The Country/General Store
"Nelsonville's Present-Day Business"
As described by Richard Mekeel in "The Centennial Anniversary of Nelsonville," 1955.
Although not great in number, Nelsonville today can be quite proud of its businesses. Moving along our Village's Main Street from west to east, we find first on our right at the corner of Pearl Street James E. Bushnell's Antique Store, formerly a grocery and feed store owned by James Y. Dykeman. On the opposite corner on the same side of Main Street is the General Store of Edward Bodge , the Nelsonville Post Office being a part of this building, which Osborn Mekeel previously owned. Mr. Bodge is the present Post Master. Further up the Main Street on the left is the Blacksmith Shop of Norman Champlin , who carries on in his father's stead.
On the same side of the street a little further on is Mekeel Brother's Garage and Showroom , managed by Harry and Winslow Mekeel, the latter having been born on the site of the building, where the Village's first Post Office was located in 1888. Nearly opposite this we find the Grocery and Paint Store of Weldon Russell , which was formerly owned by Thomas W. Jaycox. Across from the Garrison Road on the left side of Main St. is the Grocery and Notions Store of Louis Scott , this business having for many years in the past been managed by William Henyan. Also on the left and opposite the former residence of our late Mayor Milton F. Smith, now the home of Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Glick, is Tony's Garage owned and operated by Anthony DeMichael. This formerly was called the B. and R. Garage. Near the upper end of the street, on the right side at the fork of the roads, is located Allen's Coal Company owned and managed by William and Ernest Allen. Close by and also on the right side we find Jack Christian's Auto Body Works, which completes Main Street's places of business.
At right angles to and intersecting Main Street on its south side, Division Street has two places of business. At the corner of Adam's Avenue is the Fairgate Manufacturing Company, managed by the partnership of Charles Brody and Virginia Armstrong. Previously this building was called Hobbyhouse and was operated by the late Edward Adams and William Colwell. And at the corner of Bank Street on the left, William Kent operates the Philipstown Upholstery Shop. Also at right angles to and intersecting Main Street, Garrison Road claims three places of business, all on the right side. Going southward from Main, one first comes to the Philipstown Garage, managed by Edward Culbert, who succeeds his father, Frederick Culbert in the operation of this business. Adjacent to this is the Standard Plastics Company, managed by Louis Kasen of Newark N.J., which building was formerly the site of the Pugh Manufacturing Corp. Further down, across Bank Street intersection and appropriately opposite the Cold Spring Cemetery, is George A. Logan & Sons Monumental Works, operated by Kenneth Logan. A part of his building houses the Garden Studio (shop) of Mrs. Kenneth Logan.
Nelsonville is also well represented in the field of Real Estate by Thomas W. Jaycox at his Main Street home, and by George W. Jimenez at his Secor Street home. In the profession of music, Mrs. Helen Jimenez, besides giving lessons at home on Secor St. teaches in the Haldane Central School, Garrison School, Our Lady of Loretto School and Malcolm Gordon School. She is also the composer of several published songs.