ELLENVILLE – Ask anyone on Main Street, Canal Street or Center Street about the state of downtown Ellenville, and you get the same answer: "We need more business."

Ellenville was once a hub of the regional economy, supporting grocery and clothing stores, luncheonettes, candy stores and other businesses that made downtown THE place to be. But over the past generation or so, that has dwindled.

Factories closed. The Nevele Grande Resort darkened. Jobs were lost.

"I think it's hopeless," said Terri Canceleno, owner of Village Cleaners, a dry-cleaning business open for 35 years. "This used to be a touristy area. I've seen the good times and I've seen it deteriorate. There's nothing to do here — we go to work and go home. I don't know the answer. I just keep going."

It would take "a miracle" to bring Ellenville back to life, according to Armando Rodriguez of A-Rod's Barber Shop.

"We need jobs, industry, anything that's going to put people to work," Rodriguez said, urging landlords of downtown buildings to invest in fixing them. "They should be made to spruce things up."

Yet all is not lost. Merchants point to the beautiful Shawangunk Mountains, an imposing backdrop to the little village.

"There are people from the city who look for this: Nature, trails, hang-gliding, fishing, hiking... That's what I value, and people who do that want to eat," said Theresa Hyatt of Arianna's Restaurant & Pizzeria, who served 22 years on the Wawarsing Town Board and knows what it takes to attract business.

But tax incentives and PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes) have been offered, and she acknowledged that it's still hard to attract new businesses.

"People want to do one-stop shopping; they want to go to the mall — they don't want to come here," she said.

Nevertheless, she sees a lot of effort being put into revitalizing Ellenville.

"There are a tremendous amount of people who work hard to make this a great place," she said, naming the Noonday Club, the Blueberry Festival committee and the Fourth of July committee.

What are needed are more businesses that cater to the beauty of the area, she added.

Which fits in with what others are saying: that the arts are the village's key to unlocking a bright future.

Anna Skoler and Lanette Hughes, co-curators of Skoler Gallery, are banking on that, noting how other municipalities have bounced back with culture's help.

"Catskill was a dying community brought back by antique stores and galleries, and Hudson is another example of that," Hughes said. "We should be able to do that here; there's no reason we can't. The question is how to bring people in. When you uplift the consciousness culturally, it lifts everybody up. People don't have the money to go into the city, so we need to bring that here."

Skoler also believes the future of Ellenville is promising.

"I feel a change happening. There are a couple of businesses that I know are doing very well," she said. "We're not making money right now but the mere fact that we're here is helping Ellenville. What it needs is more galleries, a small school for art, antique shops."

Many merchants interviewed credited the Shadowland Theatre on Canal Street with keeping the village alive.

Brendan Burke, artistic director of the Shadowland, recognizes the theater's role in the village. "I'm very optimistic," Burke said. "We succeed because of it and we hope it succeeds because of us. I chose to buy a house here and live here because I like it here. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to expand (to the new Second Stage property around the corner on Center Street)."

He pointed out how Shadowland received more than $600,000 in pledges in less than a year, all in the midst of a three-year, million-dollar capital campaign.

"We seriously see ourselves as an economic catalyst," he said. "We take that very seriously — we're bringing 10,000 people a year here."

Another successful business in the village is Aroma Thyme Bistro, which opened nine years ago and caters to those with healthy, organic tastes.

"I see Ellenville moving in a better direction," said owner Marcus Guiliano. "We need to create an identity in Ellenville." Noting the community's reputation as a well-known hang-gliding center, Guiliano said the village needs to capitalize on its uniqueness.

"A lot of business owners need to realize we're all in this together and make a real difference. There's never a bad time to open a good business," he said. "Somebody has to do something right, and then somebody else has to do something right. Having that momentum going, that's key; it leads to more foot traffic."

Gennaro Garcia, of the successful Gaby's Cafe across the street, agrees.

"More business would attract more business," Garcia said. "There are two kinds of businesses — one where you take a chance and go to a place that's not booming, or you go where something is already available. If you want a challenge, you start where there isn't much. People want more for their money. You need to offer a good product and good customer service. When they come in they have to feel welcome, and you need to make sure they leave happy."

Don Miller of Hole in the Wall Music said the village is ideal for foot traffic.

"You actually have a Main Street where you can walk. I saw a good core development for the arts with the Shadowland and their expansion, and the galleries on the street, and of course Aroma Thyme," he said. "It's a good crossroads with Route 209. The people in the greater Ellenville community have been extremely supportive of us and we're grateful for that... The future is unknown, but if you have a strong backbone and constitution and plan on doing the heavy lifting on your own, you'll do well. If we come together as merchants to attract people from different locations, then we have a shot. If not, it's going to go down like the Titanic."

Miller said more support and incentives from the village and the town would help increase business in the village. He also acknowledged that taxes in the village are a deterrent, and suggested that re-evaluating assessments in the town and village would help.

Ellenville Mayor Jeff Kaplan said the village does what it can to help. Although retail is important in the downtown area, he said businesses other than retail are needed as well. He hopes development of the Nevele and more commercial industry will generate more consumers.

"We can assist (businesses) by cutting out the bureaucratic red tape," Kaplan said. "At the same time we need to aggressively enforce the codes. We as a village can keep up the program of keeping streets clean and safe. We're working on getting more street-level lighting. There is a strong aesthetic in the downtown area, thanks to community organizations like the Shawangunk Garden Club. We're fixing the village infrastructure — water, sewer — so when the economy of the state turns around, we will be in a position to benefit from that."

A real sense of community is what is needed most, said the barber at T's Barber Shop who calls himself Teterboro.

"The thing that we really need to focus on is, the town used to help each other," Teterboro said. "All they want to talk about now is people on welfare, and bringing us down. They lost their focus. The top officials need to stop thinking about themselves and start thinking about people. Go door to door, not with handouts but teach people something and that's how you create jobs. Once that happens, everything will be fine. This is a diverse area."

There is no magic pill to make Ellenville thrive, said Ray Matthews of Matthews Pharmacy. And yet he brings up one simple answer — shop local.

"Village residents should shop in the village of Ellenville, town of Wawarsing residents should shop in the town, New Yorkers should shop in New York, and those in the United States should buy in the United States, thus supporting their local economies," Matthews said. "Everything I need can be purchased locally. Everything I purchase for this store is from wholesalers in New York State, because I believe in the New York economy. Examine shopping patterns. It was a busy community until the Orange Plaza opened. Orange County doesn't support the people of Ulster County, why should we be supporting Orange County? We're not hypocrites. If we have a sign on the front window saying, 'Shop Local,' it means we shop local too."

"When all of the large manufacturing such as Schrade, VAW and Channel Master were here, we had a thriving 'downtown,'" said Willie Stedner of Stedner Printing. "The pay was competitive. People came to Ellenville to work. Since that time, we have lost all of our manufacturing that existed. We also lost Master Juvenile (pogo sticks), JM Originals, Ellenville National Bank, Gillette Creamery, which adds up to many hundreds of jobs. And with the loss of all of those jobs came an exodus of people living in the Ellenville area going somewhere else to work... The lunch crowd at the local deli is much smaller now. We have less people in town during the day. The businesses left seem to get sent higher tax and insurance bills just because there are less businesses. We are paying a larger share of the pie."

Although he believes Ellenville will never return to what it once was, Stedner said small businesses give proportionately more back to their communities than large stores.

"As a small business owner, I cater to the needs of my customers," he said. "Many are thinking that gambling is our answer... I hope we can also discover something else, just in case."

Newly-elected Town Supervisor Scott Carlsen said one must look at the big picture.

"We cannot just focus on one project, but must be constantly pushing forward on many," he said, after the subject of Claremont Investment's agreement to purchase the Nevele was raised. "I look at every new job as a plus, so whether it is six new jobs at a mining operation, or the potential of a thousand or more jobs at the Nevele, every new job is critical. The Town and Village must work together and I believe that we are off to a great start... Improved efficiency can result in tax reductions, which can then attract new businesses and homeowners."

"Is it perfect? No," Burke allowed. "I think there have to be creative minds and entrepreneurial spirits."

"A lot of people I speak to are down on Ellenville and that saddens me, because I see it has great potential," Skoler added. "Flush out the bad and make it as easy as possible to bring businesses in. It should be made as simple as possible. This has all the makings of an end destination. It really is a beautiful place."