19: Why We Started 'Walk Albany With Us' : How Slowing Down Is Helping Build Downtown Albany

Sometimes the best business ideas don't come from sitting behind a desk.

They come from slowing down.

In Episode 19 of Small Business, Big Life: Inside Fort Orange General Store, we're sharing the story behind our newest community initiative, Walk Albany With Us—a social media series inspired by daily walks through Downtown Albany with our new puppy, Maisie.

What started as a simple way to exercise and recharge quickly became something much bigger.

As we slowed down, we began noticing the incredible architecture, hidden alleys, historic buildings, public art, local businesses, and untold stories that have always surrounded us—but often go unnoticed in the rush of everyday life.

The response surprised us.

Thousands of people watched the first installment, local businesses asked to be featured, and listeners began sharing how the series inspired them to rediscover Downtown Albany for themselves.

In this episode, we discuss:

•  How Walk Albany With Us was created 
•  Why slowing down can unlock creativity and fresh business ideas 
•  The surprising connection between wellness and entrepreneurship 
•  The power of storytelling over traditional marketing 
•  Why showcasing your community can become one of your strongest business strategies 
•  How authentic content creates meaningful engagement that goes far beyond social media metrics 

We also take you behind the scenes of one of our favorite entrepreneurial conversations.

When Erica first pitched the idea, Joe wasn't convinced.

Would a walking series actually help a retail business?

Could photographing architecture and local history really generate customers?

The answer came in a way neither of us expected.

A customer shared that the series inspired her to start walking Downtown Albany again, changed the way she viewed the city, and ultimately brought her back into Fort Orange General Store.

It became a powerful reminder that the best marketing isn't always about selling products—it's about creating experiences that people genuinely connect with.

Along the way, we explore the history and beauty found throughout Albany, including SoBro, Beaver Street, Broadway, the New York State Capitol, the Empire State Plaza, Albany's incredible collection of public art, and the Historic Albany Foundation's exciting future in the city's oldest surviving house.

We also reflect on celebrating our first wedding anniversary by slowing down together, exploring Downtown Albany on foot, discovering new inspiration, and dreaming about what's possible for the city's next chapter.

Whether you're a small business owner, entrepreneur, creative professional, history enthusiast, or someone who simply loves discovering hidden gems in your own community, this episode is a reminder that inspiration often comes when we stop rushing long enough to truly look around.

Sometimes the biggest opportunities begin with taking the next step.

Keywords:  small business podcast, Downtown Albany, Walk Albany With Us, Albany NY, Fort Orange General Store, SoBro Albany, entrepreneurship podcast, creative marketing, community building, local business marketing, placemaking, Albany architecture, Albany history, walkable cities, small business storytelling, entrepreneur mindset, shop local Albany, Capital Region New York, public art Albany, business creativity, community revitalization, wellness for entrepreneurs 

 If you believe in supporting local businesses, exploring your community, and finding inspiration in everyday moments, follow the podcast, leave a review, and share this episode with someone who loves discovering the stories that make a city feel like home. 

Transcript

Joe 0:06

Hello and welcome to Small Business Big Life inside Fort Orange General Store, where entrepreneurship meets marriage, kids, and of course, controlled chaos, and sometimes uncontrolled chaos. I'm Joe Slichko, and with me, as always, is my wife, my business partner, and owner of Fort Orange General Store, downtown Albany, SoBro District. Erica Cubello.

Erica 0:32

Hi, everyone. Hope all is well today. And so excited to talk with you more about what this episode has in store for you.

Joe 0:41

So in today's episode, we are going to talk about a new, I don't know if Instagram series is the right terminology to use, but a new idea that Erica has unleashed on the planet that was controversial internally at the beginning, but has already exploded. So I'm going to let her talk us through that entire story after we remind all of our amazing listeners to please like or subscribe, smash all those buttons, and share your favorite episodes with someone new this week. Please, it absolutely helps us grow. We know you're doing it because we're getting the feedback and we're seeing the metrics, and it's fantastic. And we thank you, thank you, thank you. But we're just reminding you to do it once again, please. So let's jump into it, Erica, because we have a lot to unpack in this episode. Erica's creative juices were flowing. Joe was not in the mindset to hear the creative juices flowing. And that's generally how most of our conversations begin. And it embarked us on a journey that we did not know that we were going to go down.

Erica 1:53

Yeah, Joe doesn't like the creativity. He likes the numbers. He wants the data. He wants how's this gonna work? Why is this important? And I just like to go with the flow and get the inspiration and walk with it, let's say.

Joe 2:12

So speaking of walking, Erica, why don't you describe this new series that came to your mind?

Erica 2:19

Yeah. So as you all know, we recently adopted a new puppy into our family, Maisie. And having a little dog around and much more energetic than Rue, although we love Rue deeply. She's not much of an enthusiast to like exercise, right? She's not she's older. She likes to lay around. So, you know, I have adopted a new habit in the mornings of going on walks. And when I am down at the store, Maisie still has to be walked. So we've been exploring our city in a little more detail and depth. And while we've been walking in the mornings, I've been doing a lot of noticing the buildings, the detail, the architecture, how our city is kind of set up, the little side streets, all these little hidden gems. And I've been taking pictures on my walks because I've been inspired by a lot of the storefronts, a lot of the ornate details in the architecture in downtown Albany.

Joe 3:34

Now, Erica, you are a runner and you've always been a runner, and you've always run through the city. What do you think is different about these walks versus the last what 20 some odd years of your running through the city?

Erica 3:49

Great question, Joe. So as a runner, I was able to explore big, vast parts of Albany and understanding how the city is put together and exploring different neighborhoods. And this reminds me a lot of Angelo and his story in Cap City Runners. Uh, when uh we went to the press conference on 518 Day, and he explained how he began Cap City Runners and um how he wanted to learn Albany and he began running through the different neighborhoods and learning it that way. And I related very, very strongly to that story because that's what I did. And when I lived down off of Lark Street, I would do these runs and find out, oh my gosh, this section connects with this section, and I can get here from there. And then when I moved over off of Whitehall Road area to my grandmother's house, I learned how to get places from there. And it's just always been a passion of mine to explore and be outside and like put my feet to the pavement and get out into nature. It's a way of really exploring and making myself feel good. It's like my spiritual connection to nature.

Joe 5:14

Well said. And you probably heard our little dragon baby in the background.

Erica 5:19

Maisie.

Joe 5:20

She just woke up from her nap and now she's going to grace us with her presence.

Erica 5:25

Yes, she's on our podcast today, which is totally fitting because she is my partner in crime in this episode. So here's Maisie, everybody. So, anyways, a lot of what we've been talking about recently, Joe, with astrological signs. I am an earth sign as a Capricorn, and I need nature to fill my cup back up. And I think this is a reason why I really wanted Maisie, which I couldn't really put into words when explaining why a puppy was so important to get. But I lost my ability to get outside and be rejuvenated just because life happens, right? Life is busy, you get inundated with things, lists, priorities, and four kids. All of it, all of it. And I lost my inner self, like how I make myself feel better. So naturally, a dog was going to help that. So, anyways, now that I've got Maisie and she's a pup, I can't run with her. I have to slow down. She's she's made us speed up in many ways, but also made us slow down in a lot of other ways. And one of which has been walking, which I'm not a huge fan of because, like Joe said, I'm a runner. I want to get somewhere fast. I want to get in my miles and as little time as I can. I want the most bang for my buck. Well, I can't do that with her. So a half hour might only get me, in reality, a mile now because I deal with, ladies and gentlemen. But it feels like a waste of time. So in order to make it not feel like a waste of time, naturally I am integrating business into my walks. And Maisie and I have been exploring different routes on the days when I'm at the store, and I'm able to capture the amazingness of the buildings downtown, the side streets, and this is also bringing in my past love of art and what I went to school for. So I was never a photographer. I know the very basics about it all and how to set up a picture, but I can do it. So I've been kind of exploring that old love and integrating it into nature walking and downtown Albany and Fort Orange. So on these walks, and after taking all the pictures, I said, why not showcase this? Because there's so much beauty down here that I think we all forget about because everybody is so fast, right? So taking the time to slow down, to look at what's around you and appreciate the beauty that's here. The beauty, the history, all the stories. So the first episode in the series, a lack of better words, it's not an episode, it's a post. Took me and Maisie from Port Orange down Beaver Street, which naturally is Sobro. And I thought that was a great way to begin the series because of Sobro and the new interest and revitalizing our section of Broadway. Let's start it in Sobro. So we go down Beaver Alley, which is the end or beginning of Beaver Street, whichever way you want to look at it. And we have four of our five Sobro businesses right there. We've got Fort Orange, Lock and Key, the Vandy, Broadway Plaza Legra.

Joe 9:27

And just one step away, Ophelia's.

Erica 9:29

Yep, exactly. And right next to Fort Orange, we've got the Bevy. So really there's six of us right there now. Then Maisie and I went down to Green Street and Hudson and back to Fort Orange. And in that little section, there is just an amazing amount of beauty and history and detail. We can see the egg, which like in reality is not far from our store at all. It's less than a mile. And it just it's I there's like a love hate with that architecture, I think. But you know, it is what it is. It's a unique piece that makes our city stand out. And you can see that egg from so many spots, and it's so cool. Like it just pops out.

Joe 10:22

And that's something Erica and I go back and forth about all the time. She loves the State Museum and the egg and the plaza and the architecture for what it is. I have a different opinion and appreciate more the Capitol and the old-time original quote unquote buildings. And I think that the 1970s architecture is completely out of place. But Erica, from her art background, appreciates it and appreciates the juxtaposition of the two together and how it's all married together.

Erica 10:57

I really love it all. And I I know that there's a lot of bad history that has to do with the plaza. I am very well versed on all of that, and I don't think any of that was okay. I just want to put that out there. But like Joe said, I see it as it stands today, and I can appreciate that modern style. I do think it's really amazing that we've got this huge expansive marble, like just right in the middle of our city. It's like mile, mile of it. And um yeah, I that's a whole nother episode though, about the plaza and the museum and the capital, all of it working together. Uh, but I started talking about the egg because you can see it right from our store. Like you just kind of peep over a little bit, and there it is, peeking out. And the amazing art that artists have been commissioned to do in downtown Albany on different parking garages or sides of buildings, it just really makes our city so unique and special. Like just walking in that one block radius, I found three pieces of the Park Albany series murals, which is a whole nother story in itself. Um, which I used to do a whole lesson on in middle school with my sixth and seventh graders, the Park Albany series artwork. So Maisie and I did that block, and then we came out on the oldest house in the city, which Historical Albany Foundation will be moving into very soon, and we cannot wait for them to join us down there because they've got so many amazing things planned for that space, and what an incredible landmark that they've got to run their business out of. The Historical Albany Foundation is in the oldest house in Albany, and it's just a hop, skip, and a jump away from us. So, all of that history, right in that one little block radius, I highlighted for the first episode of Walk Albany with Us series on Instagram and Facebook.

Joe 13:14

So Erica pitches this to me, and she says, I'm gonna do this Walk Albany with Us series as she described. And my initial response was that's really cool and awesome. How does that generate income for us? And Erica's typical response, trust me, it will. And my typical response is, no, it won't. Why are we, you know, bothering doing this? So, as usually happens, Erica asks for my opinion on something. I nay say it, she does it anyway. That's the dynamic. It seems to work. So, Erica, how did this go?

Erica 13:52

Well, let me just say that it never feels good to get a negative response back from you, and I never want to go against it. I am genuinely going to you for a collaboration on an idea and get feedback to make it work. And this time you really couldn't see the vision from it.

Joe 14:14

I couldn't. I I couldn't. Like I appreciated it for what it was, but I couldn't make the connection as the business owner.

Erica 14:22

Right.

Joe 14:22

As to how this was driving sales.

Erica 14:25

No, I know. And there was no way for me to really express to you how it would. I know I think little May needs to go outside.

Joe 14:34

So I trusted you and we just went with it. How has it gone since you've posted it?

Erica 14:41

It's gone amazingly well. So much more than I thought we would experience in comments, likes, shares, all of it. Um, right now we're almost at 6,000 views just a week later. And, you know, today I'm going to post my second one, which I'm really excited about. The second one was actually spurred by a comment on Facebook by a fellow business owner in downtown Albany and asking me to come walk by them. And that was just like so exciting because it shows that people are interested in what we're doing and excited to be featured in our post and want the collaboration, which is part of what I saw happening in all of this because Fort Orange is a community-based store. You know, we carry our local vendors, we highlight local things and stories, and you know, this is just part of who we are and what we do and showcasing the love that we have for our city and it all ties together. But I couldn't quite explain all of that to you in the moment because as we know, my words do not always come well, and my thoughts are not always expressed so clearly. I just sometimes have to do, and that's part of like that physicality of like the nature of who I am. So through this post, you know, we got a lot of likes, shares, comments, a lot from our community just saying like how inspiring this series is, how exciting it is, a lot of uh local Instagrammers and um Facebook pages centered around walking Albany. And I actually, it's embarrassing to say, but I didn't realize that there was such community around walking, and specifically in Albany. Like I just had this little idea from my walks with Maisie and how cool it would be to highlight blocks around us, architecture around us, that whole thing.

Joe 17:02

And still at this moment, I'm like, okay, but did it drive any sales? Despite all of that, did it drive any sales?

Erica 17:09

Right. You were excited that people were commenting and thinking it was a great idea, but there still was that question, okay, Erica, how does this help Fort Orange in the sales realm? Right, I got you. Okay, well, Joe, I came home and told you about this amazing customer that came through our doors, and she's been in before. I remembered her face, and we were talking, and then she kind of pulls me aside from her group and is like, I just have to say thank you for posting that series of your walk. It was so inspiring, and it showed my mom who has said, you know, downtown's not safe, this and that, like that negative narrative that unfortunately gets highlighted all too often about our city. But you showed people that the city is not scary, that the city is beautiful, that the city is walkable. And she's like, and it inspired me to begin walking again because she's a downtown worker and you know has kind of lost that inspiration to get out there the same way I kind of talked about. And she said that this series not only is showing the beauty of our city, but also inspiring her to get out and start walking again, which is beautiful and amazing, and then I followed up with But did she buy anything? Oh well, Joe, yes, she did, and she bought a lot, so it was it's not what was driving this series at all.

Joe 18:51

Clearly, but that was my point, but it still worked, and it's one more example of you being able to see that bigger vision from the artistic lens, yeah, that I do not see up front, right? Yeah, so I appreciate that about you and that you don't listen to me.

Erica 19:12

I don't know. I just I had this gut feeling that I couldn't ignore it. Like I wanted to, I wanted to be on your side for this one and see that it, you know, maybe it wasn't, but I just knew that it was bigger than a sale, that it was bigger than a number, that this is bringing our community together and showcasing how beautiful our city is, and that Fort Orange General Store is in the heart of it all. Like you can walk a block and see one thing, you can go in a separate direction and see another, and you can come back to Fort Orange and have a beautiful time exploring our store.

Joe 19:52

I'm glad that you went rogue and did it anyway, and that's not the right words to use. Oh, I know. And to be clear, my purpose in being the naysayer on this one is I'm seeing you being pulled in so many directions right now. Yeah, everybody wants a piece of you. You got Sobro going, you got the store going, you have seriously spotless going, we have the kids, it's summer, we got camps, all the things going around. Um you have appointments with the mayor and deputy mayor, like there's so much happening, and we also have a puppy that we're walking constantly, and that everything eats up time.

Erica 20:38

It does.

Joe 20:39

And my mindset on this particular naysaying was is this the best use of time for you? Because I'm seeing you burn the candle at both ends, at all ends. It's probably 50 ends, so it was out of a place of care and concern whether it came out that way, probably not. No, but that was the idea. But luckily for you, this is a creative outlet, and this is not burdensome to you. Whereas to me, oh my god, this would, you know, consume me in the worst way possible. You know, it would stress me out, but it doesn't for you, and that's awesome.

Erica 21:22

No, this is very exciting for me, and it actually gives me a lot of energy and inspiration and excitement. Like I'm looking forward to my Monday walks with Maisie and walking Albany and sharing what I find. It's bringing excitement and joy back into what can become a little bit mundane, right? Like opening the store, putting the things out, you know, all of the daily tasks that are associated with running a business. But this is now exciting and creative, and my next outlet.

Joe 21:58

And it's so exciting. Exciting to you that we wrapped it into something kind of special for us personally.

Erica 22:04

We did. I really, really, really wanted to share some of my finds on the last walk that I did with Joe. And I felt like it would be very fitting to do so on our one-year wedding anniversary, uh, where we did get married in downtown Albany at the State Room. And so after we went and visited um the Little City Lunchonette on New Scotland Road, which was delightful. It was amazing. The one of the best meals I've had in a very long time. So if you haven't checked out the Little City Lunchonette on New Scotland Ave, I said New Scotland Road, it's New Scotland Ave. Um, you need to go there. It is such a beautiful little spot, like beautiful um new vibey feel with mixed with retro, like 40s, 50s, 60s, diner-esque.

Joe 23:00

And nipper.

Erica 23:01

And nipper.

Joe 23:03

No, it was they have nipper coloring sheets. Oh my god, I was freaking out. It was so awesome when we walked in.

Erica 23:08

I'm a tad bit jealous of the nipper coloring sheets, I'm not gonna lie. Um, but it's super cool, and they are just all about Albany and the history the same way we are. They've got the old school pictures hanging on the wall. There's a map of Albany that lines the menu, like super cute, detail-oriented, and the food amazing. Oh my god. I've been dreaming about that breakfast for the past two days.

Joe 23:40

And as good as the food is, the drinks, both the coffee bar and if you want to have a libation or two as well. It was our anniversary, so we of course had a toast. It was absolutely amazing. It was and bang for your buck on top of it. It's they're they're doing it, it's fabulous.

Erica 24:00

They're doing it. Fabulous. Go check out Little City Lunchonette on New Scotland Ave, where the old Albany Ellen Oyster was. They've transformed that space. It's the cutest, best uh atmosphere. It really it's a whole package. Like, you know how some places get one thing right, but then they're lacking on the other things. Like, this is down to the detail. Like Joe and I were complimenting their uh glassware choices, like just every single piece of that puzzle is is fit. It's very well done. So thank you.

Joe 24:39

So after we got fat and happy there, we went down, parked in front of the store, and started to stroll.

Erica 24:45

I convinced Joe that we needed to go check out this new little stroll that I had done a couple days prior. And I wanted to show him a couple of buildings that I saw that I thought might be like of interest to grow for the future. It was just it was nostalgic to relive our wedding day and the little places that we took some of our pre-wedding photos on State Street, on Broadway, in front of the castle, in front of the store. And it was just a really nice way to end our little mourning.

Joe 25:21

And I have to say that we're down there all the time. We're doing things down there all the time. But to do it on a day that the store was closed, because it was the 4th of July, and to do it in a way where it was just Erica and I, which never happens. We always have someone or some animal or something in tow, or we're rushing to get from here to there. And we did not have that. We slowed down, we walked, yep, and I saw the buildings differently, I saw the spaces differently, I saw the alley that we are going to be rolling out into some sobro thing in the near future, so I'm not gonna say anymore, differently. And it was a great experience. So I have to once again eat my words and say the walkabout is awesome. And the idea of walking Albany and slowing down and looking at it and capturing it for everyone is a great idea. And I'm happy that you did it.

Erica 26:28

Well, thank you, Joe. Thank you for saying that, and thank you for taking the time to invest in the way I see our city because doing that walk with you on our anniversary, just there was so much emotion, not just because it was our anniversary and the love for each other, but I was really feeling the love for my city that day. Sorry, Joe. But I was bursting with ideas and excitement and just an overall love. And I I know that we were talking about this and when we were looking at the buildings and brainstorming ideas, and like I just kept repeating myself, and that's what I do when I get super excited about something. I just repeat like our four-year-old does to get the attention that I'm looking for because I think in those moments I just become overwhelmed with the feelings and I don't have the words, but looking back on it, it's it's just so I see so much for our city, and I want to make it all happen like now, like I don't want to wait, and I just I want other people to see what I see and fall in love and be in love and want to enjoy our city for what it is and where it's been and where it's going, and I just wanna I wanna make it all work from the bottom of my heart.

Joe 28:05

And we came up with about a thousand ideas and a thousand different properties that Erica wants to now buy and renovate into some really amazing spaces and ideas, all of which are absolutely mind-blowing and will do very well. But if there's any entrepreneurs out there that don't want to break my bank account with all of her ideas, we're happy to collaborate too. So we're not going in alone.

Erica 28:28

Right. Anybody want to pitch a meeting with me and see what I have to say? Shoot me a message. We're all in.

Joe 28:36

But I think that's another episode altogether, you know, the promise of properties and from the entrepreneur lens, the things that we talk about as we walk around and we look at the spaces and we pull up on our phones and you know, who are the owners? How long has it been here? How long have they owned it? And all of those questions, I think that is something that we can really do a deep dive into in a future episode to show the behind the scenes.

Erica 29:08

Exactly.

Joe 29:08

You know, when it's not all parties and fun and First Fridays, you know, at the store, but leading up to that, what what work goes into making the right decisions and doing your due diligence and homework that isn't always flashy and fun and the cold calls and all of that. So I think we'll leave a pin in that for a future episode. I think that could be really cool.

Erica 29:36

Yes, because we have been doing a lot of that. Yes. And I would like to go into more depth.

Joe 29:41

And we shall. All right, but not right now.

Erica 29:46

Stay tuned because we've got a lot in store.

Joe 29:49

And the kids are chomping at the bit. So I think that's our cue to end this episode.

Erica 29:54

All right, Joe. Well, thank you for joining me and allowing me to share my crazy, enthusiastic, creative ideas on this episode.

Joe 30:03

That's what we love about you, Erica. You're all those things.

Erica 30:07

Well, thank you. And thank you so much for everybody who has liked and shared and commented and subscribed and listened to our our our life, our stories, and where where we see the city going and Fort Orange. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Joe 30:28

And as always, we look forward to sharing our lives with you again next week on Small Business Big Life inside Fort Orange General Store.