Smith's Tavern has been a beloved eatery in the village of Voorheesville since 1946!  And now some residents of the town have started a petition to block a brand new Stewart's Shop from being built in place of the local landmark.

Co-owner of Smith's Tavern, aka "Smitty's", John McClelland told the Altamont Enterprise that he and his business partner are ready to retire, and they tried to sell the restaurant to a group who was going to keep it up and going, but the sale fell threw.  Now, the highest bidder is Stewart's Shops.

Stewart's of course are not the enemies, they are one of the biggest employers in the Capital Region.  However, they do have 2 other stores open within a few miles of the Smith's Tavern location.

Residents don't want to see a staple of the community, Smitty's, taken away and replaced with another gas station.

It's also a concern of village residents that the Vly Creek is just behind Smith's Tavern and if Stewarts installs gas pumps when they move in, it could compromise the creek.

McClelland and his wife are ready to move on to retirement.  They have co-owned Smith's for 25 years.  But they understand that selling to Stewart's isn't what the community wants.  He and his wife life just outside Voorheesville.  He said -

 

“There are travels my wife and I still want to do,”  he hopes to golf, garden, and spend time with his two daughters and four “grandboys,”

“Taking away an icon from the village of Voorheesville has been most difficult,” McClelland said.

A petition has been started to try to block Stewart's from tearing down Smith's Tavern.  If you're interested in signing, CLICK HERE.

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Stewart's Shoppe
Lou Roberts
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