Another local investment we encourage is the Saranac Lake Community Store, which has sold $356,000 in shares so far but needs $500,000 to open its small department store. Shares of the store's stock cost $100 each and may be purchased by residents of New York state, with no more than 100 shares ($10,000) for any individual to keep the ownership equitable. If you haven't bought shares, please consider doing so. If you have, please consider buying more and telling friends and family about it, or buying shares for them as gifts. They also need donations to pay for fundraising expenses, since the stock investments are held in escrow and can't be touched for operating expenses. You can find out more and download the prospectus at www.community-store.org. To invest, donate or find out more, contact Vice President Gail Brill at 518-891-0182 or gailbrilldesign@gmail.com.

The store is still planned for a new building to be built in the Union Depot area, but if it is ready to open before the building is finished, it would be located somewhere else temporarily.

The point is to help improve Saranac Lake's shopping options. This is a commercial, private enterprise to fill a retail void; the difference is that the startup capital comes from a broad array of small, mostly local investors instead of a single, deep-pocketed company. That's a good thing for the village and deserves your support.