New store buzzing with eco-friends

MILLERTON — A new store has popped up between Little Gates & Co. Wine Merchants and Fudgy’s Ice Cream, and its owners are doing doing their part to help save the environment.

Nick Bee’s, owned by Nicola Russell and Toby Boyce, specializes in replacing ink-jet cartridges for printers. Rather than waste the plastic required to make a new cartridge, as well as the mileage to drive to the nearest store, the newest business in downtown Millerton promises to save time and money the next time your printer ink runs out.

“I was tired of running to Kingston and Torrington for cartridges,� explained Russell.

A horse trainer out of Pine Plains by trade, Russell came upon a good idea and decided to seize the moment.

“It’s really to help the environment,� she said. “People can be so unaware of it at times. And everybody throws their cartridges out. But who can blame them? There aren’t even drop-off points around here. I realized there was a market for that, and I did a lot of training over the winter.�

Nick Bee’s is flexible with sales, and Russell said delivery could even be arranged with larger orders. She said refilled cartridges make sense.

“First, it’s helping reduce landfills. Second, it’s cost effective. You can save a good substantial amount by refilling.�

Nick Bee’s will educate printer owners on how to properly care for  cartridges, which can be refilled four or five times without a problem. And instead of waiting, refilled cartridges will be available when a customer walks in.

In addition to your printing needs, Nick Bee’s also stocks a variety of environmentally friendly products, ranging from canvas bags to soaps, picture frames to paper products and writing utensils.

“All of the products are eco-friendly,� Russell explained.

And as for the bee on the front door? Well, it’s partly from the store’s name, a play on the owners’ first names (NICola + ToBY, get it?).

“But we also picked the bumblebee because they’re very earth friendly, and it’s always associated with the environment.�

As you can tell, this new business has a one-track mind. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 12 to 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. The telephone number is 518-592-1177. The address is 56B South Center St.

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