If the Hall Could Talk

The “flagship” in naval terms was the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the first, largest, fastest, most heavily armed, or best known and usually carried the admiral’s flag.

The building that is now the home of the flagship Beekman 1802 Mercantile is an integral part of Main Street in Sharon Springs.

Built circa 1850, the Italianate structure was originally located several blocks north near the intersection of Pavilion and Main Streets where it operated as a mercantile. In 1894, the Village purchased the building and moved it to its present location just across the street from The American Hotel.

During the 20th Century many shared the space: the basement was the Village jail until 1915; the community used the upstairs for town hall meetings, dances, and dinners; the Sharon Springs Free Library [the very first library in Schoharie county] moved into the downstairs back room in 1910; and the Fire Department housed its trucks in the front of the building until 1964. After the fire trucks moved to new quarters, the Library expanded its space and the Village offices took over the rest. Most recently it was an art gallery.

The building is on the New York State’s Register of Historic Places and the National Register.

At Beekman 1802, understanding history is important to us. It’s involved in every story we tell and every product we design. But just as important as understanding history is making history.

When deciding where to invest in creating a flagship store, there was no question that it would be on the same Main Street where we first started, where William Beekman first established his original Mercantile over 200 years ago. The contemporaries that we looked to for inspiration were companies like Kohler, Vermont Country Store, Orvis, LL Bean and Stonewall Kitchen all of whom started in small, out-of-the-way places and even as they grew remained committed to those communities.

Now those stores serve as tourist draws to those communities, and with more tourist traffic comes more resources for every other business in those small towns.

We promise that our flagship will always have something that will delight, that will inspire, and that will enchant.

And as any flagship should, we hope that it will guide you to Sharon Springs time and time again.