UNADILLA - The Unadilla Chamber of Commerce will honor Christopher Tuttle, owner of Village Variety, 233 Main Street, Unadilla, as Business of the Year, and Cat Johnson will receive the Commitment to Community Award for 2025.
Both will be honored at the annual dinner banquet Sunday, Oct. 5 at Far View Farm, 175 Rod and Gun Club Road, Unadilla.
Tuttle has a long-time history with Village Variety. In 1987 when he was 16 and still in high school, he worked part-time for former owner Fran Phelps until about 1990. After graduating from Unadilla Central School, his work took him to Tupper Lake and Binghamton. In 1995 he returned to Village Variety to help Phelps with several stores he owned, including Uncle Buck’s, Cooperstown General Store and Sidney Paint and Hardware where he served as manager for four years.
Tuttle returned to the Unadilla store and became manager of the Benjamin Moore paint department. In 2015 he became manager of Village Variety and bought the business in April of 2024 following Phelps’ death.
Tuttle has expanded merchandise with pool supplies, lawn and garden supplies and a plumbing department. The store offers cutting of window/door glass, cutting roller shades for windows, making keys and providing color match paint. Going the extra mile to get customers what they need is a tradition that carries on-and it’s been said if you can’t get find it at Village Variety you probably don’t need it.
The business is a supporter of the Unadilla Food Pantry and the Unatego Youth Sports Association.
Tuttle states he is here to support the community, which is important to the success of the Village Variety.
Cat Johnson will be honored with the Commitment to Community Award. She and her husband Eric moved to Unadilla nine years ago, but what brought them to Unadilla? A turn-of-the century Queen Anne Victorian on Main Street. They bought the house without Cat seeing it, but they don’t regret a thing. She works from home, her husband is retired. They could live anywhere and decided Unadilla was perfect.
Cat has established the Go Unadilla NY Facebook page to promote events in Unadilla. She is an integral part of the Carnival of Sales, Santa parade and last year’s new event, the holiday decorating contest. She serves on the Unadilla Public Library Board of Trustees, is an elected trustee of the village and secretary of the Unadilla Chamber of Commerce. Professionally, she is New York Times and USA Today best-selling romance author. Her most recent books are set in an upstate New York town suspiciously like Unadilla.
Reservation deadline for the annual dinner $30 per person catered by Greens Long River Inn is Sept. 27. A social time to network (cash bar) begins at 3 p.m. The buffet dinner and dessert will follow at 4:30 p.m. Awards will follow.
Music by Acoustic Roots and County Blues with Mike Herman.
For more information and reservations contact unadillachamber@yahoo.com
