It’s all in a Fulton County name.
Banking on years and years of experience in the food trade, the Sturgess family is embarking on a mission to transform a derelict property into a barbeque joint.
“We feel this was the right time in our lives because our name has established a pretty good reputation in the area and we just want to draw on that,” said business partner Edward Sturgess Sr.
With approval from city planning officials in early February, the patriarch and his son, Ed Sturgess Jr, hope to open Sturgy’s Downtown Dining for takeout by the fall.
The kitchen will also be shared to serve the father’s 17-year-old catering business, Sturgess Family BBQ.
In the long run, they eventually plan to serve sit-in meals out of a low light brick-style, 16-seat dining space. That final vision could come two years down the pipeline, according to Sturgess Jr.
A Sturgess catering truck on South Main Street in Gloversville on Feb. 7, 2024.
“You’re talking expansion, which is fine by the way,” he said. “Just make sure that if you’re writing about it, you clarify that.”
For years, the site was home to H&P Motors. In 2022, Sturgess attempted to start a brew pub onsite with the help of a $359,000 state Downtown Redevelopment Initiative grant.
The project has since fallen through. All of the funds have been sent back to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration.
“It just became too much,” said Sturgess Jr.
Meanwhile, plans for Sturgy’s have been kicked around for years. It wasn’t until the last two years that the patriarch and his patronymic son started to iron out the details.
Sturgess Sr. trained both of his two sons to cook. They both later worked at Perthshire Banquet Hall in Amsterdam. The father expects that his other son, Ricky Sturgess, a Caroga councilor and convenience store owner, may help from time to time.
While working together, the family has catered a bevy of barbecue and clambakes over the years.
“I think it’s going to be a family effort to pull this off,” Sturgess Sr said. “It’s not going to be one of us. It’s going to be all of us.”
Sturgy’s Downtown Dining will be located next to one of Gloversville’s longest-running restaurants, the 100-year-old Palace Diner. Both the diner and restaurant-to-be will be among only a small group of restaurants in the area with a separate parking lot.
Family stakeholders expect that any success from their business will spread out, and vice versa.
“We can help the coffee shop and can help other people,” Sturgess Sr. said. “More traffic, more people, more things get seen, more tax revenue, better city.”
The concept comes amid a small push to breathe new life into the city’s dining scene. Non-profit owner Michael Chase recently received approval to launch an international-themed soul food restaurant and cultural event space on North Main Street, noting a lack of options within the downtown area.