On Friday the Ellenville Journal opened its doors to its readers to celebrate its first anniversary, again. The original Ellenville Journal first appeared in 1849 and continued to publish for nearly 140 years, before going silent. The new Ellenville Journal, citing its predecessor of the same name, aptly refers to itself as “the Hudson Valley's newest old newspaper”.

As to how the newspaper got started, the paper's publisher Alex Shiffer explained that, “We moved here and put down roots, and we wanted to have a newspaper that covered local events and issues.”

The Journal is actually Shiffer's second business. He, along with his partner Sharon Richman, the Journal's production editor, began Zelacom Electronic Publishing, a Liberty-based business, in 1994. At that time the business provided website design and hosting and internet service to parts of Sullivan County and had several accounts in the Ellenville area. A decade later the couple relocated the business to Ellenville.

In 2006 Alex and Sharon decided to resurrect the Ellenville Journal, both in print, and electronically. Working closely with Stefan Spezio, the Journal's managing editor, the first edition of the Ellenville Journal appeared on the internet in mid-July. Weeks later, on August 3, the first printed copy was produced boasting color photographs and sixteen pages of local news and advertising. Since then, the Journal has expanded its print version while keeping its online content focused on each issue's main articles.

So how does a web designer and computer programmer think about moving to paper when everyone's going the opposite direction?

“I really feel like print will be around for a long time,” replies Shiffer, “It's a great medium - there's no electronic approximation to it.”

Shiffer and his staff are very excited about their new space, located on 1 Market Street, right in the heart of the village.

“It's great. We're very happy with it. We have a lot more space, and a lot more people stopping in. It's conducive to hearing about what's going on in the area.”

As the 70-plus community members crowded into the second-story space on Friday, it was apparent that community support for the fledgling paper has grown over the past year. That has meant a great deal to the staff.

“It's amazing to have been there from the start and see how the paper has become part of the community so quickly. People come up to me all the time and tell me that buying the paper has become part of their weekly ritual. That means a lot because we all work really hard to provide a publication that informs and entertains,” said Spezio.

In the future, readers can look forward to an expanded website, as well as news from areas that border the paper's current coverage.

“Ellenville is a really great community,” explains Shiffer. “That's one of the reasons the paper works so well here. This place definitely has an identity and the paper is here to help explore it.”

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