Troy

A gallery featuring fine arts and crafts, a long-time Troy florist, and the region's first board game cafe are among the first tenants to move into The News Apartments at the former Troy Record building in downtown Troy.

Pause Gallery is a new business owned by Gail and Lou Snitkoff that will feature affordable handmade and unique items. It expects to open next month.

Flowers by Pesha, which has a shop elsewhere in downtown Troy and previously had a store on Troy's East Side, also expects a July opening.

Bard & Baker: Board Game Cafe will open in September, said owner Charlotte Guyton. The startup was the grand prize winner in the Capital Region Chamber's Entrepreneur Boot Camp competition and a finalist in last year's All Over Albany Small Business Grant competition. The cafe will offer "comfort foods," desserts and a "tea-focused beverage menu."

While there's another board game cafe, House Rules Cafe, in Hudson, this is the first in the five-county Capital Region metro area.

The News, which includes 101 apartments, many with balconies or terraces, on the upper floors, and retail space on the ground floor, was developed by Rosenblum Companies.

"The News Apartments has a combination of amenities unique amongst downtown apartment buildings in the Capital Region," said Seth Rosenblum, CEO of Rosenblum Companies. "We see this exciting and diverse group of retailers as an extension of those services, as well as a great addition to our up-and-coming neighborhood."

It includes studio apartments as well as one-, two- and three-bedroom units and rent ranges from $1,100 for a studio to $2,450 for a three-bedroom with a loft. An "all-in living" fee covers hot and cold water, electricity, high-definition DirecTV, heating and cooling and high-speed wireless internet. The fee ranges from $150 to $195 per month, depending on apartment size. Tenants began moving into the apartments in May.

Rosenblum extended the building, the oldest part of which dates back to 1906, east along Broadway to Sixth Avenue and south on Sixth toward the Troy police station. The five-story addition includes an enclosed parking garage on the ground floor and there is an outdoor parking area behind the L-shaped structure.

A 2,500-square-foot, two-story space that could be expanded is still available, as is up to 3,700 square feet in the five-story addition.

The wing includes a rooftop "sky deck" with gas firepit and grilling stations, a package delivery room, co-working space, pet spa, lounges, bicycle storage and repair areas, Wi-Fi and a fitness center. The company has worked to preserve historic details like the interior brick walls, steel beams, latticework and original terrazzo floors in several areas.

The News Apartments is the latest in a number of downtown apartment buildings that are looking to meet demand from baby boomers and millennials seeking to live in walkable downtown areas. Several former factory buildings along River Street have been converted to apartments, and the upper floors of commercial buildings have also been converted into apartments and office space for a growing number of technology companies.