By Dan King
Pattie’s Patch on Route 4 in Hampton is the county’s small business of the year.
The business sells farm-fresh produce as well as baked goods, pies and pastries, and the award – given annually by the Washington County Local Development Corp. and Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce – is an honor that owner Pattie Sbardella takes to heart.
“We’re very, very proud of it,” she said. “Being recognized for our hard work and what we’ve achieved over the last 23 years is great. Our employees were all on Cloud Nine over it.”
Sbardella was not able to be at the award ceremony, but thanks to technology (and Hampton Supervisor Dave O’Brien) she was able to be there via Facetime.
“It was a huge honor to be Facetimed in,” Sbardella said. “Dave (O’Brien) was there at a table with Sen. Betty Little and Assemblyman Dan Stec.”
Asked what she thought it was that made her business a contender for the prestigious award, Sbardella attributed it to a few things.
“I think that it’s caring about our customers,” she said. “Our employees care just as much about our business as we do. Even though we’re a seasonal business, our employees come back year after year. My manager has been here for eight seasons.”
Sbardella also said the quality of the products that they put out was a big factor.
“We only put out the best produce,” she said. “We only put out stuff that we would want to buy.”
Pattie’s Patch opened in 1992 and its story is that of a passionate idea, gradually growing into a popular stalwart of business in the area.
“We started on a $5,000 credit,” Sbardella said, “and it grew slowly over time. It’s a testament to hard work. We took our time and continued to grow the business.”
Sbardella added: “We loved to garden. My husband’s grandfather used to have a garden and the kids would work on that. This is something we are very passionate about.”
As the business grew, so did a now-popular tradition – the huge pumpkin at Pattie’s Patch.
Sbardella said when she was a kid, she used to try to pick the biggest pumpkin and that’s where the tradition started.
“We’ve been doing the giant pumpkin for about five years now,” she said. “Every year we try to get bigger and bigger.”
She said this year, the customer who guessed closest on the weight of the pumpkin received $100. The pumpkin weighed a staggering 1,337 pounds.
Sbardella said she hopes her business’ success is proof to other entrepreneurs that they can be successful in the area.
“With the traffic we get on this road, it just shows that a business can work in this area, with hard work,” she said.
Although Pattie’s Patch was the winner, there were other nominees from the area.
Historic Grounds Coffee Shop in Whitehall was a finalist, as were Log Village and Grist Mill Campground in Hartford and Lake George Distilling Co. in Fort Ann.
