New faces and places around the Highland triangle

By LAURIE STUART
Posted 3/23/22

ELDRED and YULAN —  The first ribbon cutting at the Barryville Diner was at 1 p.m. The second one was at 4 p.m. at the Churchill Classic Collective, a new co-working space in Yulan. Both …

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New faces and places around the Highland triangle

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ELDRED and YULAN —  The first ribbon cutting at the Barryville Diner was at 1 p.m. The second one was at 4 p.m. at the Churchill Classic Collective, a new co-working space in Yulan. Both were well attended and excitement was high.

Hosted by the Greater Barryville Chamber of Commerce, the ribbon-cuttings are a sign of things to come, as investors have flocked to the Upper Delaware river valley and specifically to the Town of Highland.

Sonia Brown, the serial entrepreuner who is purchasing and renovating places and spaces, including the Barryville Diner, five houses, Hickory Haven Motel, a church in Eldred and, in time, the Carriage House, became familiar with the area 18 months ago. She has a catering business, an apartment and her child’s school in New York City. And while she appreciates that there are restaurants and stores in the city that are open long hours and on Mondays and Tuesdays, she is drawn to the quality of life in the Upper Delaware. “I like it here,” she said simply.

Brown brought her own team to manage the kitchen at the diner, and is looking forward to the challenge of providing good food at diner prices throughout the day. Eldred resident Colleen Kent, who moved to Eldred full-time 10 years ago, is the diner’s manager. She is a seasoned manager. “I really like the people,” she said. “I want to make sure that they feel that they are well taken care of and have a great meal.” Kent is putting in long hours making sure that the diner is a warm and friendly space to gather.

And speaking of places to gather, the Churchill Classic Collective and its owner, Jared Lamanna, along with manager and designer-architect Lauren Espeseth, have created a co-working space, converting the old skating rink at the four corners in Yulan. The space is outfitted with private offices, a conference room, phone booth rooms and spacious communal tables, a kitchenette and lounges. The space is available by membership and the owners have a variety of plans for using the space. The site has a large storage space for vintage and precious cars, as well as a huge covered outdoor deck for events. It’s a hospitality project that is designed to build and connect community, while it serves as an incubator for innovation. It’s an expansion of Churchill Classics, located in the former Highland General Store in Eldred, which came into being in 2016. A coffee shop will open there in the coming weeks.

And while new places are opening, this weekend also saw the packing up of D&R Auto. Don Worzel and sister Patty and brother-in-law Ron Lauer are taking leave of their repair and towing service. On the market off and on since 2002, the space in the triangle of Route 97 and the Barryville-Yulan Road will transition to the next phrase of its existence. The trio looks forward to retirement and being excused from their 24/7 small-business responsibilities to pursue the other parts of their lives that they have left unattended in their 40 years of business.


Barryville Diner, Churchill Classic Collective, Greater Barryville Chamber of Commerce, ribbon cuttings, Highland, Sonia Brown

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