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Personal Attention, Knowledgeable Staff & Customer Loyalty at Dodd’s Wine Shop

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Experience gleaned as a teenager working in his father’s liquor store proved beneficial to when 25-year-old Dodd Farber opened Dodd’s Wine Shop in the Millwood Shopping Center in the early 1970s.

Farber, a no-nonsense man who operates the business without a computer, grew up in Long Island and earned an MBA, then left Wall Street for the Westchester suburbs.

In the 1970s, he initially thought about opening a card store and contacted numerous shopping centers. However, he said, surrounded by ledgers and stacks of papers, “My father was in the liquor business, and as a teenager, I worked there and became familiar with it.”

Farber also knew how to develop and keep relationships with customers, who remain loyal to him. “Our business philosophy is to put personalization back into shopping,” he said. “We want to make this into a wine and liquor experience.”

His staff averages more than 25 years of employment with him and knows customers’ likes and dislikes and guide them around the store of more than 1,500 kinds of wines from around the world. “We pride ourselves on great service, personal attention and a selection of more than 2,000, items all at great prices.”

Its diverse clientele ranges from people who enjoy a daily glass of wine to collectors who seek the rarest vintages. “We are here to advise our customers regardless of their preference,” he said.

Joe Cutaia has been working at Dodd’s more than 20 years. “It’s not about the bottles,” he explained. “It’s about our relationship with the customer. People come in and shake your hand, and you know them personally. We don’t want people to be anonymous.”

Ready to help you: The Staff at Dodd’s
PHOTO BY JANIE ROSMAN

“Customers like to see faces that they know,” Farber said. “They become comfortable working with our staff and their recommendations. It’s a friendly business, and everybody knows everybody’s name, like in “Cheers.”

During our visit to the store, a man walked toward the back of the store and asked for employee Bobby Chipman. “Yes, I have it ready for you,” Chipman said, walking to greet him.

“We have a personal contact with our customers,” Cutaia emphasized. “We don’t just look at this as a retail store because we’re entrenched in the community. People who used to live here and who pass through the area come by to say hello.”

To Enhance your Celebration…

With Passover beginning at sundown March 30 and Easter arriving April 1, Farber offered these wine suggestions to pair with any meal and delight your company. (Prices here are per bottle.)

Easter Wines:

Reserve des Rochers Pouilly Fuisse 2015: Its delicious tart pear and honey essence flavors blend well with the round, broad style French Chardonnay, amazing price for White Burgundy. Rated 90 points by Wine Spectator. $14.99

Bastide Miraflors Rouge 2015: The Bastide Miraflors is a combination of Syrah and Grenache grapes. Its flavors of blackberry and black raspberries deliver a fruity wine with a rich and silky texture. Rated 94 points by The Wine Advocate. $12.99

Passover Wines:

Golan Heights Winery Gilgal Cabernet Sauvignon 2012: This wine is grown in the cool climate region of the upper Galilee in Israel. With the combination of rocky soils and aging in French oak barrels, this cabernet shows its grace along with blackberry and dried fruit flavors tied together with the soft toast from the barrel. $17.99

Golan Heights Winery Gilgal Chardonnay 2015: This bright and crisp chardonnay flashes its delicious pear and apple spice flavors with just enough oak nuance to add a touch of body. It’s also grown in the Upper Galilee region of Israel. $17.99

Local Jeweler Supports the SPCA of Westchester

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Scott and his American Bulldog rescue
Walk down King Street in Chappaqua, NY and you’ll spot tons of local businesses. Be it a clothing store, nail salon or a jewelry store–they’re all over. Many of these businesses have been around for decades and have well served the residents of the area. However, these businesses are not just good for selling products to locals, but many also grant significant support to various charities. Desires by Mikolay, one of the jewelers in town, is well known for its support of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals, or better known to many as the SPCA located in Briarcliff Manor.

Scott and Tara Mikolay, the powerhouse husband and wife team that owns Desires, became involved with the SPCA in 2008 because of their joint passion for animals. The couple has had six of their own rescue dogs over the years, ranging from an Australian Cattle Dog to an American Bulldog, so the idea of supporting a charity to raise awareness and support for rescue animals was a “natural fit,” according to Tara.

Tara and Scott care so deeply for the SPCA that they wanted to expand their contributions beyond the personal level by getting their business involved. Since 2008, they have hosted Shop for a Cause, a charity shopping event where they donate 10% of the night’s proceeds to the SPCA. This year, Desires had record success, raising over $4,000 over the course of the evening. The night was so successful because of the staff’s dedication to the cause, as well as the love and support brought in by each client.

In total, Desires has raised more than $45,000 for the organization through the annual holiday event as well as by offering “Gifts with Impact” throughout each year. Tara explained that it is incredibly useful to have “a platform in one of the most generous towns in the country.”

Mini, a beloved pug rescued by the Mikolays. She passed away this year at 16 years.
Although shopping for jewelry is one great way to help the SPCA, there are many other ways to get involved. The SPCA is always in need of committed volunteers and they have an Amazon wish list with products they need for the shelters. Even something as simple as liking the SPCA on Facebook can make a difference and according to Tara, “your impact, however big or small, is so meaningful.”

Tara explained that the SPCA is more than just a rescue organization. Their programs range from taking tireless care of each dog they take in to working to change animal abuse laws and education.

Tara and Scott’s connection to the SPCA runs deep. “Rescuing dogs for us is the only option. There are so many dogs in need and we have been blessed with the love of all of our dogs,” Tara said. The couple is even on the lookout for a companion for their current dog, Gus, and they will certainly be looking to rescue. With more than 1,300 orphaned animals rescued at the SPCA last year alone chances are Gus may just find a “furry friend” there.

Think Fit For Kids 2018 Raises Funds for Pediatric Brain Cancer Research

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Jumpy castles, hoop games, Zumba for kids, face painting–the annual Think Fit For Kids (TFFK) Family and Fitness event, generously hosted at Club Fit in Briarcliff, is a community fundraiser that has been going strong for eight years.

As we went to press with this issue, the 2018 TFFK team of volunteers, is ensuring that the event on Sunday, March 4, 2018 meets its goal of raising $250,000 to support state of the art pediatric brain cancer research. Getting ready for TFFK involves the support of corporate sponsors, with more than 75 local merchants all donating the food, DJ music, entertainment and photography.

Since 2011 when Chappaqua’s Kim Gilman and Amy Weinstein approached Club Fit’s owner, Ellen Koelsch to sponsor the TFFK event, $1.5 million has been raised for A Kids’ Brain Tumor Cure Foundation, which currently funds two extremely promising projects at Massachusetts General Hospital and Memorial Sloan Kettering. Most excitingly, a Phase 1 clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of combining immunotherapy agents in children with brain tumors has now expanded into a large-scale clinical trial at 58 centers in 13 countries. This study brings new hope to children across the globe who have run out of treatment options and may provide a completely new avenue for battling deadly brain tumors in children.

Cancerous brain tumors have now surpassed leukemia as the leading cause of cancer death in children. There are 28,000 children battling brain tumors in the U.S., including some in our community, and an additional 4,300 will be diagnosed this year.

Through Horace Greeley High School’s club, SHARE (Students Have A Responsibility Everywhere), enthusiastic student volunteers help before, during and after the TFFK event.  In addition to manning a booth at Community Day to publicize the event, SHARE hosts a Ben & Jerry’s fundraiser in Mt. Kisco. “It’s great to see many Greeley students come to get ice cream and help out this cause and raise community awareness around the dire need for funding pediatric brain cancer research. Plus, we always have fun scooping ice cream!” says Alice Heyeh, a SHARE Community Partners Executive, HGHS ’18.

It’s not too late to donate to the cause. Visit www.thinkfitforkids.org for additional information.

Getting a Strong Start to 2018

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By Scott M. Kahan

It’s almost spring and now is the time to give your finances a “spring cleaning!”

With the stock market sell off and continued volatility after record highs, interest rate increases, new tax laws and the ongoing uncertainty as to what is going on in Washington, now is the time to organize. Here are a few quick things to address to get started.

  • Review your portfolio. With the return of volatility in equity prices and rising interest rates, it’s probably a good time to review your asset allocation. A simple way to re-balance your portfolio is to first set what percent of your portfolio should be in each asset class. Then when reviewing your portfolio, the sectors that have gone up will be over weighted and should be reduced, while the underperforming sectors will be under weighted and can be added to. If you follow this practice, it forces you to sell high, buy low and take the emotions out of investing.
  • Review Your Taxes and Cash Flow. New tax laws have ushered in much confusion. With a limitation of $10,000 for SALT deductions, (State and local tax), along with various other impactful changes, now is the time to review your 2018 taxes. Even though you may be in a lower tax bracket, you still could end up paying more tax due to the lower allowed deductions. Check your withholding tax to make sure you are not under or over paying your taxes during the year. Then look to see if you are fully funding your retirement plans and look for all possible deductions to minimize your income tax. When you file your 2017 taxes, make sure to do a projection for 2018 as well.
  • Review Your Estate Planning. When was the last time you looked at your wills and other estate planning documents? Make sure all beneficiaries are in place in retirement accounts. Review to make sure you have named guardians for minor children. If you have avoided setting up your estate plans, now is the time to address this important issue.

A simple review can help bring focus to your overall financial picture. A qualified Certified Financial Planner Professional can help ensure your financial affairs are consistent with your current and long-term goals and objectives. Get a strong start for 2018!

Christine Meyer Knows: “Everybody Likes a Cute Dog.”

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PHOTO BY JOSEPH FLEISHER

Growing up, many children dream of becoming astronauts, actresses or even the President. One woman, however, spent her childhood dreaming of becoming a dog. But when her father explained that puppies, not people, become dogs, she realized that her dream may not be possible, though she never gave up on pursuing a life with animals.

Christine Meyer, owner of Wags and Whiskers on Upper King Street, was driven by her passion for dogs to open the business more than 20 years ago. She started her career as a groomer at another shop in 1986, but was fired when the economy began to decline. On one rainy afternoon soon after being laid off, Meyer was driving through Chappaqua when she spotted a “For Rent” sign in the window of a King Street flower shop, sparking her epiphany that she was ready to start her own business. Shortly thereafter, on May 1, 1991, she opened the doors of Wags and Whiskers, and has been in that same King Street location ever since.

When she first opened the shop, Meyer accepted both dogs and cats, but according to her website “cats don’t like water and dogs don’t like cats, so that quickly changed to the current dogs only policy.” Her approach to dog grooming is to keep the entire process as low-stress as possible, benefitting both the dogs and the owners alike. Services include shampooing and bathing, trims and cuts, treatment for fleas and ticks, ear cleaning, dremel nail trimming and even de-skunking treatments. Meyer, although not a veterinarian, also deals with skin conditions and will even do minor dental cleanings in order to keep her furry clients in tiptop shape.

Ultimately, Meyer aims to make each dog look as adorable as possible because, as she explains, “everybody likes a cute dog!” Her trick? Understanding what each owner wants his or her dog to look like, although she is not afraid to make recommendations, especially after years of successfully grooming and showing her own dogs. Meyer’s experience includes competing in both dog shows and performance competitions for obedience, agility, scent work and sheep herding.

Although the cosmetic side of grooming is critical, she takes an overall approach to each individual dog in order to make it look as good as possible. This all starts with nutrition because “a healthy dog always looks better than a sickly dog,” Meyer explained. To supplement her grooming services, Meyer sells food products, most of which are produced locally in the U.S., along with one food line from Canada and one from New Zealand. Of the many parallels between humans and dogs, Meyer insists that dogs should eat fresh, locally sourced food products. Furthermore, most of the other products that she keeps in stock, including shampoos, conditioners, etc. are holistic, organic and “top of the line, only.”

As a longtime dog lover and owner, Meyer is a true believer in the value that a dog can bring to a family. A dog becomes a common goal for a family, something that everyone wants to take care of and spend time with, especially if it is a clean dog. This is why Meyer recommends that dogs get groomed on average monthly, contingent of course on what type of dog it is. Ultimately, Meyer believes that “having a dog become part of your family strengthens the entire bond,” thus adding unparalleled love and unity to a household.

With the holidays coming up, Meyer mentions a few pet-related things that families should keep in mind. First, book appointments early! The holidays are always a busy time for groomers as people scramble to get their dogs camera-ready for holiday card photo shoots. Also, when looking into gifts for your furry friends, consider interactive toys. Meyer explains that “people underestimate the value of a ball. A ball on a rope can be the absolute best thing a dog has ever seen,” and it can give you the perfect way to bond with your dog.

One misconception that Meyer warns about as the winter weather approaches is the idea that your dog will benefit from long hair in order to keep it warm. Long hair during the winter can be especially problematic for dogs that enjoy spending a lot of time outside playing in the snow. Although this seems counterintuitive, the issue comes when the dog re-enters the house and cannot be properly dried, which leaves the fur soggy and cold and can also leave a mess around the house.

Meyer, though not a Chappaqua resident herself, has been an important presence in Chappaqua ever since she opened Wags and Whiskers. After spending 26 years on King Street, she is now working with a second generation, as her client’s children are grown and bringing their own dogs in for her services. She has also made an immense impact on local rescue societies, working with Jenny’s Hope Rescue in Mount Kisco, A New Chance Animal Rescue in Bedford and running the East Coast Giant Schnauzer Rescue Network across the entire Northeast.