states’ main route to the west, following the natural corridor later exploited nearby by the Erie Canal, the New York Central Railroad, and the New York State Thruway.

We took our lunch on West Genesee at the Sherwood Inn, which is just starting its third century of catering to diners and visitors in Skaneateles. It’s a lovely large place (24 rooms), with rows of windows overlooking both the town and that wonderful lake. We took advantage of the Sherwood’s upscale menu… I had a salad and huge and delicious slab of vegetable quiche, while Joyce enjoyed an open-faced beef sandwich. We both loved the French onion soup.

Also on West Genesee Street (and right on the lake) is The Krebs, which has been serving fine foods for over a hundred years; visitors can also enjoy an English Garden. Equally famous and a bit more casual is Doug’s Fish Fry, around the corner on Jordan. Electric trains circle around overhead as you place your order at the counter, where a sign promises that your request will be ready in five minutes — or six, or seven, or just order a beer and relax for a while.

Almost across the street is the Skaneateles Bakery — a good place to stop for a donut, or for sandwiches, coffee, and soup, while you’re wandering around.

The Long Lake

Skaneateles Lake serves as the water supply for Syracuse, and it has an unusual distinction; Skaneateles water is so pure that it does not legally require filtration. Secretary of State William H. Seward returned from a globetrotting trip to declare Skaneateles “the most beautiful body of water in the world.” An 1816 sailboat here, the
Four Sisters, started the tradition of excursion sailing on the Finger Lakes. President Clinton and his family vacationed here near the end of his term in office.

Isaac Sherwood not only founded the Sherwood Inn, he fed its business by operating a stagecoach and mail carrying line; at one time the Sherwood hosted fifteen coaches a day.
“Evergreen House,” a private home still standing, was a station on the Underground Railroad.

Winston Churchill’s American grandfather read law and tended store in Skaneateles.
Another notable native son lived a life that still sparkles in his native town. Artist John D.
Barrow specialized in oil paintings of American scenery… a “second coming” of the Hudson River School. In 1900 the nationally-renowned Barrow donated the body of his work and a gallery to house them, to his beloved hometown. During gallery hours it’s open to all comers — just drop in at the library on East Genesee Street, step to the rear, and enter a little world with dozens of paintings on American life and American landscape from the 19th century.

“I really liked the art gallery,” says Joyce. “It’s a little gem…”