πΏ A New Chapter on Pulteney Street
There’s something about a village street that never really forgets.
The buildings may change names.
The doors may open to something new.
But the stories… they stay tucked into the woodwork, the windows, the quiet rhythm of the street—and sometimes, deep within the walls, in places like an old bank vault, where time itself seems to stand still.
And at 74 Pulteney Street in Hammondsport, a new story has just begun.
π· From Then to Now
Built in the late 1800s or early 1900s this modest but enduring building has lived many lives.
It has been the kind of place that simply adapts—
a home, a storefront, a steady part of everyday village life.
For years, visitors and locals alike passed through its doors without much fanfare—
a place that quietly served the community in its own way.
And now…
it has stepped into a new chapter as Dockside Wine & Spirits.
π Rooted in Place
There may not be a grand headline tied to this building—no fire that made the papers, no famous figure who passed through its doors.
But what it does have is something even more meaningful:
continuity.
Because just steps from Keuka Lake, along one of Hammondsport’s most walked streets, this building has always been part of the flow—
• visitors discovering the region
• locals running quick errands
• conversations that start at the counter and linger out on the sidewalk
And now, as
Dockside Wine & Spirits, it feels especially fitting.
A wine and spirits shop…
in a village built on vineyards, craftsmanship, and the land itself.
π―οΈ Hidden History: The Vault
Tucked quietly within the walls of Dockside Wine & Spirits is a piece of history far heavier than it appears—a bank vault, crafted by the legendary Mosler Safe Company, whose name once stood for the highest level of security in the world. Founded in the late 1800s, Mosler vaults were engineered like fortresses, built with layered steel, reinforced concrete, and intricate time-lock systems designed to protect what mattered most. These weren’t just safes—they were statements of trust, installed in banks, government buildings, and even places like Fort Knox. Some Mosler vaults famously withstood the blast of Hiroshima, their interiors left intact, cementing their reputation as nearly indestructible. You’re looking at a piece of history that was built to outlast time, fire… and maybe even the unimaginable.
Today, that same Mosler vault holds a different kind of treasure—liquid gold. Where currency and documents were once guarded, bottles of carefully selected bourbon now rest within the timeless vault, each one carrying its own story of time, craft, and patience. It feels fitting, in a way. Because bourbon, like the vault itself, is shaped by time—aged, protected, and only growing more valuable with the years. There’s something quietly poetic about it… that a space once built to protect wealth now preserves something meant to be savored and shared. And as laughter, conversation, and the clink of glasses fill the room once more, the vault remains—steady and enduring—holding onto both its past and its new purpose.
π¦ A Layer Beneath the Surface: The Pratt Bank Story
And perhaps that vault holds echoes of a larger story unfolding just beyond these walls.
In the early 1900s, Hammondsport was a village on the rise—its vineyards flourishing, its businesses growing, its future full of promise. Banking played a quiet but essential role in that growth.
Around 1900, Aaron G. Pratt established what became known locally as the Pratt Bank. Like many private banks of the era, it was built on reputation, relationships, and trust—the kind of place where a handshake often carried as much weight as a signature.
But it was also a time before the safeguards we know today.
By 1908, the Pratt Bank closed following scrutiny of its financial practices. The loss was felt deeply. Local merchants, vineyard workers, and families—people who formed the backbone of this community—received only a portion of what they had entrusted to it.
It’s a quiet reminder…
that behind every vault door and ledger were real lives. Real trust. And sometimes real consequences.
π A Natural Next Chapter
And still, the village endured.
This building—and this place—stood through it all:
• the rise of Finger Lakes wine
• generations of growers and makers
• the steady evolution of Hammondsport into one of New York’s most beloved small towns
And now, it offers something that reflects all of that—
bottles that carry the flavor of this region, this soil, this lake.
π₯ Meet the New Owners
Like so many stories here…
this one is just as much about people as it is about place.
Jeff McKee was raised right here in Hammondsport, his roots firmly grounded in the village that shaped him. This isn’t just a business—it’s a return. A continuation of something that began long before Dockside ever opened its doors.
In 2022, in the small town of Hamilton, Jeff met Bridget Reilly—and from that meeting, a love story began. One that would eventually find its way back here to Keuka Lake. Since then, Jeff has shared not just the place, but the heart of Hammondsport with Bridget—its rhythms, its history, its quiet magic.
The couple became engaged on New Year’s Eve 2025, marking the beginning of yet another chapter—both personally and within these walls.
And bourbon… well, as Bridget will tell you, Jeff loves it. He collects it. Studies it. Savors it.
Which makes that old bank vault feel even more meaningful.
Because it’s not just a preserved piece of history—
it’s an extension of how they honor the past.
πΏ Looking Ahead, Rooted in the Past
Like so many before them, Jeff and Bridget carry both vision and respect for what came before.
They are part of a long line of Keuka entrepreneurs—those who saw possibility here and chose to build something meaningful within it.
Plans are already unfolding, including an expansion that will allow Dockside to host tastings and small, community-focused gatherings—spaces where people come together not just to purchase… but to connect.
Because to them, community isn’t just a word—it’s a way of life.
They understand that it takes a village.
And they hope to be an active part of that—supporting local events, showing up, and giving back to the place that has given them so much.
π A Gathering to Begin
And what better way to begin… than by gathering together.
Join Dockside Wine & Spirits this
Friday, March 27th from 4–7 PM for a special evening:
A Tasting with Weis Vineyards
• Complimentary tastings poured and provided by Weis Vineyards
• 10% off all Weis wines
• Charcuterie board for light snacking
• Spin the wheel for prizes (no purchase necessary)
• Meet Jeff and Bridget, ownera of Dockside
• Enjoy exceptional wines and even better company
It’s more than a tasting—
it’s an invitation.
To step inside.
To meet your neighbors.
To be part of something just beginning.
Community welcome.
π―οΈ If These Walls Could Talk
You might imagine…
A banker closing the heavy vault door at the end of the day.
A ledger balanced, or perhaps not so carefully balanced, under soft lamplight.
Neighbors stepping inside with quiet trust.
And today?
A visitor stepping in after a long afternoon on the lake.
A bottle chosen for dinner, for celebration, for taking a piece of Keuka home.
Different moments.
Same feeling.
πΏ
A Keuka Roots Reflection
This is what small towns do best.
They don’t erase the past—
they build gently on top of it.
And at 74 Pulteney Street, that layering is still happening.
From its early 1900s beginnings…
to the quiet hum of banking days…
to stories like Pratt’s—both hopeful and hard…
to this new chapter as Dockside Wine & Spirits…
It remains exactly what it has always been:
a place where life passes through, one story at a time.
ο»Ώ
π
Visit & Experience It Yourself
Dockside Wine & Spirits
74 Pulteney Street
Hammondsport, NY'
Next time you’re in the village, step inside.
Then take a moment outside… and look toward the lake.
Because the story isn’t just inside the shop—
it’s in the way the whole village still remembers.
π¬ Do you remember what was here before?
Or have you seen the vault for yourself?
I’d love to hear what you know.
Stay Rooted. Stay Keuka. πΏ
