Charting growth in ‘Trout Town USA’

Business boom revealed in artist’s new map

By Kat Slattery | Manor Ink

Roscoe, NY – If a picture is worth a thousand words, then there should be plenty of buzz about the newly redrawn town map by local artist Rocky Pinciotti which illustrates how the town’s business hub has mushroomed over recent years.

As we all know, Roscoe has been a place where change is gradual. However, did you realize that in the last few years, business has boomed in this little river town? After many years of modest change, the past six years have brought an incredible upswing in growth, as more than 15 new businesses have opened or changed ownership in the hamlet.

Mapping the town’s businesses

In late 2019, shortly after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Roscoe Chamber of Commerce commissioned local artist Michael Rocco “Rocky” Pinciotti to draw a map of the town’s storefront locations with cartoonish images of the businesses as they existed then.

Distributed both as a brochure and restaurant placemat, its function was to guide visitors through the area where the number of vacant stores then nearly outnumbered those in operation. The resulting engaging map not only attracted visitors but also new entrepreneurs.

“There were a lot of empty stores the first time around, and a lot of talk,” Pinciotti recalled during a nostalgic walk along Roscoe’s downtown business hub with Ink staff. “This was going to change, that was going to change,” he said, pointing to once unoccupied storefronts on Stewart Avenue.

The hand-drawn map shaped by Pinciotti’s vision not only captured the attention of tourists and potential shopowners who fell in love with the town, but it also documented Roscoe’s demographics.

And since storefront openings have continued to snowball, the Chamber last month commissioned Pinciotti to do it again. His new map illustrates continued growth in Roscoe as the town’s main business strip, Stewart Avenue, nears full capacity.

So the artist who once worked with PBS’s “Sesame Street” and also created maps for Sullivan County and the hamlet of Narrowsburg, created another.

“It creates a visual snapshot of the town’s evolution,” said Roscoe Chamber of Commerce President Christine Routledge. “It speaks to an evolving growth Roscoe has seen in just six years.”

Routledge confirmed the Ink’s count that more than 75 percent of the storefront businesses now are either new, have changed ownership or have relocated since Pinciotti’s original map was drawn in 2019.

Roscoe now a tourist ‘destination’

Asked to comment about the influx, the Sullivan Country Visitors Association attributed the town’s growth in part to an overall increase in tourism throughout the county. Statistics show that trips to the town had increased by 40 percent from 2022 to 2025, and total spending increased by three percent, making Roscoe a “destination spot.”

“Based on early data, Sullivan County appears to be in the early stages of a small business-driven renaissance, with pockets of growth emerging organically across its towns,” explained Michael Martelon, president of the SCVA in an email to Manor Ink.

Through changes that seem to never end, Routledge has seen “Trout Town USA,” as Roscoe is known, evolve beyond its identity as a fishing and hunting destination. “Variations of different businesses and a new diversity have come to town,” she said, acknowledging the greater variety of businesses now in town.

“Growth does come with challenges,” Routledge noted. She has watched longtime businesses continue to thrive while the Chamber offers support to startups as they find their footing.

Commenting on the town’s odyssey, she noted that even though town entrepreneurs have an established comradeship, that comradeship may often lead to people butting heads.

“Our goal is to keep everything positive and welcome new businesses in,” she explained, noting that one of the Chamber’s goals is to “make everyone feel welcomed.”

Return of a favorite business

Yet, one new business Routledge appeared to be most thrilled about was the relaunch of the Little Store, a town stalwart that closed several years ago.

The store reopening is not only a welcome enhancement to the town, but also serves as an example of a revival that has come full circle, she explained.

“New owners are reopening a smaller version of the store,” Routledge said. The owners plan to incorporate new merchandise into the shop’s wares, but will also revive some traditional ones, including the homemade fudge which was a popular item sold in the original store.

Also commenting on the hamlet’s growth was Ahu Terzi, owner of The Hound Books, Roscoe’s first book store. “I’m excited to report that business on my block has increased by 20 to 30 percent in 2025 alone, compared to the previous year,” Terzi said.

Also located on the expanding business hub and benefiting from an increase in foot traffic is Taylor + Ace, a decorative housegoods shop with Material Index, an espresso bar. Both stores are located a block from the Stewart Avenue business hub.

As time goes on, many shop owners are excited to see their businesses prosper. But Ahu is also enthusiastic about the community members who help support local entrepreneurs. “With Roscoe’s growing popularity, it’s nice to see consumers coming in to help the smaller shops,” Ahu said, expressing her hopes for the future.

Summing up the town’s ability to endure, Charles Aiello, owner of Raimondo’s Pizzeria and Restaurant, one of the town’s oldest businesses, noted the family-run restaurant has just four more years to go until it celebrates its golden anniversary of 50 years.

“Why stop now? We’re almost there!” he quipped.