Staff Writer

After 30 years, Stoeger Florist and Greenhouses of Oneonta is closing today.

Owner Liese Stoeger has tried to sell the business for 14 years, she said.

"I haven't been able to find anyone and I am past 65 now and just simply it's too much for me," she said.

Stoeger and her former husband bought the River Street business, then known as Reynold's Greenhouses, on Aug. 16, 1972, she said.

The previous owners ran the establishment for 27 years, and the people they bought it from ran it for 20 years, Stoeger said.

"And everyone was telling me that it was in existence much longer than that," Stoeger said, explaining that she never got the chance to research the business's history. "It was supposedly connected with the railroad when there was passenger service here. The man that owned the railroads liked to give the women corsages and that's when this started."

Stoeger, originally from Germany, moved to the area from New York City in the 1960s. Her three daughters and two grandsons live in the area and she is expecting another grandchild in February, so Stoeger, who lives in Oneonta, said she plans to stay in the area and get a part-time job. "I'd prefer a different field," she said. "Thirty years is a long time."

The best part of the business, she said, was the people. "Everybody is so fantastic and wonderful. You should see the people who are coming in here and are sorry to have me leave," she said. "In other words, I made a lot of friends."

Stoeger is still looking for someone to buy or rent the business.

"I would like to see it continue," she said. The sale is being handled by Caldwell Banker.

Stoeger Florist and Greenhouses, at 111 River St., will be open until 3 p.m. today. An open house will be held on Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m.

"My daughters are doing this for me," Stoeger said. "They think I should hold still and talk to people."

WIXT, the ABC affiliate out of Syracuse, will remain part of Time Warner's line-up in the Oneonta area.

Station management and Clear Channels Communication were going to remove the station from Time Warner's lineup as of Jan. 1, said Todd Martin, spokesman for Time Warner Cable's Binghamton division.

After Time Warner had notified customers in late November of the changes, Martin said, WIXT "received quite a bit of customer feedback and decided to keep it in the Oneonta area."

WIXT will remain channel 13 for Time Warner Cable customers, he said.

The Otsego County Chamber will hold its End of Year Open House from 1:30 to 5 p.m. Friday at the chamber's office at 12 Carbon St. in Oneonta.

Jamie Reynolds, chair of the chamber's Member Services Committee, said the chamber would welcome any business that would like to stop by.

Those interested in attending should RSVP to Shelly at (877) 5-OTSEGO or by e-mail at shelly@otsegocountychamber.com.

Verizon is now offering DSL service in six area communities, the company announced last week.

The high-speed Internet service is now available in Binghamton, Elmira, Endicott, Johnson City, Corning and Oneonta.

The first 30 days are free to new customers in those communities, the company announced. Entry-level DSL service is $49.95 a month.

Other discounts may be available if DSL is ordered as part of a package of services.

Customers can visit www.verizon.net to see if a phone line qualifies for DSL.

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To suggest a business story, announce a new business or changes to an existing one, e-mail mscram@thedailystar.com or call Melissa Scram at 432-1000, Ext. 213 or (800) 721-1000, Ext. 213.