Scotts Corners Filled In This Year, and the Kitchens Are the Ones That Stayed

Last winter, the final customers at Blind Charlie's Cafe went home with the mugs. Tim Nokaj was running the counter at 74 Westchester Avenue during the last days of the old menu. He let regulars take the Blind Charlie's ceramic mugs as keepsakes, since the space was about to be painted and turned into something new after 24 years.

Something new did open, but in the same space and in the same line of work. Leon Nokaj, who runs the Brunch House about 20 miles northwest in Mahopac, bought the cafe from Billy Fortin and turned it into his second location. By March, The Recorder was describing the Brunch House as open in the former Blind Charlie's space. "A lot of good stuff," Nokaj said of the menu, which in Mahopac runs from Florentine and Benedict eggs to crepes, chicken and waffles, and some vegan dishes. "They're gonna love it."

That handoff shows how Scotts Corners has changed over the past year. The strip has added more storefronts than it has in some time. The newcomers are clothing, books, yoga, design and farm goods. The places that cook meals for the public are mostly the ones that were already there, and the water district the Town Board approved this July is built to keep things at that scale.

What Moved In Along Westchester Avenue

Here is the recent turnover, using the street numbers local reporting has given:

Rentrayage is the arrival with the longest path to get here. Founder Erin Beatty, whose résumé includes Tory Burch, Gap and her own label, Suno, started the shop in SoHo in 2019. It sells pieces from a small group of designers who turn discarded textiles into new garments. After outposts in Hudson and in Washington Depot and Kent, Connecticut, the shop chose the Bedford and Pound Ridge area following a strong showing at The Ticking Tent, the November market in Bedford Village that drew about 1,200 visitors. "There's a confidence about women in this area," Beatty told The Recorder. "They're fashionable but casual. And nobody is trying to show off."

The newest addition is set for Saturday mornings. In August, the Town Board granted Dana Worlock of Provisions at Hedgerow a special-use permit for a seasonal farmers market behind her shop at 65 Westchester Avenue. Halston Media reported it was expected to start September 12 and run Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Worlock planned to begin with six or seven vendors selling produce, meat, eggs, mushrooms and butter. "It will be a great community thing," she said. No follow-up report has confirmed the first Saturday went ahead, so check with the shop before you plan a morning around it.

Down the street, Pound Ridge Organics at 22 Westchester Avenue is starting its Autumn CSA on October 1, with weekly pickups Thursday through Saturday until December 13. The market posts hours of Thursday 3 to 6 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Sunday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

These newcomers join a group of established names. A June 2026 Lohud photo tour of the hamlet showed The Kitchen Table, The Brunch House, Chubby's Hardware, Wittus Fire By Design, Booksy and The Cottage, a vintage goods and clothing shop, all open along Westchester Avenue.

Why the Kitchens Are the Hard Part

The pattern in that table comes from the ground under the strip. Most homes in Pound Ridge sit on two acres or more. The Scotts Corners parcels are small, and each has its own well and septic system close together. The town says groundwater contamination, from historic pollutants and from newer concerns such as PFAS, has made relying on individual wells unsustainable for businesses there. The Recorder traced the chemicals back as far as an old gas station tank leak.

Halston Media reported two Westchester County Department of Health violations after PFAS levels in groundwater exceeded state and federal drinking-water limits. A yoga studio or a clothing shop uses little water. A restaurant draws on it all day, which is why the owners who spoke at the 2024 Town Board hearings were mostly from food service and long-established businesses.

DiNardo's owner Frank Salvi told the board he had already spent more than $150,000 on health-department requirements, and the costs kept coming as the requirements changed.

At the May 2024 hearing, Jane Salvi, speaking for DiNardo's Restaurant, warned it might not be able to keep operating without a water project. Barnwell Center owner Mark Gjelaj said his health-department maintenance and engineering costs had "quadrupled in the last three years." Joe DiPietro of Chubby's Hardware said his well was contaminated and needed treatment, and that the site's septic system dated to the 1940s. Mike DiNapoli of Albano Appliance said he would rather buy treated water than pay for treatment on his own property.

Others in town see it differently. During the 2025 campaign, Peter Avellino and Ron Asaro said the affected businesses had point-of-entry filtration systems that met health-department standards. Asaro said he knew of no business forced to close over water. Supervisor Kevin Hansan argued that the small lots, aging septic systems and close well-septic spacing make it hard for restaurants to expand or operate comfortably.

What the Pipe Is Built to Do

The Town Board voted unanimously on July 7, 2026, to establish the Scotts Corners Water District. It covers 39 commercially zoned parcels along Westchester Avenue. The plan is to connect them to a treated-water tank that Aquarion Water Company owns at the Pound Ridge Golf Club on High Ridge Road. The Recorder put the project at almost $11 million. A $7.6 million Water Infrastructure Improvement Act grant covers 70 percent of eligible construction costs.

The town's release states the project's limits outright. It "is not intended to support future development, only to provide clean drinking water at current usage levels." Septic systems stay as they are, following the public water and private septic model the town cites from Bedford and Lewisboro. Owners don't have to connect. Those who do won't pay a town hookup fee and may be eligible for up to $10,000 toward other connection costs through New York State's Private Well PFAS Testing and Mitigation Rebate Pilot Program.

A clean water supply could make life easier for DiNardo's, The Kitchen Table and the Brunch House. Because septic capacity stays the same and the district is sized to current use, the strip's mix of shops and restaurants is unlikely to change much.

The project also has opponents. The October 2024 vote among property owners passed 20 to 15. Donna Simons, who owns Pound Ridge Organics, raised concerns about the district. At the July hearing, a resident said he was still seeking to have his home removed from the district. John McCown presented a letter he said 46 residents had signed questioning the process. Jill Faber of Barnegat Road thanked the board, saying, "Clean water is important."

Nothing has been scheduled for construction yet. As of late July, an appeal of the dismissed lawsuit against the district had been filed. The Aquarion supply agreement was still described as "forthcoming," and engineering and permitting agreements have to be finalized first, with public meetings at the Planning Board and Town Board. The Town Board agendas for August 18, September 1 and September 15 didn't list the project.

The Fall Dates on and Around the Strip

The business district has its own calendar this season, and the town's anchors are a short drive up Westchester Avenue:

• Saturday, October 3: Lisa Tannebaum's harp concert at Pound Ridge Library. That evening, the town's free family campout opens at Town Park, with tent setup starting at 5 p.m. and no registration needed.
• Sunday, October 4: The Pound Ridge Historical Society hosts Michael DiMinno on the Battle of White Plains, 4 to 5:30 p.m., at the library at 271 Westchester Avenue.
• Sunday, October 11: Pianist Eleni Moon at the library.
• Saturday, October 31: The Pound Ridge Business Association's Trick N Treat Walk runs 4 to 6 p.m. in the business district. Recreation's trunk-or-treat and costume parade follows at Town Park from 4:30 to 6 p.m. and requires registration. The Fire Department's drive-in movie runs 6 to 9 p.m.
• Thursday, November 5: The Historical Society's fourth annual poker night at Conant Hall, 257 Westchester Avenue, 7 p.m., capped at 55 players.
• Saturday, November 21: The Shop Pound Ridge Holiday Market, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 77 Westchester Avenue.

On Halloween, trick-or-treaters on the business district walk will pass a mix of the old and the new. Rentrayage, 34 Design Lab and the vintage room at Booksy Galore will be along the route, and the Brunch House will be serving out of the same kitchen Blind Charlie's used for 24 years.

The well questions that make Scotts Corners complicated also come up on residential lots across Pound Ridge, from water testing to the age of a septic system. Jessica Cunningham is a licensed New York State home inspector, so she reads those details the way an inspector does. If you'd like to know how your own well and septic would hold up when you sell, Jessica Cunningham can help. Get your free home valuation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.