We opened 4 years ago, in spite of the pandemic, in an effort to spread some joy and help rekindle the same hope for Peekskill’s future that led us to fall in love with this place, move here, and build a life. We made it happen with a threadbare budget, some grit, and lots of heart- all on top of caring for a 9-month-old, and one of us having a demanding full time job.

So many of you connected with the care we put into making Bucko! more than just a little gift shop. We’ve been part of your birthdays, holidays, and hangouts. We’ve rallied for good causes, organized fairs and festivals for hundreds of new friends, and tried to be good stewards of the park space. We’ve also been hindered, harassed, doxxed, and had our lives threatened for our efforts and beliefs in building community.

The bomb threat was especially tough for us. Though we discovered none of us were actually in any danger, by definition, a hate crime occurred in Peekskill, and we didn’t hear from a single member of the City Council or local government.
A reporter reached out to us and helped answer some questions. In case you don’t want to read through the articles here and here, I’ll summarize: we were only one of many across the country targeted by a Russian funded troll farm in Nigeria. Sometimes, real life is stranger than fiction.

What we were truly fearful of was this empowering local extremists, who seem to regularly congregate on Peekskill Community Network without much pushback, and being targeted in a much more real way. And that happened for several months- nasty comments on our social pages, strange phone calls, anonymous bad reviews, and my wife and I constantly looking over our shoulder when approaching the shop or home, worried for our children.

The support we received from our friends and supporters was life-giving, but again, any support from our institutions was nonexistent.

We weathered all of this on top of the normal difficulties of running a small retail business, always with hope. Whether you had $5 or $500, we had something interesting, beautiful, useful, and/or fun here for our customers, local or visiting…and we took immense pride in that.

We had all sorts of designs ready to produce for the shop, and wanted to expand into wholesale. We envisioned doing more community outreach and continuing to find ways to showcase our retail peers in Peekskill. We even wanted to help retool the flea market, in line with other markets in the region that bring thousands of people to their communities every week, filling the businesses here with life.  We had a lot more to give.

So many people came into the shop and asked us how they could open a business here, and we always tried to find ways to help them. This was the entire point of the shop, to serve as an incubator and draw in ambitious, creative people inspired by Peekskill, wanting to build something of their own here. To contribute and give.

No one gets rich in boutique retail, but we were confident we could grow the business and make a positive impact. And we did just that for three years straight.

This year, based on our traffic and sales projections, the plan was to hire a weekend employee and get some time back as a family. Our conversion rate- people coming in our shop compared to who buys something- has always been excellent, and we felt confident this was an achievable goal.

But year four has been exceptional. There’s been an unprecedented drop in foot traffic and tourism. The brewery closing was devastating for Peekskill. It objectively brought hundreds of visitors off Metro North every week, and was a genuine “third place” for many here. There are literally thousands fewer people on the street this year, so to hear some city officials insist that we get foot traffic on par with vibrant tourism hubs like Beacon is bizarre.

I think it was a little too easy for some to blame Blondery’s retail troubles on itself, but the Brewery was here for 15 years and had many of the same issues. Another beloved lifelong resident and business owner of 13 years mentioned to us this had been the worst year ever, including during COVID. The Rift moved its shop. The team behind Ramenesque and Timeless Thai shuttered one of their locations. Signal Fire has chosen to move on. Who else? Quirkshop, Lounge House, the Bean Runner, and others have all been vocal about how slow business is. I fear Bucko! won’t be the last business to close or leave in the coming months.

This goes beyond simply convincing folks to step off the Metro North and explore our cute little city. Careless, dangerous driving has become commonplace. Anyone on foot, bicycle, or mobility aid is at great risk of injury, and at a time when communities all over the country are safeguarding their people through stronger enforcement and better road design (that doesn’t necessarily have to cost a lot) by prioritizing a friendly experience for people over a convenient one for cars, Peekskill seems to going in the exact opposite direction. It seems like if we can’t get a grant for something, nothing really nice or impactful can ever get done. (That’s a whole other topic for a different day.) That affects everyone- businesses, visitors, and residents, old and young, long term or newer transplant. We are all in this together.

I believe in the saying, “If you want to change the culture, you have to change the experience” but this can work both ways. Over time, the poor experience in the downtown has started changing not just how visitors perceive Peekskill, but our own perceptions as well.

Despite the city putting up signage around the garbage cans, some bad actors continue to pack the cans with commercial trash, sometimes with names and addresses in plain view. It doesn’t seem like there are any consequences.

It looks like Peekskill lost the bet with Herald contributor Todd Seekiricher, who surmised the newly renovated Pugsley Park wouldn’t last one season before succumbing to our garbage troubles (and sometimes, worse. Don’t ask me what they had to clean up recently.)

Places like Whiskey River, Birdsall, Taco District, Rubens, Bruised Apple, Division Street Guitar, JO’s Body Shop, the newly opened Village Greens, and others all do an admirable job of creating pleasant experiences for people within their four walls. But none of us can do this alone. And operating here is what that often feels like.

We could make it work another year and see if things improve, but right now, it makes more sense to step back. We are sad about the shop, but are looking forward to spending more time together as a family and seeing our friends.

A prominent local figure was recently feeling down, and asked us, “should I give up on Peekskill?” What so many people with those feelings mean is, are we ever going to have a thriving downtown, strong support for small, unique businesses that enhance the experience here, affordable and accessible housing across income range and age, clean and safe streets? Is Peekskill ever going to really have the moment it has so long deserved? For four years we’ve spoken with people at the shop, lifelong residents and newcomers alike, who all love this place but are tired of waiting for these things to happen. For whatever reason, it always seems just beyond our reach.

We’re not giving up, and neither should you. But some things have to change here or these cycles will continue.

The best part of the shop has always been connecting with you all. We’ve met so many wonderful people and have had so much support. We’ll see you around. Thank you.