The Catskill Chronicle

Story by Carol Montana and Jeremy Gorelick, photos by Carol Montana, photo of Mr. Hilfiger provided

LIBERTY, NY – The Liberty Mall on Sullivan Street in Liberty was open to the public on Friday and Saturday, October 15 and 16 as it housed the Annual Home & Business Expo 2010.

Sponsored by Superior Building Supply of Neversink, and arranged by the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce and the Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development, the Expo featured 40 businesses and area organizations. Participants included banks, business organizations, media outlets, health care and educational agencies, furniture and office supply stores, and more.

A ribbon cutting was held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, officially opening the Expo. Chamber of Commerce Chairman, Jeremy Gorelick, began the ceremony with a special presentation to Dorothy Shapiro, wife of the late Irving Shapiro, owner/operator of Sullivan’s Department Store, the site of the current Liberty Mall. Mrs. Shapiro was then given the honor of cutting the ribbon.

According to Mrs. Shapiro, Sullivan’s was opened in 1948 by brothers Irving and Sidney Shapiro. Originally selling war surplus in a barn in Liberty, over the years the business dealt in soft and hard goods, and became a merchandising innovator, adding a Gourmet Shop and Contemporary Art Gallery. Employing hundreds of people during its 46 years in business, the Liberty store was closed in 1994.

Mrs. Shapiro was very emotional as she cut the ribbon and later said, “I am so pleased to see this beautiful reconstruction of our building, and my wish and my sincerest hope is that Liberty Mall will be become a very successful mall and service the community the way the former Sullivan’s serviced the community.”

Inside the current Liberty Mall, the welcome table for the Expo was set up in the downstairs atrium, a large area big enough to hold the Chamber, the Partnership, the Monticello Booster Club food cart, and Prudential Peters Realty, which is marketing retail space for the Mall.

In the upstairs atrium, the business sponsor, Superior Building Supply, had a large display including a banner visible from the parking lot through the wraparound windows. 

Downstairs and upstairs, tables surrounded the open areas in front of large and small retail spaces, as business owners and their employees, and representatives of organizations, passed out canvas bags, lollipops, water bottles, magnets and, of course, pens.

Chamber of Commerce President Terri Ward is hoping that word of mouth will bring businesses to the Liberty Mall. “… just by us being here and holding the Expo here is going to be the best way” to get the word out. Prudential Peters is here, they have all the specs, everything that’s available, and the Partnership has the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation coming and some people looking around to hopefully recruit some businesses here.” And best of all, said Ward, the owner of the Liberty Mall, Sam Backer donated the space for the Expo “just to get people in the door.”

At 6:00 p.m. on Friday, attendees enjoyed a presentation by designer Andy Hilfiger of the Tommy Hilfiger line. Shown at right with Jeremy Gorelick and Terri Ward of the Sullivan County Chamber, Hilfiger opened with a brief introduction about his family and its role as middle-man in the clothing market in Elmira in central New York state. There they sold samples direct from the streets of Manhattan, before launching their trademark classic American look. 

A brief computer-aided slideshow showed, through carefully chosen pictures, the growth and development of the Hilfiger line from a small boutique shop to a household name using innovative marketing techniques and outreach to specific markets.

After an explanation of his new line, Andrew Charles, and the demographics that he seeks to attract, Hilfiger opened up a brief question and answer period, where he discussed the particular reasons for the success of the Tommy Hilfiger line, as well as general ideas for how to market and grow a small business. 

Since Hilfiger is a Sullivan County resident, plans are underway to bring him back for a more in-depth discussion and case study of how to successfully design and implement a marketing plan to transition from an in-home “cottage industry” to something more significant, particularly in a troubled economy.

For further information about leasing retail space in the new Liberty Mall, call Prudential Peters Realty at 845-292-6333.

To see more photos or to purchase prints from the Home & Business Expo 2010, visit The Catskill Chronicle on Zenfolio.