In October 1983, Marty Leffer was in a Lake Placid hotel, waiting for an elevator.
He had two tie-dyed shirts from a bundle he hoped to sell to thousands of Deadheads, fans of the Grateful Dead, who had descended on the upstate village that had hosted the Winter Olympics about four years earlier.
Nearly 8,000 fans—more than three times Lake Placid’s population—had traveled through the Adirondacks to see the band play the Olympic Center, the arena where the U.S. men’s hockey team stunned the Soviet Union on its way to gold at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
When the elevator bell rang and the doors opened, Leffer stepped inside and found himself face-to-face with Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh.
Leffer said that, at the time, he and Lesh shared similar hairstyles. And because of what Leffer said were similar facial features, he was often asked if he was the musician’s brother. Lesh seemed to agree the two men looked alike.
“I took a look at him, he took a look at me,” Leffer said with a laugh. “I told him I was really excited to see the show. Then I asked him what size he was.”
Leffer handed Lesh one of his tie-dye shirts he had on him, with the image of a shooting star.
The chance encounter changed the course of his life.
Over the next four decades, Leffer built a career intertwined with the Deadhead touring economy, the music festival industry, and the enduring cultural mythology of Woodstock. His business, Not Fade Away, spent more than 35 years operating in Woodstock, moving through 10 different storefronts while developing business relationships with acts including the Grateful Dead, Rolling Stones and the Allman Brothers Band.
Now, for the first time in 35 years, Leffer is searching for a new home.
The lease on his most recent storefront for his business Not Fade Away, at Deming Street and Mill Hill Road, was not renewed, and the shop closed there on Halloween 2025. Leffer recently pursued another location on Tinker Street in the center of town but said the deal fell through.
As he continues to look for a brick-and-mortar location, he has expanded online through his website, while maintaining one clear priority: keeping the business rooted in Woodstock.
“Woodstock will always be in the hearts of everyone who loves peace, love and music,” Leffer said. “Woodstock isn’t going anywhere—and neither is Not Fade Away.”
For many longtime residents, the shop has become part of the town’s cultural landscape.
“Martin and his company have been a staple in this community since the 1990s,” said Mike DuBois, who owns Happylife Productions on Tinker Street with his wife, Kelly Sinclair.
Not Fade Away, which Leffer co-runs with Lindsey Elston, and Happylife serve a similar audience with tie-dye clothing and merchandise celebrating the legacy of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair, whose organizers originally planned the festival in the Town of Woodstock.
That legacy continues to shape the town’s identity and economy. Merchants like Leffer have remained fixtures even as the pandemic reshaped Woodstock’s business environment and storefronts have turned over more rapidly.
“He’s been a business owner who has helped to maintain the Woodstock legacy for all these years and helped drive the town’s economy in the process,” DuBois said.
While searching for a new shop—what would be the eleventh Not Fade Away location in Woodstock—Leffer’s reach continues to expand nationally.
He works with Danny Wimmer Presents, a major concert promoter behind festivals featuring bands such as Foo Fighters and Phish. At those events, Leffer runs the general store selling essentials like sunglasses and bucket hats for festivalgoers and also operates a Not Fade Away merchandise booth.
Still, the story of the business traces back to that elevator ride in Lake Placid.
Leffer went to the concert at the Olympic Center. The lights went down. The crowd erupted in cheers and the band came out on stage.
Leffer could hardly believe what he was seeing—Lesh was wearing the shirt he had given him, in the elevator, on stage.
“I was gassed,” he said. “It was great.”
Leffer was ready for the crowd when they spilled out of the arena—with the very shooting star designed tie-dyed shirt they had just seen Lesh wear while performing. Leffer sold every shirt he brought to Lake Placid and left the mountain village with $10,000 in earnings.
The moment helped launch a four-decade career built on music culture, tie-dye and the enduring pull of Woodstock.
“If we find a good location,” Leffer said, “we’d like to stay in Woodstock. It’s difficult.”
John W. Barry is a reporter for The Overlook. Reach him at john@theoverlooknews.com.