(Credit: Steve Thurston, 2022)
U.S. Representative Paul Tonko (D-20) chats with Charlie Israel outide the rare book vault at Lyrical Ballad bookstore in Saratoga Springs, Nov. 21, 2022.
Small Business Saturday is Nov. 26, and U.S. Representative Paul Tonko visited Lyrical Ballad bookstore on Phila Street in Saratoga Springs to draw attention to the day and to the economic driver that is the country’s small businesses. He said the economic impact of the small business community nationally is three times that of the big box chain stores.
His visit Monday Nov. 21 came after the weekend shooting a few blocks away that left three injured on Broadway in the wee hours of Sunday morning. Neither he nor store co-owner Charlie Israel were too concerned about the effect on retail business downtown although both expressed concern for general health and safety.
“Downtown Saratoga is resilient,” Israel said. “What happens on Caroline Street at 3 o’clock in the morning affects little.”
Tonko also said that he is considering another round of COVID-related funding with his Democratic Party colleagues to help stressed businesses, especially restaurants.
However, Republicans will take control of the House of Representatives in January and therefore take control of the agenda. Tonko said that he has not spoken yet with Republican leadership on this issue.
Lyrical Ballad was an anchor business downtown when it began in 1971 at a time when Saratoga Springs was not the growing community that it is today, Israel said. It started in a small storefront and grew to include former bank space and other spaces in the building at 7 Phila St. Now, customers wend their way through numerous rooms and hallways lined with books.
The store, including their storage rooms, has between 100,000 and 200,000 used books, Israel said. The former bank vault holds their collection of rare books.
“I really encourage people to shop at small businesses,” Tonko said after touring the store and ending in a back room full of books and artwork on the wall.
A schedule released by his office said he was touring the Lyrical Ballad in Saratoga Springs on Monday and the Willow Marsh Farm Store Tuesday. With the tour, he said he wants to bring “awareness of the importance of small businesses…and what we can do to further sustain them.”
Israel said he recently had been on a podcast talking about the importance of local bookstores and why they are "magnetic" and draw people from all over. Israel and Tonko looked over the books in the room.
“Think of how many worlds live in this one room,” Israel said.
Israel co-owns the bookstore with Jason Zerrillo.