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A “Dark Horse” is a term given to an unexpected challenger who, against the odds, succeeds. After my visit to Saratoga Springs, N.Y., it is apparent why the Dark Horse is a symbol that the city has rallied behind. Saratoga is best known as a horse racing town. It is home to the Saratoga Race Course, the National Racing Hall of Fame, and is the location of one of the greatest long-shot victories in sporting history, where a literal dark horse named Upset had a shocking victory against the previously undefeated Man O War in 1919. This victory was so stunning that it popularized the phrase “upset” to mean a surprising loss by a favorite.
Today, horse racing and equestrian activities are a foundational part of Saratoga Springs, but the Main Street area has become so much more. There are many horse and horse race-related stores and products to be found, but additional gift shops, children’s stores, boutiques and lifestyle stores line the town’s main thoroughfare and provide shoppers with a wide range of options to peruse until their heart is content.
However, this was not the case if we were to look at the town 40 years ago. Retail owner Heidi Owen West told me, “In the 1980s, the downtown was crumbling. It was desolate. There were vacancies all along Broadway.” The city’s determination to revitalize itself led to its surprising success against the odds. Chamber of Commerce President Todd Shimkus said, “Saratoga implemented a special tax that specifically generated money for the downtown area. It focused on repairing building facades, planting trees and flowers, building new sidewalks, and constructing parking garages.”
Shimkus and West agreed that the most significant impact on the early phase of revitalization was the construction of the City Center convention center, which attracted groups of people, especially in January- March when there is typically less tourism in the area. “This has allowed retailers to survive through the winter when many struggled previously,” West said.
Between conferences and the annual events that the Downtown Business Association (DBA) puts on, like Celebrate Saratoga Springs, Fall Fest and the Victorian Street Walk, roughly an additional 500,000 people visit Saratoga Springs each year. Today, there is not one vacant storefront.
West, who owns three stores in Saratoga Springs — Lifestyles of Saratoga, Caroline & Main and Union Hall Supply Co. — believes that through organizations like the DBA, cities and their retailers can drive business to their Main Streets and make sure it thrives. “You have to prioritize it. You have to make a concerted effort to make it happen. It takes time, but you can do it.”
Retailer Maddy Zanetti, a native of Saratoga, has lived through this revitalization. “The downtown area is nothing like what it was when I was growing up,” Zanetti said, “It has grown so much.” The store Zanetti now co-owns, Impressions of Saratoga, is one of the longest-tenured in the area, opening its doors in 1978. “This town means so much to me and the whole Saratoga County area. I want to do what I can to see it be successful.” In 2018, Zanetti leaned into the town’s symbolism and opened a second store, the Dark Horse Mercantile, which is themed on overcoming the odds even when you are the long shot.
Just a few decades ago, Saratoga Springs was not an area that you’d expect to have a thriving Main Street, but like the legendary Upset, the city has overcome the odds and achieved success. Saratoga Springs has genuinely become a Dark Horse.
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