Real estate agent Patricia Hinkein grew up on the same Germantown street where she now lives, and has watched the town evolve all her life. "My mom sold real estate too, and we went into business together in 1987," she says. "I still know every person on my street, and it's been great helping the thirty-somethings who've been moving here from everywhere find homes."
Right now, she's on a special mission. "Otto's Market was really what sparked the change from 'somewhere between Hudson and Rhinebeck' to a recognizable community," she says. "There was a little grocery store there since the 1920s. Otto came and bought it and made a fabulous grocery store people came from all over to see and patronize. Now we're selling it, and hoping to find someone really special to replace him. It's the heart of Germantown; we need the right person to make it their own."