I paid Gretchen-Cahrenger $550 to engrave my father's name on a headstone. They cashed my check on…read more8/8/23. As of 11/26/23 the engraving was still not done. I received no contact from them to let me know of any delays. I was very unhappy when I contacted the owner. He had no real excuse other than they were behind. And he acted like he didn't have the power to get his staff to do the work anytime soon. Who knows if they even have staff? He made no apology or promise to get the work done by any date. I called him out on all of it and he told me I was snotty. He's a thief. I asked for a refund and told him to have it to me within a week. I'm told the check is in the mail. Yeah. There's still a few days left in the week but I fully expect I'll be at small claims court. His contract says all work must be paid for in advance and he gives no timeframe for getting the work done. If you do take the risk and do business with this place - get a deadline in writing and do not pay in full up front. Obviously, I can't speak to the quality of their work because they didn't do any. Zero stars and a possible trip to small claims court.

My dad passed away 33 years ago, and his stone really needed attention. Grethen-Cahrenger…read moreMemorials did an outstanding job. So much so that I thought they had replaced the stone with a new one. Highly recommended for stone cleaning.

Review for public areas, not the society itself. (The other review here seems to have been intended…read morefor the Schuyler Mansion, so I'll explicate a bit.) As historical societies / museums go, this is tiny but well-maintained. (I've seen lots of small museums over the years -- it's an affliction -- that didn't even bother to dust the collections, much less try to keep them fresh). The building itself is magnificent, a 19th century residence, but unfortunately there aren't full tours of the spaces, likely due to access and ADA requirements. So you are restricted to the front-and-back downstairs, which is also an occasional reception space (we've been to one, and it's nice for that, if you're looking for a small 50-150 person space). So there's basically two parts: the Uncle Sam room, and everything else. The Uncle Sam room is packed full of stuff about you-know-who, mostly souvenirs from over the ages, but it's very nicely arranged and well-curated. Definitely an interesting if brief stop in and of itself if you're a first-timer to Troy or just generally interested about that side of Troy/county history. Part 2 of the museum is whatever they have for a rotating exhibit. In limited space, both of the exhibits we've seen here have been quite well done and interesting, and while not consuming more than 20 minutes or so, is again worth a quick stop in a tour of lovely downtown Troy. Check their website, of course, to find out what the current exhibit is.

I had visited the Schuyler Mansipn many years ago but decided to stop by recently on a whim. I was…read moreable to join a tour that had just started(they are given on the hour). The house has been recently redone in honor of the hundredth anniversary of its being a museum though it was built in the mid-eighteenth century. It looks fabulous with new historically accurate wallpaper and furnishing fabrics and fully furnished rooms. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and helpful- she is.a PhD student in American History and Women's Studies. The gardens are also lovely and the gift shop and visitor center are excellent. It is definitely worth a detour if you are interested in American History and especially Alexander Hamilton!

Purchased a 75yr old framed Grandma Moses lithograph online (original frame/glass/backing) UPS and…read morearrived with the glass broken. I brought my item to Certified Framing & Gallery and they put in new glass, repositioned/centered the lithograph, they appeared to have polished/cleaned the frame and put on a new backing with new wire and hardware to hang. They had it done within 3 days for around $40.00 Looks GREAT and I couldn't be happier. True professionals!

My wife and I have a collection of autographed pictures that we want to hang in our house together…read more We wanted the frames to match but we couldn't afford to have six custom frames made so we purchased some inexpensive ones. However, the matting and the glass in cheap frames leaves a lot to be desired. I brought everything here, and we worked out a deal where they would custom cut replacement matting, UV protection glass, and then attached the pictures to the matting. When we picked them up, we just had to reinstall everything in the frames we already had (which they confirmed we pretty good quality frames). We are very pleased with the results.

I got an old piano for free from a friend but the front legs broke in the move. We were super…read morepleased to be able to have the guys come to our home to check out the work within two days of calling them. Then they were able to match the wood and stain beautifully making lovely new legs for this old piano. They also replaced the brass knobs. I really love the hardware they chose. I am so pleased with the work and they were warm and friendly throughout the whole process. What a great addition to Downtown Albany. I can't wait to work with them again soon to refinish my grandfathers old end tables. They have a repeat customer in me for sure!

Albany was a Dutch colony and you can see historic Dutch style homes. Most of these homes are in…read morebad shape and Historic Albany Foundation preserves and protects buildings that have architectural, historic or civic value, by providing technical assistance, education, and advocacy. They do have a warehouse where you can buy old items on sale. If you would like to restore something that is beat up and has history and looks antique, you may find it here. I have been here a few times and they had cool stuff that I loved, however nothing caught my eye this time around. They did sell homes but I couldn't find much. I had a good business relationship with the former ED, Susan Holland as I was there Relationship manager at the bank. Susan educated me about being green and using wooden windows rather than vinyl. In addition, I believe yelp had organized a historic tour for the elites.

I have dropped off dozens of doors here and am so pleased to know that they have a chance to be…read moreused again instead of being trashed. I have also found some very good parts for my house. The staff are always helpful and knowledgeable.

This little college museum is a great place to check out some small art collections. This place is…read morenot a huge museum, but it is nice for a quick stroll on a Tuesday night! I saw Tuesday because that is the night they are open the latest. I enjoyed my time here, I just wish that they had more to offer.

Beautiful venue great sound, easy in, easy out. Unfortunately when it gets warm In the venue they…read moredo not cool it down. Why? My guess is the fact that they staff the facility with mostly untrained senior citizen volunteers who like it toasty. The same volunteers have significant difficulty guiding people to their seats because they seem to be unfamiliar with rows and seat numbers. I don't know how many times some elderly usher stood in front of me, shining their flashlight in my face, confused about where people were supposed to sit. Oh well... Still an unbelievably beautiful place to see (and hear!) a show. Truly, not a bad seat in the house.

5 Star Venue 5 Star Service…read more-2 Stars for Lack of Comfort This was our first visit to the Music Hall. I was having difficulty buying seats online for our event so I ended up calling the ticket office. Whoever helped me was great. She was patient and helpful. Explaining that this was our first visit there, I wanted to ensure we had the best possible seats to enjoy the show as well as have a great overall experience. Based on our conversation I chose lower balcony, front row seats. I recall the agent asking if we had any issues with stairs which was good as there are quite a few stairs to get to the balcony. While we found the view to be great, the seats are horrible. They are extremely skinny and uncomfortable. I saw on the floor that they even use bistro chairs at the ends of some aisles. From the looks of things, the only comfortable seats would be the boxes along the walls as they looked to have chairs that you could move. The front-row balcony is not well suited for anyone over 6' tall as there is not enough leg room to sit with your legs in front of you. By the time the concert ended, my legs were cramping, my butt was sore, and my lower back in knots from trying to sit a bit sideways. Anyone who is slightly overweight will find the seating most uncomfortable. Aside from that, the theater is quite beautiful and the acoustics seemed to work well for our event. The staff is friendly and helpful. Exiting the theater went smoothly and quickly. We will definitely return but will try for box seats to see if they are more comfortable.

What a great show! While I have make no pretenses that I am a gardener, I do love to grow…read morevegetables and can appreciate fine gardens. I haven't been to other garden shows so I cannot compare this to them, but I can say that as someone with only slightly green thumb I have always had a good time here. It is usually towards the end of March. When you walk in you are first hit with all of the artistic floral arrangements. They are usually very beautiful though some of them lean a bit more to unusual. There are various categories and usually themes for the competition, and seeing who came in first and who didn't leads to interesting conversations over the merits of each design. In another room or rooms are various displays by local gardening clubs which range in breadth from very broad (regional organizations) to very specific (clubs based on certain types of flowers). They are always very helpful and friendly. Another room has lots of artists and vendors which seem to be a step up from the usual farmers market stuff. Sure, there are the people selling pickles and candy and spice mixes but there are also those selling flowers, garden furniture and ornaments, and bird accessories. I recall seeing cooking demonstrations there, and local wineries have tasting areas set up (with the hope that you will purchase them). The most impressive for me though is the room with the landscaping companies set up. Here, thy lug in huge displays to recreate various styles of backyard gardens into an indoor ice rink and keep the flowers living for several days. I don't know how they do it, but it is surreal to walk through what appears to be man amazing backyards and private gardens that you know weren't here a few days ago. One year they had a display that looked just like the Shire from Lord of the Rings. They also frequently have a sand sculptor/artist making a large display piece. Many people like to put trains in their gardens and I wish that someone here displayed that, but no one has in any of the shows I have attended so far. If you have any interest in flowers, gardening, or landscaping or know someone who is, this is a great place to spend the afternoon.