Interview with Jamie Magur, Owner of Troy Grooming Co. & Downtown Troy Business Improvement District Board President. What does success look like for you here? "Success for me is being part of creating something bigger than myself— a vibrant city with community-based businesses, plenty of jobs, economic development, and strong neighborhood connections." Is there a place downtown that holds a personal memory for you? " Fulton Street is where I grew up. My grandmother had a res

Interview with Jessica Garrity, Owner of Collar City Cold Pressed. What part of Troy mirrors a part of you? " In a world where places and faces are all starting to look the same, Troy is keeping it real. Some of the things I love the most about Troy is the daily juxtaposition of something beautiful with something gritty, something soft and something strong, something dirty with something sweet. To me that resonates. It’s real, it’s authentic, it’s not perfect, and it’s never

Interview with Richard and Kathleen Kiernan, Troy Residents. Was there a particular reason why you chose to live in Troy? "We had moved from Brooklyn in 1992 to have a more suburban lifestyle. We raised our son in suburban Rensselaer County. But there was always something about Troy that intrigued us. We volunteered at the Music Hall at one point, and over the years, we had different experiences here. A lot of people we met had roots in Troy. And right around the time we were

Interview with Yair de la Rosa, Owner of La Capital Tacos.  What was a moment in your work that you felt, this is why I'm doing this? “Because of my family— this is what we do. I continued that legacy, but it’s also something I really like. My background is as a chef, working in multiple cuisines and fine dining and things like that. Yes, I love to cook. That’s one of my things. I think that’s why we have a good product— because we love what we do. You know, it’s a hard job,

Interview with Steve Riddler, Manager of the Troy Waterfront Farmers' Market. People of Downtown Troy is a storyteling series highlitghting the business owners, artists, employees, entreprenuers, creatives, and neighbors who shape the character of our district ever single day. This is our first installment. Continue reading for the full extended interview. What was a moment in your work that made you think, "this is why I'm doing this"? "I manage the farmers’ market, and ther