It has been vacant and boarded up, and passersby would give the building little notice. But now Claudia Sidoti and Paul Weathered, a couple who bought the building in 2017, are bringing this mixed-use structure, which borders some green space at the end of Kerhonkson’s Main Street, out of dormancy.

As noted at the most recent Wawarsing Planning Board meeting, the building’s ground floor will include a restaurant and a retail business, promoting local food and products. There will also be a coffee bar and possibly a backyard patio space for dining.

Earlier this week, workers were busy constructing the planned restaurant, Mill & Main, with hopes to open in August, and Mill & Main Provisions, the retail business, tentatively scheduled to open in June.

“It was always our vision,” said Sidoti. “It has just taken some time.”

Downtown Kerhonkson was a busy community a century ago as the railroad replaced the former D&H Canal. But the post-war boom made the car king, and the hamlet’s business activity shifted across the Rondout Creek to Route 209. The hamlet became a former shell of itself. But longtime residents had always hoped for a rebirth.

“They just want to bring some life back to the downtown area,” Weathered said.

Sidoti and Weathered were weekenders here until becoming full-time residents. The COVID-19 pandemic, like the 9/11 attack, has sent many NYC dwellers deeper into the hills. Sidoti and Weathered want to make a new beginning near their permanent residence.

“It was COVID, but also a new phase of my life, and it became the right place to make my full-time home,” said Sidoti, who has had a career as a chef/owner and consultant. “It’s far more pleasant to spend the bulk of our time here in the country versus the city.”

Sidoti will bring in Weathered’s son, Christopher, to help. They are also working with Hamish Thain as their creative consultant.

The couple plans on building the restaurant’s patio space to face the Rondout Creek. And the coffee bar will be next door to Mill & Main Provisions.

A more than three-mile-long rail trail connects the hamlets of Kerhonkson and Accord. It runs along the Rondout Creek on the former rail bed that replaced the canal, in which sections are still clearly visible. And these former transit routes once brought vitality to these communities with passengers and freight traffic.

Sidoti wants see spirits rise again, and she is hopeful that more activity will soon appear outside of her establishments, as time allows her and Weathered to grow deeper roots into their newly adopted community.

“Block parties were huge in the city,” she said. “There’s no reason why we can’t do stuff like this down here. I think it would be a great thing to see over time.”

The planning board still has to hash out a few issues before the restaurant and retail business can open, namely the lack of parking on Main Street. The board is currently considering holding a public hearing on the matter, after they obtain more details regarding what types of parking fixes may be allowed in the hamlet.