Passion trumps anxiety

New businesses in a shaky economy

By FRITZ MAYER

UPPER DELAWARE VALLEY — Everyone knows that the economy has tanked, unemployment is at record levels, and it’s generally agreed that we’re living in the worst economic environment since the Great Depression. So why would people want to open new businesses?

For three such people who are starting businesses in the area, one common thread is passion.

Take, for instance, Amy Ronai, who is starting an antiques and more shop called “In 2 Retro” on Route 17B in Mongaup Valley, NY. Ronai is a retired educator with a doctorate in education administration, but she was always interested in design. So much so she once took a hiatus from education to attend Parsons School of Design in New York City.

Now that she has retired, she has decided to pursue her passion for deco objects, mid-century pieces and jewelry.

Asked about taking on the risk of a new business, she said, “Other than being excited about my business and being excited about being in the area, I think one of the reasons I’m comfortable taking on this endeavor, even with the backdrop of these difficult economic times, is the area has so much possibility and potential that it just really feels right to do something like this at this time.”

Ronai plans to have her shop open by Memorial Day.

Another person who is passionate about her new venture is Lynn Wright, founder of the Northern Light Healing Zone on Route Six in Hawley, PA.

Wright had a long career in nursing and was most recently employed as a critical care clinical nurse educator in a hospital where open heart surgery was performed. Now, rather than focusing on traditional medicine, she works on making people healthy mostly through getting them to adopt healthy diets.

Her facility offers a range of therapies including chiropractic, massage and infrared sauna. She herself specializes in examining patients’ blood, urine and saliva to find any nutritional deficiencies or other problems. She is very sure about what people need to be healthy, and what they don’t need. She said, for instance, “A lot of people still think it’s okay to microwave your food. It’s not. The microwave changes the molecular structure of the food.”

The facility opened on March 21. Asked why she opened in the midst of a recession, she said, “I think the area needs something like this, and I think people are becoming wiser about their health. I’m in debt up to my eyeballs, but I’m not worried about it.”

A third new business in the area is the Tom Quick Inn on Broad Street in Milford, PA, which is slated to open on June 15. The new owner, Reza Ghassemi, is a travel consultant out of Baltimore, MD. The inn is undergoing extensive renovations to bring it up to code in terms of issues such as fire protection, and the 16 rooms are all being redone. When complete, The Tom Quick Inn will have two restaurants, a ballroom and a sports bar.

Ghassemi said he bought the building, which dates to 1888, because “I’ve always had a passion for historic inns, and this one caught my eye. Milford is a great little town; it was the right project at the right time and the right place.”

Asked if the recession concerned him, he said, “There is a segment of our population that will travel no matter what, and this is appealing because of its close proximity to northern New Jersey and New York City. We have the river, the water gap and mountains… I really don’t think that we will be affected by the current economic situation at all.”