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Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

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Wallauer Paint and Design Centers Celebrates 100 Years of Beautifying Westchester Homes

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Edward Klein, CEO, Wallauer

For more than a hundred years, customers throughout Westchester have turned to Wallauer Paint and Design Centers to help revamp their homes. The fourth-generation family-owned business offers an extensive selection of paints from Benjamin Moore, specialty products and accessories from Ace Hardware, window treatments from Hunter Douglas, designer fabrics and wall coverings, area rugs, and has 15 stores across Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties. 

Considering that 20 percent of most new businesses fail within the first year and that number increases to almost 66 percent after ten years, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, what keeps both contractors and homeowners coming back to their local Wallauer store? The answer can best be summed up by the company’s Chief Operating Officer Edward Klein. “It really comes down to having a knowledgeable group of people who know their craft and provide excellent customer service. Then it is word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied customers that Wallauer is the go-to place for home improvement locally.” 

Many of their employees are local and have worked for the company for a decade or more. When they hire employees, they are looking for people with a broad base of knowledge. Customers may ask about everything from painting projects, to lawn care to plumbing products, so the company looks for employees that can help homeowners with a multitude of products from start to finish. 

Spurred by the COVID crisis, New Castle and North Castle and surrounding towns are hot housing markets with an influx of new residents, many of them first time homeowners. “We can help people with anything they want to do in their homes ranging from the walls, the windows to the floors with premium high-quality products and even in-home color consultations,” said Klein. 

Wallauer offers home design services in six of their stores and offers Ace Hardware Departments in five. Every Wallauer Design department features window displays from Hunter Douglas Window Fashions, specializing in motorization and full house automation of blinds and shades. Designers featured in top shelter magazines including fabrics from Robert Allen, Kravet, Fabricut and Kasmir and top wallpaper brands such as Schumacher, Thibaut, Nina Campbell and Candice Olson are also available. 

The company prides itself on offering products that you wouldn’t find in a big box store. Klein points out Benjamin Moore Paints as a prime example. Owned by billionaire Warren Buffet, the paint is only sold in independent home improvement stores. “Would Home Depot or Lowe’s like to sell Benjamin Moore? I assure you they would,” quips Klein. In fact, the company is the largest Benjamin Moore paint, hardware and decorating retailer in Westchester, Rockland & Putnam. 

They also have a long-standing relationship with the paint company spanning a hundred years when company founder Clarence Rudolph Wallauer opened his first Wallauer store in White Plains in 1921. The company initially had a strong focus on paint and wallpaper coverings but over the years their product line expanded and diversified as did the company’s footprint with 15 stores in the county ranging from the largest store in White Plains to popular ones further north such as the Carmel and South New Rochelle locations.

The Challenges of COVID

Like every other business, Wallauer has been affected by the COVID crisis. Luckily, they have seen their business grow 20 percent in the past two years but recruiting employees and maintaining stock has been challenging. “There are supply chain issues all over the housing market with fulfillment but we do have product and warehouses to store our stock,” notes Klein.

Additionally, the customer base has changed dramatically throughout COVID.  Prior to COVID, 75 percent of their customers were contractors and 25 percent were homeowners. One year into COVID, the customer base shifted to 75 percent DIY homeowners so the importance of having knowledgeable staff who could explain projects to first time homeowners was a key differentiator for the business.  In addition, they had to enhance their online focus with curbside pickup and fulfillment of mobile orders. Currently, their customers are 60 percent contractors and 40 percent homeowners. “Many of our customers didn’t even know about us but once they come here, they’d rather go to us than a big box store. The pandemic has shown people the value of making investments in their homes,” notes Klein.

Giving Back to The Community & Customers

As a long-standing local business, Wallauer has also contributed to The Pink Fund, a non-profit breast cancer organization that provides 90-day non-medical cost-of-living expenses to breast cancer patients who are in active treatment. This year marks the fourth year in a row that Wallauer has supported the organization. The company cares greatly about the communities and customers they serve. They match every donation made at the point of sale by customers and to date have donated over $15,000. 

In addition, to celebrate their 100th anniversary and to thank long time customers as well as new, a $100 gift certificate will be awarded to one shopper in every Wallauer store every month through December 2021. To register for the drawings, visit www.wallauer.com/100-years/. In addition, Wallauer will offer a “buy one paint sample, get a second one at ‘100%’ off” throughout the year.  Sprucing up your home in time for the holidays has never been easier.

The Beauty of Coworking Inside the New Westchester Business Center at Chappaqua Crossing

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Covid19 created a lot of new paradigms, and one that probably sounded pretty good was remote working from home. Skip the arduous daily commute, why didn’t anyone think of this before? Then reality set in. Kids interrupting zoom calls, the landscapers demolishing any semblance of quiet, and the dog thinking your new schedule revolves around her–the chaos was far from conducive. A readjustment became necessary, and the tweak Westchester Business Center has been offering for the last 18 years as a full-service professional workspace gave a much-needed boost for White Plains. And very recently, Chappaqua has started to get the same lift.

 “We came in to save the day,” said general manager Kris Saljanin. 

The WBC just held its grand opening on September 29 at Chappaqua Crossing, and the 29 offices spaces, 10 co-working spaces, and three conference rooms are ready to go!  “This is a fully functional facility that is equipped to accommodate your day-to-day business,” said Saljanin. “There’s a receptionist, a conference room, a meeting space; we can accommodate it all.” 

It’s a big step up from those who use Starbucks to set up daily–especially if the wifi goes out. “That’s where the co-working comes into play,” said Saljanin. “You don’t need full time periods, but somewhere to hang your hat for a short period like for a day or a month.”

An open space environment, clients may drop in to catch up on emails, phone calls and paperwork. Even so, WBC is never in a rush to get anyone out the door, and coworkers can come to like it so much that they opt for a more permanent lease.

However, a longer haul doesn’t leave occupants feeling stuck because three, six and 12 months are the standard increments. “Traditional office space requires much longer leases–often 10 years for the type of building we are in. Our clients get access to a Grade A building with very flexible lease terms,” said Saljanin.

Excess space and an overabundance of service does not accrue for the office holder either, according to Paul Puleo, who is a WBC investor and an occupant (or member).

 “If you’re a small business, and you have your own suite somewhere, you’re carrying a lot of things you don’t need to carry,” said the Chappaqua resident. “You don’t need a conference room every day, you don’t need an assistant to answer phones every day, and you don’t need to have insurance. Those things fall away when you’re here, and yet you got it all at your fingertips.” 

At the same time, the normal intricacies of a day’s work don’t get lost in comparison to trying to set up in the family den. “This is a class A business space for professionals,” said Puleo. “My home is not.”

Worse yet, the much less responsive help desk at your provider essentially puts the home bound in charge of any technological failings. The same is not true at Chappaqua Crossing. “We essentially have an outsourced technology company that monitors everything 24/7,” pointed out Puleo.

In fact, an IT person is onsite to monitor the wifi, copiers, printers, fax machines and the zoom set up. “All you do is bring your laptop or desktop, and we handle everything else,” said Saljanin.

The technology isn’t the only area in which WBC lends a strong helping hand either. “We do everything from answering the phones, cold calling, filing, mail delivery, running errands to the bank and filing at the courthouse,” said Saljanin. They’ll even take the wash to the laundromat! 

And the accommodations don’t end at 5 o’clock either. “Our location is open 24/7,” said Saljanin, and while WBC staff typically go home at by five, they will stay late if assistance is needed or if an event runs long.

The Bonus is a Comaraderie

The daily main event of community also overflows, and camaraderie is the spillage. “The office space allows you have a little watercolor talk,” Saljanin asserted. 

On the other hand, the inherent banter doesn’t just up the social agenda. “In White Plains, there is a lot of business between members. We have lawyers who are closing for real estate people. We have therapists of one nature guiding their clients to different types of therapists….

“We have financial advisors and insurance agents who work together,” revealed Puleo. “WBC creates a bit of a business community and networking.” 

Of course, every successful businessperson needs moments to dial back and daydream, and the looking glass is ever ready.

Overlooking the beautiful landscape along the Saw Mill River, the view is amazing too. With everything in place, Saljanin summed WBC up perfectly: “You come in, do what you do best, and we do the rest.”

 

Katy Winter Knows: A Beautiful Home is an Organized Home

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Photo credit: Pretty Pictures Photography

As a self-proclaimed Queen of Clutter, I couldn’t wait to take a tour of home organizer Katy Winter’s organized home and learn the secrets to having an Instagram-worthy house. And sure enough, she does have a home that could be featured on The Home Edit. But as a fellow mom of three, her Chappaqua home never felt sterile or too formal. You could tell kids lived in her house, but everything was neat and minimalist.

One of the first features noticeable in her sun-lit open plan kitchen was a designated area for her youngest son. A bright colored art table (a COVID DIY project Winter proudly notes) was in the kitchen next to a Lucite art cart. Each type of art supply was sorted in a bucket clearly labeled. “When my son comes home from school, I give him art supplies and a snack here while the older kids do their homework.” All of this can happen while Katy cooks. She opens her kitchen drawers and everything is neatly displayed and organized from tea towels and oven mitts in one section (she is a fan of drawer inserts) to prep tools like potato peelers to pizza slicers in another. “I use everything in my drawers. Everything has a purpose. There is nothing I don’t use in my kitchen.” And she is not a fan of duplicates. Note to self: throw out or donate my extra garlic presses and put glue sticks strewn about my house in one labeled bucket.

Everything in her home has a specific zone – whether it is her mudroom or toy room. I enter her mudroom and marvel at how orderly it is. Each child has three pairs of shoes on a bench. “Shoes that aren’t worn often like dressy ones belong in their closets. When they get home from school they know that the shoes go on the tray and the jackets and backpacks go on hooks.” I meander into her toy-room with multiple shelves and baskets clearly labeled so that trains, mini-cars and trucks are all in one “vehicle” area and building toys like blocks or Magna tiles in another.

Winter has always had a love for organizing even as a young girl growing up in Florida. “I was the third kid with the tiniest room. It was basically a closet. I couldn’t have any messes in my room.” She continued to care about how things were organized in her small dorm at college. “I became obsessed with folding my clothing to fit in these tiny drawers.”

Upon graduation, Winter worked in the wholesale fashion industry for top designers. Part of her job was merchandising handbags for Cole Haan. “I got such a thrill out of making the shelves and walls look beautiful at the stores. I also loved the personal connection I had with my buyers,” she recalls. Winter has such an affable personality and that shines through when she’s working on organizing with her clients.

Fast forward a few years and Winter was a stay-at home suburban mom with her second child turning three years old. “I’d be on playdates, helping my friends reorganize their playrooms,” she recalls. At her friends urging, they suggested she become an organizer. Fast forward, and today she is one of the most sought-after organizers working on Westchester homes, Hamptons vacation abodes and Brooklyn brownstones.

With one of the hottest housing markets spurred by the COVID crisis, Winter notes, “I do a lot of relocation jobs now.” Winter will work with sellers to declutter homes and help stage them for sale. “Once you make things look minimal, it usually looks great.” When families move to the suburbs, she monitors the movers and then helps with the unpack, setting up each room thoughtfully. “Many of the houses here are large and can take three full days with up to five organizers but each project is different.” Additionally, she is often asked to help consult as clients do renovations on closets, kitchens and cabinetry.

“Your house should make you feel good. It should have that nice hotel effect,” sums up Winter. As I leave her home, I feel relaxed and, as a bonus, armed with plenty of organizing tips.

Visit katysorganizedhome.com to learn more.

Wellness Garden Gives Back in the Time of COVID

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Staff members at Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) gathered in the new Wellness Garden to enjoy a bounty of summer produce, learn how to care for plants, and taste some of the first harvest.  

Vegetables from the garden will be “prescribed” to patients who face food insecurity when they are discharged.  The patients will leave the hospital with fresh, organic, ready to eat fruits and vegetables selected to meet their nutritional needs by staff dieticians.

Northern Westchester Hospital staff in the Wellness Garden

However, the garden was created to provide more than physical nourishment. It also serves as a sanctuary for hospital staff, who plant, weed and harvest the garden on a voluntary basis.

The garden is the culmination of a year-long effort on the part of Zack Couzens, who graduated from high school this spring and dedicated his Eagle Scout project to the heroes of Northern Westchester Hospital. He and his fellow scouts, classmates, family, and more than 30 volunteers built the 27 raised beds that comprise the garden. He also created a GoFundMepage that raised more than $3500 for the project, double his original fundraising goal.

Zack was inspired to give back to the hospital because of the care it provided for his family. In March 2020, his parents were among the first Covid-19 cases in Putnam County to be admitted to NWH. In the harrowing weeks that followed, his mother was released, but his father was put on a ventilator and spent three weeks in the hospital. Zack, who was born 10 weeks early, weighing only two pounds, eight ounces, also owes his life to the care he received at Northern Westchester.

“The Hospital has given so much to my family, saving both my parents’ lives, and my own,” he says. “Fortunately, everyone recovered, in large part, due to the extraordinary care my family received. My hope is that when people look back at the Covid-19 pandemic, this garden–dedicated to the heroes of Northern Westchester Hospital–will remind them of how the hospital’s staff worked tirelessly to keep the community members well.”

Northern Westchester Hospital leaders recognized that many staff were themselves recovering from their experience with the pandemic.  A Wellness, Recognition and Resilience Committee was formed to further support NWH providers during this unprecedented time and the idea of a Wellness Garden.

“The idea quickly grew beyond helping staff,” says Rebecca Martin, a committee member and the senior director of Dining Services at the Hospital. “We realized that if we built a garden of raised beds, we would be able to grow organic vegetables for the community.”

Story courtesy of Northern Westchester Hospital

 

 

 

Korth & Shannahan Paints Picture Perfect Homes for 40 Years

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In the process of buying a home, it’s widely agreed that a home’s curb appeal is a key purchasing factor. A well-maintained home’s exterior appearance sends a signal to buyers that the owners cared for their property. And one of the most important features of the exterior is a good, neat paint job. That’s where Korth & Shannahan, a 40-year old residential painting and carpentry business with New Castle roots comes in.

A Company with Local Roots

Will Korth, the owner of the business started painting at 14 years old as a summer job while attending Horace Greeley High School. He can still recall the first house he ever painted, a yellow Victorian on Roaring Brook Road in the 1980s. At the time, the company was called Shannahan & Shannahan and run by two local brothers Greg and Kevin who also attended Greeley. They did most of their work within Chappaqua, Mount Kisco and Millwood during the summer. People came to rely on the company because they were honest, hard working teens who made every effort to make the customers satisfied. 

Upon graduating college and entering the workforce, Korth held a number of successful sales positions but when Greg offered him the opportunity to buy the company, Korth decided to pursue it and he’s never looked back.

Korth’s company counts notable customers including the Clintons, Clive Davis and the Zabar family. “Painting the Horace Greeley House was certainly a feather in our cap,” notes Korth, who has done it several times over the past four decades.  His company’s commitment to high quality workmanship and service results in many repeat customers and long-standing relationships with his customers. He also offers customers a four-year warranty which is double the industry standard.

Currently the company consists of 32 painters and four carpenters who do everything from crown molding to replacing decks and they’ve expanded their customer base to include Southern Westchester towns. But Chappaqua and Armonk homes still account for one-third of his business. “The customer will always get a team I know and trained which ultimately results in consistently happy customers,” says Korth.

Cutting corners isn’t part of Korth’s mentality. When his team preps for a paint job, they sand rather than scrape the old paint which is more labor intensive but results in a smoother finish. He will also at times consult with a color consultant if a customer can’t decide on which color to choose. “The worst thing is to make a client feel pressured to choose a color,” explains Korth. 

Painting Through the Pandemic

Like many other home improvement companies, Korth has seen an increase in demand for his services during the pandemic. “People are home more now than ever and really seeing the value in investing in their home,” notes Korth. When the pandemic started, Korth ensured that all his employees took COVID safety protocol courses. 

Korth is proud of his company’s “squeaky clean reputation.” Whether it is learning the latest COVID protocols or becoming certified EPA lead renovators, Korth cares deeply about the safety of his customers and his employees. “Lead paint can be particularly dangerous to young children and is actually way more toxic than asbestos,” explains Korth. “If you are getting rid of lead paint, you don’t want to be sanding it off and get it on the children’s swing set. It needs to be removed properly to ensure everyone’s safety but it isn’t as costly as many customers initially think.” 

Before
After

Painting Tips

Most paint jobs tend to last eight to ten years. If you are thinking of painting your home in the near future, Korth suggests painting a few rooms each year and asking to see the company’s liability insurance. Fall is actually a great time to paint as Korth’s crew continues to do exterior work through early November so that your home will be picture perfect just in time for the holiday season and beyond. For more info or to contact, visit: korthpainting.com