If the friendly woman stocking shelves in Beekman 1802 Saturday looked familiar, you watched way too much '80s TV.
She was Mindy Cohn-Natalie Greene-on the 1979-88 NBC TV series "The Facts of Life."
Some 15 years later, Ms. Cohn continues to work as an actress and comedian, doing voiceover work for cartoons including "Scooby Do, Where Are You?"
She's also a Beekman 1802 fan, friend of founders Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge, and a passionate advocate for small towns like Sharon Springs.
"I still remember the first time I was here and Josh took me on a talking tour of downtown and the springs," Ms. Cohn said Saturday.
"It was like every small town, but then it wasn't. Sharon Springs has such a unique past...I loved that. And so I started doing what I do whenever I travel: I started to explore. I hate being seen as a tourist. I want to know the history and the character of a place."
Those explorations have taken Ms. Cohn, who divides her not-Sharon time between Los Angeles and New York City, into nearby Canajoharie, Fort Plain, Cooperstown, and Cobleskill, but they've also taken her to the Beekman farm, which she calls her "recalibration place."
And of course, downtown Sharon.
"I don't just come when it's pretty," she said with a laugh. "I'm here in February too-and it's just as enjoyable. It's a slower time, but there's enough going on here for me. I can wander down to the Black Cat for lunch and I just love the Sharon Tavern..."
Ms. Cohn has been a fan of the Beekman 1802 product line since Mr. Kilmer-Purcell and Mr. Ridge began it and she said she finds both men insprinign both as a couple and individuals.
"Their creativity, business acumen, their passion for life...I love the me that I am when I'm around them. It's so much fun to be in the back seat of their lives."
Like just about everyone else, Ms. Cohn is intrigued by Sharon Springs Inc.'s plans to revitalize the community's historic spas.
"If they're successful, it's going to mean some growing pains, but I think Sharon can make the most of it. I can't wait to see what happens.