Our History

Burdett Hardware Store to Cranberry Creek Homestead

In the 19^th century, Burdett was a booming mill town and the bustling center of commerce for the whole region. In 1898, a handshake got you a land deal, that’s how Eugene Fish bought land from Benjamin Lambert and built a hardware store, complete with an upstairs apartment, a large rope pulled elevator and a barn with attached stable.

In 1911, Eugene leases the store to Levi Price who operates the hardware store until 1927, when Eugene sells the business to his sister Abigail and nephew Nelson. Nelson had lost his father in 1917 and somewhere about the same time contracted polio. Nelson survives and becomes an entrepreneur and land “wheeler and dealer.” In 1951, his mother dies and 4 years later Nelson succumbs to cancer.

My grandfather, an engineer who had recently been laid off in the post WWII slow down, buys the hardware store and whole heartedly embraces the country lifestyle. He plants a large garden and a whole fruit orchard and raises beef cattle out behind the hardware store. Customers would come into the store to buy merchandise and sit for a “spell” in one of two rocking chairs positioned around an old-fashioned heating vent and “chew the fat,” while swapping farm assets and enjoying an exchange of good town gossip.

By 1974, Grandpa feels the effects of the sprawling big malls. He auctions off the hardware merchandise and converts the store into three apartments. In 1989, Grandpa passes before the last apartment is finished and Grandma completes the project.

I became an ambassador of the Finger Lakes in 1991, when Rotary International made me part of a group of 12 Exchange Students from the US and Canada who would successfully cross the former Iron Curtain, as Exchange students to Hungary. In 1997, I started teaching and in 1998 I also started working full time in the New York State Wine industry.

I began residing in the one-bedroom apartment (the storefront) in 1997. At the time, I was globe trotting and needed a place to hang my hat when I was home in the States. In 2000, after 8 years of studying and living frequently in Europe, I returned home to my little space. I wanted to stay home for a while and figure out life’s next steps while keeping an “eye” on my grandmother who lived in the next apartment. In 2007, I purchased the building from my grandmother when she entered a nursing home. I’m back home, feeling the same urge as Grandpa. I plant a small garden and start tending to the fruit trees – living the same hometown, homestead life and feeling free.

By 2015, with two decades of travel, teaching and work in the wine industry, I was looking to do something different.

In early 2018, I knew I needed a new challenge. I grabbed a cup of coffee one morning and headed to the garden for some quiet reflection. After work, I grabbed a glass of wine and headed back into the garden – this time looking at my whole space and what it had to offer. My Grandfather taught me to be a steward of the earth. My grandmother and mother taught me to teach, passing knowledge on to the next generation was important. My education and years of travel taught me that to truly effect change it happens one human interaction at a time. My father taught me that history’s lessons are important, and to always think outside the box.

My dream had always been to have a space in proximity to water. A space where people could quietly reflect and relax without much noise. A place where they could learn about a simpler life, growing and preserving food, and most importantly, have a place where families could make memories. As I looked at my home with a less critical eye, I realized I had everything a needed right here on the property. I had already begun reclaiming the gardens and berries. The old trees were removed, the brambling creek at the back end of the property provided a natural lullaby and the firepit existed. I had the autonomous living quarters; I just needed an opportunity to flip one.

That opportunity arose in May of 2018. On May 30, 2018, myself and an army of family entered the “old wallpaper room” of the store and flipped it into an Airbnb space. Our first guests arrived on June 30, 2018. Families can come here to enjoy our spacious homestead accommodations, pick the fruits, vegetables, and herbs from the garden to eat, while quietly sitting and making smores by the fire pit. Guests are welcome to join us as we work, learning and asking questions about how and why we garden and how we choose what to grow. During harvest they are welcome to join us and observe how we preserve the fruits of our labor for winter. Each year we take our revenue from the year before and re-invest it into the Homestead taking small steps toward the Homestead I have always dreamed of. We will begin planting the orchard in 2025.