Former New York City police sergeant Zack Malegiannakis likes what he sees from the bar and restaurant he runs in the center of the once-sleepy hamlet of Hensonville.
“It’s exciting because it’s only getting better,” said Malegiannakis, 61, who moved to Windham from Brooklyn. “I’ve been here for eight years and the only thing we’re missing is a cell tower. There’s no service here.”
For more than 200 years, Hensonville has been something of an afterthought for visitors who flock to Windham and its ski mountain three miles to the northwest. That’s starting to change, thanks in part to The Henson, a boutique hotel, and Haymarket, a café that opened this month in an old church and the former site of a beloved gym.
That’s not to say it lacks history: Zack’s Place stands on the site of New York’s first log home, and the hamlet takes its name from the descendants of Revolutionary War soldier William Henson.
One block away, a former brewpub is now The Henson, a 16-room boutique hotel with a restaurant, bar, rooftop deck, and gardens. Owners Danielle and Ely Franko moved into the building on New Year’s Eve 2021 with their newborn and toddler and immediately embarked on a top-to-bottom renovation.
“We took it down to the studs,” Danielle, 36, said this week as her 37-year-old husband used a hammer to strip nails from the deck of an adjacent property. “I hand-painted every wall. I tiled everything. My husband sourced every piece of art and furniture.”
That do-it-yourself dedication still cost the couple $5 million, but seems to have earned the respect of locals who are often wary of developers arriving in small towns with big plans.
“At first, some of the community was a little bit unsure,” said Danielle, a former physician assistant in New York City. “But over the course of two-and-a-half years, they saw my husband and I physically were the ones doing it. And I think we really just got respect.”
The hotel, which opened on Memorial Day weekend in 2024, charges $329 to $599 a night. Amenities include Matilda, an on-site restaurant developed with Michelin-starred chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabián von Hauske Valtierra, a natural wine program, European-style breakfasts, and a wellness room with an infrared sauna.
In its first year, The Henson hosted nine weddings. The Frankos also bought a neighboring building they are converting into an event space with room for 300 guests.
“What we’re really excited about is getting the community more involved by throwing community-centered events,” said Ely Franko, a software developer from Long Island. “One way is even just to donate it to the town for the school prom or town meetings.”
The couple employ about 20 full-time workers and provide nearby housing for employees, always a tough task in a region where real estate costs have surged.
“At one point this was a really bustling town,” Ely said. “If we could play any part in revitalizing that, I think it’s really special.”
The Frankos also own and operate Paracasa, a specialty provisions shop known for its cinnamon rolls, and Day June, a breakfast-lunch spot that is closed for now because the chef relocated. Danielle said Day June will most likely reopen as a sister restaurant to Matilda but did not provide an anticipated date.
Just down the street at Haymarket, owner Anne Stowell is banking on that same spirit of renewal. Stowell bought a historic church from 1875 in 2022 and oversaw its renovation.
“There’s a lot of development and new things cropping up,” said Stowell, 48, who left a long career in marketing and advertising to open the café and provisions store. “It feels like Windham needs to expand a little bit into this neighborhood.”
Haymarket emphasizes New York-sourced ingredients, from breads by See & Bee Kitchen in Cairo to farm products distributed by Hudson Harvest.
“Our basic egg sandwich right now is $9, and some of the fancier ones are $12,” she said. “Not everything’s 20 bucks in here.”
Stowell envisions Haymarket as a place for both locals and tourists to find something within their budget. A small coffee is $3. Locally sourced apples are $1 each, and freshly made to-go chicken potpies cost $15. She plans to add a bar in an attached church building set to open in the summer and convert an upstairs room into a classroom and event space.
“I want this to be a place where people can gather,” she said. “My barista’s grandmother wants to do some talks about the history of town.”
That vision resonates with barista Sabrina Morales, 27, who has lived in Hensonville since she was three and now walks to work. “It’s really good for the community to have another place to go,” she said.
Stowell said her goal is to balance accessibility with sustainability. “We’re trying to be accessible to the whole community and not be completely exclusive or pricing other people out of the market while also catering to city people, tourists, people with second homes, people who’ve just transplanted up here as well as locals.”
She admitted that balance is never simple, and doesn’t expect to see a profit for the first year or two. “Egg sandwich prices keep me up at night,” she said. “What I’m trying to do is have some more reasonably priced options along with some premium ones.”
Back at Zack’s Place, the former cop who runs the spot largely on his own is also contemplating the future—and perhaps a new owner.
“If anybody wants to buy this business, it’s up for grabs,” he said. “There just comes a time where you want to retire from it.”
Noah Eckstein is the editor-in-chief of The Overlook. Send correspondence to noah@theoverlooknews.com.