Perhaps you’ve heard of Mt. Wellington Market near the Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown. Perhaps you’re even lucky enough that you’ve gone there. Well if neither is true, I hope this will do you the favor of changing that.
Mt. Wellington offers “breakfast, lunch, groceries, beer, NY State products, handmade gifts and much more,” and boy do they deliver! As a local resident I am happy that Will and Emily Gibson have decided to share their vision and brand with our area. They live upstairs and their kids go to school nearby so there is no doubt they are dedicated to their craft; and it’s on full display in the clean, comfortable and inviting environment they share with us in their seasonal market.
They have an excellent selection of sandwiches, wraps, groceries and other goodies. But I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight their “Old-Fashioned Doughnut Breakfast Sandwich.” So… it’s what it sounds like. If they give me an opportunity to rename it the accompanying accolades wouldn’t fit onto any normal sized menu. Suffice to say it’s that good.
I had an opportunity to speak with Will at the end of last season. As always it was a pleasure speaking with an entrepreneur and the local aspect is always extra appreciated. Will shared some insights with me regarding their work/life balance and how living upstairs impacts things. He also mentioned that to date they had been fortunate with staffing by employing some friends of the family. Dealing with their vendors requires creativity and pre-season planning. Legal compliance, risk management with perishable goods, managing space, implementing Square for credit card tracking (especially helpful in tracking the hot sellers, ahem, did you say Old-Fashioned Doughnut Breakfast Sandwich??? Oh, that was me again), and the list goes on. There’s certainly a lot that goes into owning and operating a business. And to do it so well? It’s a daunting task that the Gibsons have created the right recipe for and are executing nicely. Don’t want to take my word for it? That’s cool. Yelp and FB’s extraordinarily and consistently high reviews should help convince you.
One last thing I need to mention. Recently I was on vacation in the Outer Banks. My good friend sent me this text while I was away, “Inspiration for coming home… Mt. Wellington now has growlers with three handles to choose from.” Done. Stop it. Seriously? Sure enough, Mt. Wellington is now offering three handles and they’re pouring growlers. Of NYS craft beers on a rotating basis. I’m beside myself with joy so I guess I’ll need at least two…
