Celeb Shot: Dawn Oesch
The owner of Saratoga Candy Co. preps for Valentine's Day and shares her favorite part of running a candy store. PLUS: our Commissioners face challengers, events this frigid weekend and more.
Any Saratogian who’s had to scramble at the last minute for a Valentine’s Day present for their significant other can agree: Dawn Oesch is the local Cupid’s day MVP. The owner of downtown’s Saratoga Candy Co. has been selling all manner of chocolate-dipped, foil-wrapped and nostalgia-inducing sweet treats for 25 years, and is gearing up for yet another crazy two days of madness. “Valentine’s Day is the busiest day of the year, and February 13 is the second busiest day of the year,” she tells me over a Tito’s and orange juice at Morrissey’s earlier this week. “Christmas is our busiest time of year, but that’s spread out. It’s 24 days of intensity, not like Valentine’s.”
What gift-buying procrastinators might not realize, though, is that beyond the long hours Dawn and her team put in around V-Day (she hires seasonal workers just to dip chocolate covered strawberries), the Lake Placid transplant is an incredibly valuable player in the Saratoga community as a whole, having served as a past DBA president as well as Home Made Theater’s current artistic director. In fact, she’s spent more than half her life deeply immersed in the Saratoga community. So while she’s technically a Lake Placidian, Dawn considers herself an honorary Saratogian. And I’m sure you will, too.
SLAH: How did a girl from Lake Placid wind up owning a candy store in Saratoga Springs?
DAWN: My parents owned a bakery in Lake Placid, so from the time I was 11 to the time I was a teenager I worked in the shop. They sold it my senior year of high school, and I went to work at a candy store for my senior year through college. I went to school for marketing and theater, and one time my dad asked me, “What was your favorite job?” because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I said it was the candy store. And he’s like, ‘Well, that’s what you need to do.’ I moved to Saratoga with my best friend because we wanted something a little bigger than Lake Placid, and two years after moving here I opened my baby.
You recently moved from your original location on Washington Street around the corner onto Broadway. How has the move treated you?
It was very bittersweet, but it’s worked out. It’s busier, it’s more visible. Another great perk is that we’re at street level so I see a ton of dogs walk by.
What’s your favorite part about owning a candy store specifically?
Kids, hands down. I love kids and I love that I get to see someone’s face light up—not just a child’s—when they’re getting something they want. You’re rarely grumpy in a candy store. Waiters have to deal with people for an hour. I get them for 10 minutes and boom—they’re happy.
Do you have many longtime customers?
Our first customer was a dad whose baby was just born. He came in and I didn’t even have any money in my cash register yet. He’s come back and his daughter has come in. Now, of course, she’s in her twenties. I wouldn’t be here without my return customers or my locals.
Why is being involved with the community beyond owning your store important to you?
I got involved with the DBA about a year after I opened, and didn’t quite know then that being a part of the community—volunteering for things—was as important as it was. I thank the DBA for so much, and especially when I first started for including me as part of a family. I was secretary, treasurer, vice president and finally president for four years. I was their youngest president at the time but I’ve been beat since then. The DBA is the voice for the little guy, and if you don’t have that in your back pocket and know that you can depend on them, then what’s the sense of what you’re doing? We’re all doing this together, and I love that about the DBA.
And what do you love about working with Home Made Theater?
Theater is my passion. I’ve done that since I was a kid. If I say this out loud it sounds like I’m a snob, but Home Made Theater is a step up from community theater. It’s got a professional edge. I like things that way—I like things organized, I like things planned, I like things a certain way. So this company works well for me.
What’s the No. 1 question you get leading up to Valentine’s Day?
Mostly it’s just “Dear God, please—do you still have chocolate-covered strawberries?” And we always have a lot. That and “What time are you open until? I’m late. I’m in so much trouble.”
What’s been the talk of the town among your customers and other downtown business owners recently?
Everyone likes Bocage. There’s lots of gossip—it’s always fun being downtown. People will call each other, and the store owners will be like, “What’s new? What’s happening? What do you know?” We’re like our own little clique of entrepreneurs. My closest friends from downtown are Mare from Impressions and Linda from G. Willikers. Linda did her windows this year for Christmas, and one of them was Saratoga Candy Company. It doesn’t get any better than that—when someone has that much care to make their store window look like your store window. That was really heartfelt.
Do you have any big plans for your 25th anniversary?
I’m so excited. I can’t believe it. It’s in July so it’ll be outside. I’ve got to think of something…It’ll definitely include free candy.
What do you love most about Saratoga?
I hate going away from here. I have trouble visiting other places because I compare everything to Saratoga. I love walking down the street and knowing people and waving to people. It feels like Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood putting out my little flag in the morning, like, “Heyyy!” I love the state park, I love the battlefield, I love the history, I love the art. And mostly that it’s not pretentious. Everyone thinks that Saratoga has this air about it, but it doesn’t. I’m a pretty normal person and I fit in just great here.
—Natalie
Quote of the Week
“Don’t start the day without Chapstick, and never pass up a bathroom.”
—Life advice from a Hattie’s Mardi Gras attendee
A Chili Weekend
Yes, this weekend is so far quite a chilly one, with temps dropping below zero last night, but today, another type of chili will take center stage. Saratoga Clay Arts will present the 10th annual Chili Bowl, at which attendees will get to sample chili by different local chefs, and go home with their very own hand-made ceramic bowl. The best part? The festivities all take place in the Saratoga City Center—no braving the cold required!
All politics is local
It's only February, but the political season is heating up in Saratoga Springs, with the mayor's seat and the four commissioners back on ballot in the November general election. Mayor Ron Kim says he may not run for a second term this fall, but if he does, it is rather widely known that he would likely face a primary challenger in June. This challenger has not stepped into the limelight just yet, but suffice it to say that this is not that candidate’s first rodeo. Meanwhile, Commissioner of Public Safety James Montagnino is planning a second run, he says, though he too, may face another runner come June. Even though both challengers are gathering their teams, we’ll have to be patient just a little bit longer for their big reveals.
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Good Fillings
If you do manage to venture down Broadway today, book it to Saratoga Tea & Honey, where Slingerlands-based company Two Little Dumplings (the one with the bona fide cult following) will be hosting a pop-up from 9am-2pm to sell its delectable dumpling packs, dipping sauces and chili oil, plus desserts like Taiwanese pineapple cakes and thumbprint matcha cookies to enjoy in the store with a cup of hot tea.
Save the Date
Yup, Single in Saratoga is coming back to Bailey’s next Wednesday, just in time for you to find yourself a Valentine’s Day date. (Come—and say hi! We’ll all be there! —Natalie and Abby) Come solo or bring your wingpeople for a night of Deep Eddy cocktails, games and mixing it up with Saratoga singles of all ages. Get your tickets here.
Romance in the Air
Albany’s Candlelight Concerts series of live music concerts done completely by (you guessed it) candlelight are selling out fast—and two tickets make the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. The most recent (sold out) show featured a string quartet setting atop a wide staircase at the Kenmore Ballroom lit by hundreds of (battery-powered) candles, playing a program that was half Bach and half The Beatles. Yup, the series features music that spans from classical to T-Swift in an effort to bring the classical performing arts to everyone.
The best part? The concerts are a tidy 65 minutes long, leaving plenty of time for a romantic dinner afterwards. Pro tip: There’s no assigned seating so get there early (yes, there’s a bar).
The February 12 Valentine’s Day concert includes Romeo & Juliet, and other February shows cover Beethoven, Vivaldi—and Taylor Swift. “From Bach to the Beatles” returns March 10, and tributes to Queen and Coldplay start March 24 and 25, respectively.
Worth the Wait
After yet another pushback from February 3 to Monday, February 6, Lake George’s Ice Castles are promising to (at long last!) open to the public. The sculptors have been working hard to combat our (until this weekend) mild winter’s effects on the ice. The stunning castles are worth the wait. To get pumped, we have some light reading for you.
This Week in Saratoga Living After Hours
On Monday, we tried to stump Saratogians with three Spa City trivia questions.
And on Tuesday, we recapped Hattie’s Mardi Gras’ big return—plus loads of festive party pics. Were you seen?