Pat & Justine Maiorino, Washingtonville Event Committee Chairs, Are New Corner Candle Store Owners
- ejreporter
- 4d
- 3 min read
The Village of Washingtonville’s Corner Candle Store has a new family owner and the Community could not be more pleased. Patrick and Justine Maiorino have built close friendships and business relationships in the Washingtonville, Blooming Grove and even the greater Hudson Valley area as both owners of the favorite local Shop,”Guilty Pleasures Cheesecakes” (which is kind of like an old-fashioned corner candy store and incredible scrumptious bakery plus beautiful antique & fun curiosities), plus being Village Event Chairs. Add to that their phenomenal recent success as hosts of local events (with a small army of Event Committee helpers, endless hours of work, planning with Village Mayor Tom DeVinko and Town Supervisor Rob Jeroloman), hosting large community events for Easter, Fourth of July, Artisan Fairs and other events (events that each brought thousands to the Village). And you have the perfect owners of the beloved historic Corner Candle Store that was nearly lost to a devastating fire in 2021. It has sat empty after having been lovingly restored by its owners, Joanne Fine and Richard Broderick, who hired one of the most highly respected companies in the region, Stephen Delillo’s Belfor Restorations. After being brought back to its former beauty, it sat empty aside from 2 small events. Why? Because Joann and Richard were determined to find the perfect new owners . You see, this shop is not just a nice Gift, Art & Craft place. It is THE place where members of the community would go for 45 years, knowing they could find something truly special for an especially dear family member or friend.
Belfor Restorations came in and spent many months painstakingly bringing the historic 149 year-old building which was originally a grain and feed store that also sold handmade buckets and barrels, not only back to its original glory, but even more beautiful! One of those barrels can still be seen as part of the original rear structure support. The main structure and roof suffered serious damage, particularly to the upstairs, but was able to keep its original look and style. When the work was finished, Joanne Fine showed myself and Blooming Grove Council member Johanna Kiernan the work done throughout the building, including the upstairs, which she said includes original wood as part of the stage and part of their ongoing efforts to make sure it would be eligible for historic status.
Meanwhile, back at Guilty Pleasures Cheesecakes, Patrick Maiorino was harboring a ‘not-so-secret’ wish to move the sweet shop somewhere it could expand to include a cafe and a currently secret list of new functions that would keep warming the hearts and minds of this tight-knit community.
Oh, and the Corner Candle Store is literally a stone’s throw from the new stretch of the Schunnemunk Rail Rail, which is expected to be ready during 2027. But portions of this Trail are already in use, and in fact have been used since the indigenous Lenni Lenape people first settled the area. Talk about “historic”… the treasured building received official “historic status” this Fall.
Stay tuned for ongoing breakdown of the future plans and projects.
The Washingtonville Community is forever grateful to Joanne and Richard for saving this historic treasure, and passing it forward to someone who will undoubtedly do it justice. Hundreds of Social Media posts have been sharing glowing praises this past 24 hours.
It’s a story that epitomizes love of community. Joanne said that at the time of the fire she was literally on her knees devastated, but when she looked up and saw all of the firefighters with their heads down after after their extreme efforts which had actually made the building “restorable”, she thought of all the community bonds she had made and decided that she would not let the fire destroy her 45-year connection with the community, and would make every effort to restore it. It's also a story of love and dedication to the community resulting in a true Phoenix rising, both of the building and community spirit. And this community is confident that Patrick and Justine will keep that Phoenix flying high and on Course…., starting with tomorrow’s Small Business Saturday, and next weekend’s Holiday Workshops, Events and the Washingtonville Holiday Parade.
THEN, stay tuned for some more details about the NEW Corner Candle Store's future. Patrick says "Marvelous Surprises Await You!"