Bobby Ferris, the owner of Big Apple Music, remembers the first thing he ever sold when he opened his store in Watertown. It was a radar detector. That was in October 15, 1984 when he set up a small shop on Franklin Street in the back of one of the city’s first movie rental stores. A quarter century later, Ferris has a 5,000-square foot store off Arsenal Street. The store is filled with state-of-the-art televisions, audio systems, car alarms, remote starters and other electronics. His jovial employees tease Ferris as he proudly points to something on the wall―it’s the first dollar he earned from that radar detector sale. “I look at that sometimes and a big smile comes on my face,” Ferris said, “It’s like when you look at your kids’ pictures when they were young and you look at how great they turned out. That’s what I think about when I see the dollar. It’s just kind of special.”

It’s amazing to think that dollar is still in existence. Ferris says he started the business by sinking $6,000, everything he had, into his inventory. That first year, he lost $12,000. So how did he turn things around? “My parents always said you can do whatever you want to, you just have to work for it,” he said. “No one’s going to give it to you and when things get tough, you can either close the doors or you can figure it out. I’m one of those stubborn guys that always tries to figure it out.”

Ferris began working with electronics when he was 14 and growing up in St. Johnsville, 30 miles east of Utica. “My brother would go to my cousins’ store in Utica and buy stereo equipment and he’d bring it back home and try to install it in the cars back then. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. I begged my brother to let me try and started to figure things out. Things always seemed to work out for me,” said Ferris.

His cousins own Big Apple Imports in Utica, where Ferris worked after graduating from SUNY Alfred. His cousin, John, made a suggestion that would change his life. “He said, ‘Hey, Camp Drum is going to be turning into Fort Drum and you can go up there and start your own business.’” said Ferris. “At the time we had a store in Rome, where Griffiss Air Force Base was, so we realized it was a good opportunity. I didn’t realize how long it took to build a base and bring the people in. Or how hard it was to start a new business.”
While building his business, Ferris took other part-time jobs. He worked as a bouncer at Tommy’s Nightclub, which was located where Massey’s Furniture Barn’s mattress store is now. A year later, Ferris married, took a job at a paper mill and moved from Franklin Street to Big Apple Music’s current location, the former site of Tommy’s Roast Beef.

Ferris explained, “Tommy Arvin owned the bar and the roast beef shop, and was kind enough to give me the restaurant location, so I could keep trying to grow my business. So, I had a 1,000-square foot store. I worked at Champion Paper Mill during the day for about a year and a half, and I ran the store. My brother, Billy, came up to help run the store during the day when I was working, and we keep the store open until 11:30-12 o’clock most nights. That’s when people would come to the bar behind us. We’d leave the store open and people would come in, and we’d just talk to them, show them stuff, relax and have fun and do what you had to do to develop clientele. They didn’t really have money to buy stereo systems at midnight, but hopefully, we’d build a bond and get them back in later. Many of them still come in to see me.”

Eventually, Ferris left the mill job to devote all his time to the store, “which meant 9 a.m. to 10-11 p.m. every day,” he recalled. “In 1988 my wife Deb and I had our son, Zachary, and we decided that she would be a stay-at-home mom. This meant I had to figure out how to make it on just one income. Three years later, our daughter Kristina was born and our family was complete.”

Ferris continued, “I didn’t build this business or make it successful on my own. It starts with my wife and family who have always believed in me and supported me. It was never just about making money. It was about making a life for my family and making new friends along the way. Big Apple gave me both. The store has allowed me to really enjoy my family. So maybe the first ten or twelve years were really hard―I’m still a very blessed individual.”

Big Apple Music became one of the first stores in the area to sell car alarms and remote car starters. Finally, around 2000, the store started making money. Today, Ferris employs 12 full-time workers.

“We’ve been successful for the last probably ten years―showing a profit each of the last ten years. That’s mainly due to the staff that we have,” said Ferris. “Our staff acts as if every customer is the most important customer. It’s great because the salespeople and the installers we have all understand that we work for the customer. They know they don’t just work for me. If I work for the customers and I portray that attitude to my guys, my guys pick that up. Then they care about the customers’ needs and that’s what makes us successful. If your staff is well-trained and knowledgeable and they have the right equipment, you can serve your customers better. I’m really proud to say I have the best trained staff around.”

During the last five to six years, the company has expanded into wiring homes and businesses for telephone, internet, cable, satellite systems, and stereo systems throughout the house with touch panels. Flat panel TV installations and custom home theater systems have been a big part of the expansion, and Ferris said, “It’s been a lot of fun.”

Ferris purchased property on Route 11 near Fort Drum’s main gate in hopes of someday building a second store. “We could use more space, but it’s really important to be streamlined and efficient in this type of market. Getting bigger doesn’t mean you’re better,” he said. “It’s where we want to go for a second location just because I believe that, as Fort Drum continues its expansion, a second location will be viable. Right now the most important thing is to concentrate on the main store and serve our current customers.”
Ferris says his desire to serve led him to campaign for the Jefferson County Legislature this past fall. A Republican candidate, he won the District 11 seat, which includes the towns of Watertown and Rutland. “I wanted to serve the people because the area has given so much to me and my family,” he said. “I’m grateful and I just wanted to help out.” Ferris takes office in January. “This is a good time for it,” he said. “Now that my son is in the Air Force and my daughter is in college, I’m not running to lacrosse games, track meets and dance competitions. I have more time.”

Ferris is still as committed as ever to his store. “Technology changes all the time―almost on a daily basis. My guys become more and more trained, more and more specialized, whether it be custom car installations, basic car radio installations or custom home installations. Everything is more detail-oriented and more complicated,” he said. “We’ve always done well even when other stores would come into our market. The big box stores are a reality, but we can compete with their prices and definitely beat their service. We don’t have their overhead and we’re able to quickly modify our prices and services. If a person wants sales and service from knowledgeable people at the lowest prices, they come here.”

At age 46, Ferris is looking forward to the next quarter century for Big Apple. “I see the store growing and I see more than one location in the next 25 years. I have always loved working in electronics and being my own boss. It’s great to make a living doing something you love. It’s a happy time in my life. I’ve gotten to know a lot of good people, made a lot of great friends and have enjoyed working with my employees through the last 25 years. What more could a man ask for from a job? God has truly blessed me.”

Article written by Diane Rutherford

Chicken is sizzling on the grill. Pasta and sauce are simmering on the stove. Jay and Steven Baytos are darting about the kitchen preparing meals for the Tuesday evening dinner crowd. Young, ambitious and talented, the Baytos brothers have taken their love of cooking and turned it into a successful business. They are the co-owners of Savory Café & Catering at 1511 Washington Street in Watertown.

“Everybody would say working with family members is tough, but actually he and I work really well together,” said Steven, who is 33. “I do a lot more of the booking of the parties, the paperwork, the office end of it, and he (Jay) deals with the daily work as far as the food end of it.” Jay added, “He does all the situations that I don’t want to do. It works out great.”

Jay, 38, and Steven learned a lot about cooking when they were growing up. Their grandparents were partners in the old Morgia’s Restaurant in Watertown. Their dad loved cooking there and always wanted to open his own restaurant, but never did. The Baytos brothers worked in taverns together in their early 20s and realized they shared their dad’s love of cooking.

“After college, I just enjoyed it. I just started cooking and my father did a lot with me. He has taught me a lot,” said Jay. The lessons paid off. A friend, who was opening a business, asked the brothers to cater an event for him.

“We started in our home,” said Steven.“One thing just led to another. It just snowballed. Some people at that event wanted another event at their house, and another person wanted an event at their house. It was just word of mouth because obviously there was no advertising or anything like that. It was a little side business for us. Then we picked up a couple of big Christmas parties and bigger parties and bought more equipment. Then we bought an enclosed trailer and that’s when we started lugging equipment.”

In 2005, the brothers’ business started to outgrow their home and trailer. At the same time, Shelly Huber was getting ready to close Shelby’s Delicatessen, which she ran for eight years. “We weren’t even looking for a location,” said Steven. “We drove by here and I was going to buy more equipment, chaffing dishes, stuff like that. And then I walked in and I’m looking around and then I talked to her and that’s when I called Jay and said, ‘Hey, we just bought a restaurant.’”

The brothers actually rent the space. They opened Savory Café & Catering at the former Shelby’s location in October 2005. Joseph Baytos, the father who always wanted to open his own restaurant, initially had reservations about his sons going into business for themselves because he knew how risky it could be. However, Joseph and his wife, Tammy, threw their support behind their sons. “He was a teacher and my mom was a teacher. Now they’re both retired and live in Florida, but they come back and they help us out with catering,” said Steven. “When our father comes home, he just loves working here,” said Jay. “He loves helping us come up with new dishes.”

Steven, like his parents, is an educator. For the last 12 years, he has taught second grade in the Sackets Harbor Central School District. Steven works at Savory Café & Catering weekdays before classes begin. Jay works at the business from morning to night preparing food and serving the lunch crowd. “We do the normal sandwiches, ham, turkey, roast beef, but we try to make up our own type of thing. We do a lot of grilling and a lot of salads,” said Jay. Steven added, “I come back here every day after school until 5 or 6 o’clock to do paperwork and then, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I’m here with him cooking (dinner). We do as much as we can by ourselves. Everything here is made from scratch. We don’t buy anything that’s pre-made. So there’s a lot of prep time. With the catering, when it’s a big event, we come together and work together.

Savory Café & Catering operates a deli counter and restaurant which is open weekdays for lunch and two evenings for dinner. “Tuesdays and Wednesdays we’re open until 8 p.m. and that’s just starting to pick up,” said Jay.

The brothers say the real money lies in their catering business. “We do a highend stir fried rice with vegetables,” said Jay, explaining their menus. “We make ginger pork with a special sauce, grilled chicken, and beef tenderloins. Then we go into our homemade stuff.”

Savory Catering is known for its original sauce, meatballs, sausage, gnocchi and manicotti. “We don’t order it from any distribution area or anything. I love it,” said Jay.

The brothers say they get some of their recipes from books and add their own personal touch. The rest of the dishes come from their dad. “He’s the type of person that can go into a restaurant, taste a dish and know what’s in it, then come home and re-create it. He points us in different directions with a lot of his recipes. My dad has been inspiring for both of us,” said Steven. “We make homemade sausage here. That’s something he has always done. He gives it away for Christmas gifts–his homemade sausage. A lot of the recipes have come from him, and Jay has done his own spinoff on a lot of those recipes.”

The business has acquired additional trailers, which allow the brothers to simultaneously cater a number of events at several different locations on any given day. The Baytos brothers currently employ five full-time workers and hire part-time help as needed. They’re able to cater parties for as many as 2,000 people. The brothers pride themselves on being able to cook on site, as well as tailoring menus around a special theme or certain budget. They cater events ranging from family picnics and office luncheons to baby showers and wedding receptions.

“Our goal is to move into our own place within the next three years. We want a place where we can have a room that can hold maybe 100 people for all our showers, small weddings and special events off to the side, and still have room for 50-60 people to come eat lunch and dinner,” saidSteven. “Our problem with our current space is that we can only hold so many in our side room.”

Each of the brothers has his own family. Steven is getting married next summer and has a young son. Jay has a wife and three children. The long hours can be difficult, but the brothers love being their own boss. “That’s the nice part of being partners. If he’s got to go do something, I’m here. If I have to go do something, he’s here. It’s really nice not to have to put the business in someone else’s hands,” said Steven. “We’ve worked together for years,” said Jay. “It’s a lot easier when he’s here. I don’t need as much staff because he knows what he’s doing, I know what I’m doing and we know what we want to do. We don’t have to explain to other people.”

The brothers agree that a business owner has to love what he’s doing in order to be a success. They say it takes dedication, perseverance and hard work. “We are young and you’ve got to do it when you’re young,” said Steven. “It’s very satisfying. One of us is on the premises all the time to walk a meal out (to the customer) and then have the person say, ‘Wow, that was absolutely excellent. We will be back.’ That is enough to make you keep working harder. I feel we’ve been very successful.”

Savory Café & Catering is open Monday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, it’s open from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. The business also delivers meals. Savory Café & Catering can be reached by calling (315) 785- 6464. Customers can check out the lunch, dinner and catering menus on its website www.savorycafe.org.

By Diane Rutherford

Gary Rhodes is a self-described history nut who loves growing things and giving back to his community. The 58-year-old Henderson man is able to integrate all of those passions at his business, Rhodes Greenhouses, located on scenic Route 3 in the southeastern part of Jefferson County.

Rhodes’ business operation sits on 8.5 acres of land, which includes his family’s 1820s homestead, 16 greenhouses, display gardens and a general store. Rhodes Greenhouses is northern New York’s largest grower of spring plants. The business today is a far cry from the early days when his parents purchased the historic home and a few acres of property in 1962.

Back then, Rhodes father, Leland, worked for the Jefferson County Probation Department and made the trek from Henderson to Watertown every day. His mother, Gerene, was home with Gary and his three sisters. Leland and Gerene had operated Triangle Gardens, a greenhouse and florist business in Adams for many years. In 1962, they decided to start a new greenhouse in Henderson “basically for my mother to have something to do,” Gary Rhodes said.

“We just kept adding greenhouses,” said Rhodes. “It’s fun. I think we wanted to make it a fun place to be.”

Rhodes grew up working at the greenhouses and later went on to serve in the U.S. Army. He also earned a master’s degree in education in hopes of becoming a teacher. But his plans for a career in the classroom were derailed after his father became ill. Rhodes helped care for him and keep the family business going. He eventually took over the business in 1982 and, with his wife and three children, built Rhodes Greenhouses into the success it is today.

As motorists drive into the large gravel parking lot, they’re greeted by a sea of vibrant colors. There are annual and perennial flowers, vegetables, trees, shrubs and so much more. Geraniums of white, pink, salmon, red and fuchsia are featured prominently in the greenhouse near the entrance.

Rhodes raises 13,000 of them every year. “We grow some scented geraniums, which a lot of people like. My wife yells at me because I tend to grow geraniums that I like and sometimes people don’t buy them, but I still like them. So we wind up with quite a lot of those, but geraniums are just wonderful. Geraniums are a big crop across the nation,” said Rhodes.

In addition to geraniums, visitors will find 100 varieties of annuals, 280 assortments of potted plants, 30 varieties of tomatoes and 36 types of herbs. There are also fruit trees and virtually every kind of vegetable plant.

Rhodes says his business is unique in that he grows a single crop per year and that he “kind of babies it.” Meanwhile, wholesalers produce multiple crops and grow them fast for export in order to make room to start another crop. He says many wholesalers “flash grow” their plants, essentially zapping seedlings with “a lot of heat, a lot of fertilizer, a lot of sun.” Rhodes prefers to nurture his plants slowly and naturally to ensure good quality.

“I think that what makes our plants a little sturdier when you transplant them is because they’ve got more nutrition in them. They haven’t been pushed along and forced quite so much,” he said. “You can take a nice piece of steak and you can cook it slow and have a nice steak, which tastes good, or you can sock the heat to it and end up with something unrecognizable. I like to slow grow our plants.

It takes months to do it and I think it’s where the quality comes from.” It’s that quality that attracts customers from all over northern and central New York. Rhodes says it’s not unusual for people to drive more than 100 miles to his greenhouses.

 James McCormick doesn’t mind the half-hour drive from New Haven in Oswego County. He visits Rhodes Greenhouses to buy perennials. “I come up here quite often…They have a great variety of flowers and plants and they’re all in good shape. They last,” said McCormick.

“We have the ability to pick and choose what we grow. We’re not tied into what wholesalers have to offer us, so we grow what grows up here,” said Rhodes.

However, he occasionally grows what he likes to call “oddball” plants, which include exotic and tropical varieties. “We do Sensitive Plants (Mimosa pudica) for the kids and I like to have a bench full of them because you can go along and hit the benchand all the plants’ leaves will fall down,” he said.

The determination to be unique in the greenhouse industry requires a great deal of research. Rhodes is currently investigating the demand for hard-to-find varieties of tomatoes.

“Moreton Hybrid is a great example. What’s happened over time is a lot of the older varieties have been discontinued. Now we’re finding out that, while they may be disease resistant, a lot of the newer varieties may have a trade-off in taste or quality. So we’ve actually found Moreton Hybrid seeds and we’re going to be selling them again,” said Rhodes. “We’re going back into a lot of the heirloom varieties, which are old traditional Amish varieties— different colored peppers, different colored tomatoes. We’re lucky, since we grow our own stuff, that we can grow these things once we find the seed.”

Rhodes has also worked to turn the areas around the greenhouses into peaceful sanctuaries. He calls them “display gardens,” and they are designed to showcaseRhodes’ plants, trees, shrubs and flowers. The benches that are mixed in invite customers to “take a load off” during their visit to the greenhouses. Rhodes often offers the display gardens as locales for community and charitable events.

“It’s a lot of work, but it gives us a lot of satisfaction,” he said.

Rhodes also takes a great deal of pleasure in honoring the history of his land. He enthusiastically explains that his 189-yearold home was built by Oliver Bates, a Revolutionary War veteran who was born in Massachusetts in 1763. Crafted from local limestone, the house was an early Mormon meeting area and possibly an Underground Railroad site. Rhodes’s home is on the State and National Register of Historic Places. He has done painstaking research on the many people who have called the Oliver Bates House “home” over the years.

“Everybody that’s lived here pretty much has been involved in agriculture…I think they would be impressed with whatwe’ve done here. It takes a lot of work, but I think they would enjoy that we’ve kept agriculture growing here—going and growing,” said Rhodes. “We’ve just tried to combine our love of history and love of growing and try to incorporate it all with little displays here and there. I think what we’ve tried to do is make it more than just a business, but a fun to place to come and just visit.”

Rhodes takes pride in doing his part to help the local economy. He employs 15 full and part-time workers during the business’s peak season. Other years, he has hired as many as 23 people to work at the greenhouses.

“We’ve always employed a lot of high school students and some college students, so we help them earn money. It’s fun because I needed money when I went to college,” he said.

Rhodes expanded his business in 2002 by opening the Alexander Corners General Store on his property. Customers often go there to purchase ice cream and then enjoy eating it in the display gardens, which are sandwiched between the store and the greenhouses. While the greenhouses are open from May 1 through Labor Day, the store is a year-round operation.

“When we started the store, I wanted it to be an old-fashioned store where you can sit down and just talk with people andjust hang out. It helps with the cash flow during the year,” he said. “People go from the store to the greenhouse through the gardens and vice versa.”

During the winter months, Rhodes and his family tend to the store and perform maintenance work in the greenhouses. There‘s plenty of paperwork and research to be done during the cold, snowy season. Of course, that’s when Rhodes begins purchasing seeds for the coming growing period.

“We have a lot of greenhouses that are empty most of the year, so we’d like to find some other crop, maybe greenhouse vegetables… We’re always looking to improve.”

Rhodes does his job the old-fashioned way and he says it is labor intensive. He says he hopes to mechanize much of the work someday because “we’re all getting older and tired, I think.” And he is keeping his fingers crossed that one or all of his three children will eventually take over the business.

“They need to know what I know, so I find myself telling them, whether they like it or not, how to do things, or at least suggesting,” Rhodes said, smiling.

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