Hygrade Market has been around for over 60 years. It fell into a neglect and disrepair for over 20 years until Tom and Dawn Christopher took on the project to begin a two year restoration process. Seven 30 yard dumpsters with many grindings of concrete original floors later exposed cast iron ceiling beams and the old structure began to appear. A fella knocked on the door one day asking to look around. "What do you do?", Dawn asked. "Oh, I’m a plasterer", he softly replied. Hawk in hand he went to work on the slow process of restoring the 120 year old original plaster walls which had suffered fires, sheetrock covering, and drill holes. He was able to save the walls which now look stunning in the way old churches in Europe can appear; cool, soothing and filled with history.

 

Accordingly, Croton Falls was the inspiration for It’s A Wonderful Life, the Frank Capra film about a small town. ZaZus rose petals discovered in George’s coat on the old suspension bridge, the dilapidated old home (now restored) where Mary would have lived had she not met George, Charlie the Angel and George talking at the old train station, Gowers Pharmacy,  The old Bank, Martini’s Bar, Bert and Ernie's cabstand. Bedford Falls the fictional town in the classic movie is a mash up of Bedford and Croton Falls. And its all here, you just have to look.

 

Welcome back to the heart of a small town. A train runs through it, just like Disneyland’s Main Street USA. This one is real.

We've repurposed the old fire house into vibrant offices, an abandoned lumberyard and a fork lift factory became art studios. The brownfield clean up of a transmission shop is now a greenspace park. The train station became a wine store. The school house is now a theater. We gave new life to old places. It’s actually what Disney tried to do at EPCOT Center but this ours is the rebirth of a place called Croton Falls. So welcome to HyGrade Market in the center of town.