For Annah Kilmartin, working the counter at Pasta’s Daily Bread during the holiday season doesn’t feel like a typical job. Keeping up with a heightened demand for the bakery’s winter specialties can be stressful, but she sees every shift as a chance to spend time with her coworker “family.”

“This is hands down the best job I’ve ever had,” she said while working one afternoon at the small shop on South Franklin Street. “It’s like a little family over here, it really is.”

Shops and restaurants like Pasta’s in Armory Square celebrated Small Business Saturday last weekend. Now, the historic area is preparing for the holiday season.

Kilmartin said the most popular holiday treats at Pasta’s Daily Bread are cookies, pies and specialty desserts — all made by one young baker in the shop’s basement. Right before Christmas, the bread racks are triple-stacked with artisan loaves, which typically sell out each day.

“It’s all homemade from scratch, so you really get that ‘home’ feeling,” Kilmartin said. “I feel like it kind of brings people together when it’s fresh and ready.”

Across the street, Pastabilities is gearing up for the holiday season as well. Both the restaurant and bakery are owned by Karyn Korteling, who thought of a new way to give back to the community this season.

Talia Trackim | Senior Design Editor

Pastabilities is now hosting “Community Cocktails,” a program that benefits several local charities through cocktail sales. A different drink is offered to benefit a different organization each week, starting with a hot apple cider for The Rescue Mission through Nov. 29.

Korteling’s daughter, Ryland Heagerty, has been preparing for the holiday season since before Thanksgiving. She’s working with other employees to prepare the window display for the Downtown Committee of Syracuse’s annual window-decorating contest.

Pastabilities has already started decorating for the holiday season. The restaurant’s dining room is adorned with festive lights, garland and ornaments. Haley Robertson | Asst. Feature Editor

As Heagerty and other Pastabilities employees prepared for dinnertime one rainy afternoon, she asked the group how they would describe the holiday season at the restaurant.

“Cheery,” one waitress said. “Busy,” another shouted.

Heagerty said business really picks up the second half of December, but she wouldn’t want it any other way. For her, hosting large groups and people from out of town is one of the best parts of working during this time of year.

“I think we all just sort of thrive off of that feeling of hosting that party and being where everyone is,” she said. “We always love a good, busy night and we really embrace the festivities in here.”

Down the street at Cathy’s Cookie Kitchen, another mother-daughter duo is preparing for the hectic holiday season. Owner Cathy Pemberton said she’s “ten times” busier this time of year. Her holiday menu features traditional Christmas cookies and holiday versions of her everyday classics, such as chocolate chip cookies with crushed peppermint.

Cathy Pemberton, owner of Cathy’s Cookie Kitchen, said she will make any cookie a customer requests. Haley Robertson | Asst. Feature Editor

Most of the shop’s customers are regulars and people who work Armory Square, Pemberton said. For her, learning about customers’ holiday traditions and meeting their families make working during the holidays an enjoyable experience.

“How could you be unhappy in this place? I mean, look at it,” Pemberton said, gesturing to the brightly-colored walls.

Cathy’s Cookie Kitchen will also be a contender in the Downtown Committee’s window decorating contest. Pemberton is planning a display of white trees with pink and silver ornaments and gingerbread cookie cut-outs.

Twenty-four local businesses are participating in the Window Wonderland display contest, hosted by the Downtown Committee. The businesses will decorate their storefront windows with holiday decorations and compete with others in the surrounding area. Online voting is open to the Syracuse community through New Year’s Day, and the first-place winner will be awarded $500.

Although Empire Brewery won’t be participating in the window contest because of their tucked-away storefront, general manager Ashley Liner is eager to decorate inside for the holiday season.

“There will be lights everywhere,” she said.

Empire Brewery plans to offer seasonal ales and merchandise discounts this holiday season. Haley Robertson | Asst. Feature Editor

Liner encourages people to shop and dine locally this season. To help attract people to the Armory Square area, Empire Brewery will offer several discounts and specialty brews during Holidays in the City, including $6 Bloody Mary’s and 15 percent off merchandise along with to-go beer. The restaurant also plans to give back to the community by continuing to partner with the Food Bank of Central New York.

Although the holiday season is fairly busy for Empire, Liner said Syracuse University’s parents’ weekend and graduation weekend are equally busy times of the year.

Jim Dauphin, owner of Midnight Sun in Armory Square, hopes to attract more students to his store this season. The shop offers clothing, housewares, jewelry and Nepalese products, among other gift items.

Jim Dauphin, owner of Midnight Sun boutique, said he has an affinity for Nepalese products. The store offers tapestries, crystals and Tibetan singing bowls. Haley Robertson | Asst. Feature Editor

Before coming to Syracuse, Dauphin ran Midnight Sun in Oswego for 30 years. He said business in Oswego was like “clockwork,” but operating in Syracuse is less predictable because Armory Square is still developing as a cultural district.

“This one, I don’t have quite the handle on it yet,” he said. “You have to have conditions where people feel like walking around.”

Dauphin said he gets a significant amount of business from people who also work in Armory Square. For him, one of the best parts of the job is interacting with customers, many of whom enjoy dancing and singing along to the music playing in the store.

The joy Dauphin sees in each customer is what hopes to embrace this holiday season. He said the store’s name represents both light and darkness, adding that the shop is like “sunshine” for anyone who visits.

“This kind of store attracts really fun, cool people,” he said. “I never have grouchy customers. Never. No one is ever miserable in this store — ever.”

If Dauphin has a prosperous season, he hopes to find sunshine on the shores of Thailand or Indonesia after celebrating the holidays with his family.

Published on November 26, 2018 at 11:42 pm

Contact Haley: [email protected]