Three Millbrook Mainstays Changed Hands This Year, Mostly to People Already Behind the Counter

"We're not doing any changes for the first couple of years," Jennifer Burgen told The Millerton News this summer, talking about Babette's Kitchen. "But in the long term, we'd love to bring some family recipes out."

Most new restaurant owners announce a refresh. The Burgens announced a freeze. That choice sums up what happened in downtown Millbrook in 2026. In September, three businesses that have been in the village for decades marked their new owners with a joint ribbon-cutting with Mayor Peter Doro: Babette's Kitchen, Village Wine & Spirits of Millbrook and the Millbrook Antiques Center. A change of owners on a small main street often means a different business is coming. In Millbrook, the buyers mostly came from inside the shops.

Who Took Over, and How They Already Knew the Place

In two of the three sales, the people who now hold the keys had already been opening the doors in the morning. That's an unusual way for a small-town business to change hands, and it shapes what each shop is doing this fall.

The Antiques Center Stayed in the Family

The Millbrook Antiques Center has been on Franklin Avenue for more than 40 years. It sells vintage clothing and furniture and does jewelry repair. The former owners were Tom McGeady and Richard Del Valle, Keith Del Valle's father. Michelle Del Valle worked in the shop for about five years before the two owners suggested passing it on.

"It already felt like we were running something like a family business," she told the paper.

Of the three shops, this one changed the least on paper. It's also the one with the most plans. Michelle Del Valle said she and Keith plan a sip and shop and a Halloween party, and want to find "other ways to collaborate with the other businesses on Franklin." No dates had been announced as of early October. Plans like these are easier for new owners who already know the regulars and the shop owners next door.

Babette's Kept the Menu Because the Cooks Stayed

Babette's Kitchen opened at 3293 Franklin Ave. in 2005 as a lunch spot and catering company. Its 20 seats became a weekend draw for buttermilk biscuits, frittatas and seasonal menus built on produce from nearby farms. Founder Buffy Arbogast went to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, and so did the Burgens. The Millerton News called them "the second wave."

Hudson Valley Magazine reported that the sale took effect in June 2026. Jennifer had joked for years that if the restaurant ever went up for sale, she and Mike should buy it. She had been working behind the counter for the past three years. The plan to hold the menu steady makes sense when you remember that the people who learned to make those biscuits are the ones who bought the place.

If you're going this month, here are the current hours: closed Monday and Tuesday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. The menu was last updated September 30, 2026. It lists baked goods that change daily, breakfast, salads, sandwiches, a rotating soup or chili and specials.

Front Street's Wine Shop Has New Owners Who Want to Keep It the Same

Village Wine & Spirits at 45 Front St. has been in Millbrook since the 1980s. The coverage doesn't say whether its new owners had worked there before. Rick and Shreya Kumar told The Millerton News they look forward to continuing the shop's legacy. "There are really good people here, and we're so happy to be here," Rick Kumar said.

Like the other two couples, they promised to carry on. Mayor Doro described all three sales the same way: "You get the opportunity to respect what came before while bringing your own ideas and energy to the future." He called the new ownership "a sign of confidence in Millbrook."

The Last Brand-New Restaurant on the Block Took Two Years

Franklin Avenue has seen one big opening recently, and it shows how long a fresh start takes. House of Stefas opened at 3299 Franklin Ave. in early June 2025, in the former Aurelia space, a few doors from Babette's. Chronogram reported that the brothers John and Paul Stefanopoulos spent two years renovating it first. The restaurant's website lists lunch Friday through Sunday and dinner Tuesday through Sunday.

Two years of renovation before opening day. Compare that with the September handovers, where each shop was open the day before the ribbon-cutting and the day after.

Out on Route 82, a New Place Took Four Years to Open

The most-discussed new opening in the area this season isn't in the village. Hopyard Brewery at Washington Hollow opened in August on a 40-acre property at 4679 NY-82. It's open Thursday through Sunday.

Its timeline shows the effort it takes to build something new around here. Brewmaster Michael Bucey bought the land after selling his diesel business in Pleasant Valley. He had a backup plan: if the brewery didn't work out, he'd build a house. Then the well water tested "perfect for beer." With help from the neighboring Cary Institute, he planted hops and apple trees, waited for the hops to mature and worked through approvals. At one point he nearly gave up, until his son Gage, then starting business school, showed interest. "It was about four years from when we purchased the property to opening," Bucey said, "and it was vacant for 12 years before that."

Hopyard is a New York State Farm Brewery, so 60 percent of its hops and other ingredients have to be grown in New York. Bucey adds to his own harvest with hops from Germantown and malt from Hudson Valley Malts. He runs the brewery with Gage, his wife Kathy and his in-laws. In September the taps included house-brewed Oktoberfest beers, an Apple Cider Donut Hard Cider and a Pumpkin Ale. Weekend afternoons bring acoustic sets and food trucks, and a pizza oven turns out pies on Thursday nights. Bucey plans a full outdoor kitchen by next year. The band Deep Chemistry lists a show there on October 31 at 5 p.m.

Hopyard needed a family, a good well, years of growing time and a long approval process. The three Franklin Avenue and Front Street shops each needed one buyer ready to keep things running.

What Franklin Avenue Looks Like This Month

The new owners' first full fall comes with construction. On Monday, October 5, the Village of Millbrook starts sidewalk work on the north side of Franklin Avenue between Front Street and Friendly Lane, the stretch where the antiques shop, Babette's and House of Stefas sit. The Village expects the work to take three to four weeks. Parking on Franklin will be limited, and drivers should expect significant delays. The sidewalk will stay open, but pedestrians may be rerouted as crews move along. The details are in the Village's notice.

Here's what else is on the calendar nearby over the same weeks:

• October 10, 10:30 a.m. to noon: Curator's Tour at Innisfree Garden, 362 Tyrrel Road
• October 16, 7 to 8 p.m.: Cary Institute talk on the ecological legacy of elephants at 2801 Sharon Turnpike, also livestreamed
• October 18: Millbrook Pony Club's annual Hunter Pace
• October 31, 5 p.m.: Deep Chemistry at Hopyard Brewery
• November 8, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.: Wethersfield Hunter Pace, rescheduled after rain canceled the September 27 date

If the schedule holds, the Franklin Avenue sidewalk should be finished by the start of November, in time for whatever the Del Valles plan with the shops around them.

A 40-year-old shop, a café with a menu that isn't changing and a wine shop from the 1980s are the kind of details that matter when someone weighs Millbrook as a place to live. If you own a home near the village and are wondering how this year's changes affect what it's worth, Fresh Air Realty is happy to talk it through, over a biscuit at Babette's or over coffee in the city. Sell With Us.