Port is good and getting better

By DAVID HULSE

PORT JERVIS, NY — Three generations of Blairs have been laying flooring in the Port Jervis area, and after 87 years of experience, you get a feel for how things are going in the local economy, Ted Blair says.

At 63, and recovering nicely from heart surgery, Ted doesn’t lift those 800-pound rolls of carpet anymore, but he still keeps a close eye on business around his Jersey Avenue store.

“Port Jervis is the best kept secret in New York State,” the tri-state city native said.

The secret has a lot to do with roads. With the building of Route 17, and later Interstate 84, “people tended to travel around us. We’re like a vest-pocket town,” he said.

But the vest pocket is swelling up these days. “We’re emerging. This place is going to blow wide open,” Blair said.

With rail transportation to New York City and an easy commute to work, Blair sees Port Jervis as the logical home for hundreds of future casino workers in Sullivan County. “You can get to New York City faster from Port Jervis than from Long Island; and our houses don’t sell for $800,000 either,” he said.

Blair said he has seen evidence of the city’s real estate boom in his business, especially in an increase in absentee landlords. “I don’t know the market that well now, but houses went for $65,000 not long ago. You tell people that now and they just laugh,” he added.

“What the city really needs is marketing and an image,” he said. “We’ve got so much potential; two rivers for recreation. Land and homes are still cheap.”

And Blair isn’t worrying about the big chain stores following the new population growth in the area. “They can’t do what we do. Anyone who provides customer service is going survive,” he said.

Blair, who also does some inspirational speaking engagements, has developed a line that he feels summarizes the idea. “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.”