Written by Megin Potter
Photos by Mark Samu Photography
[From the 2026 Home & Garden Magazine]
Hidden away in a unique waterfront nook, stemming from the Village of Greenwich’s charming Main Street, is a place called Mill Hollow where Bethany Parks met the love of her life.
After her second bout with cancer, Bethany walked daily from the home at 160 Main Street she’d purchased in 2013 to the grassy knoll behind the historic Eddy Plow Works building. There, she fell in love with the Battenkill River.
Eagles swooped overhead as she dreamed of the dilapidated area, once bustling with activity from busy mills, coming back to life.
Authoring a New Beginning
Bethany, a dynamic free spirit, moved to Saratoga Springs after a 2008 divorce from her husband of 17 years. She built a career traveling the country selling furniture and, after battling breast cancer, experienced a renewed search for meaning.
On a life-altering journey to the Flying Kites Orphanage in Njabini, Kenya, she discovered how to come home and be at peace with herself again. She tells this introspective story through a series of blog posts and journal entries in her 2019 book flippin’ chairs: a memoir (published the same year she battled leukemia and her mother passed suddenly).
When Bethany met photographer Mark Samu at Uncommon Grounds for their first date in March 2020, the COVID pandemic was just beginning to shutter businesses. Undeterred, the couple strolled Saratoga’s streets, architecturally shaming the houses they passed. It was then that Bethany knew she’d found someone she could dive with into a new chapter.
These houses were built in 1790 to house the Mill Workers flocking to this developing area.
They now house a new breed of working class, those that can work remotely, (while enjoying the Battenkill River and walkability of Downtown Greenwich, NY), such as… our editor Chris and her husband Stew!
Welcome to Mill Hollow
A week after purchasing the circa 1790 house at 5 Cabel Street for $40,000, Bethany shelled out another $15,000 for the abandoned building next to it at 1-3 Cabel Street. Both had massive structural damage but, by 2023, a powerhouse crew led by contractor Kevin Millington, owner of Kevin’s Home Improvement in Gansevoort, gutted the 1-3 Cabel Street building down to its studs and rebuilt it into a clean two-family rental residence (while salvaging much of its original slate roof and hand-dug fieldstone basement).
The following year, Bethany Parks acquired the 2,080-square-foot property at 8 Mill Street and undertook a comprehensive renovation of the existing structure. Through a thoughtful reconfiguration of the layout, she transformed the classic barn-red building into two well-appointed two-bedroom apartments.
Bethany’s investment in the area culminated in 2025 with the completion of the 5 Cabel Street house that started it all. Kevin and his team renovated this 1,800-sf centerpiece top-to-bottom, adding cheery yellow doors and a welcoming front porch perfect for taking in the river views.
Pleasant symmetry, repurposed materials, and minimalist design elements blend together beautifully in this reimagined 4-bedroom, 3-bath home. History meets modern comfort with custom built-ins and a hand-forged iron stair rail that add authenticity to the space. Convenience is key in the kitchen, where highly functional stainless-steel appliances and a fantastic center island farmhouse sink are accentuated by the timeless appeal of quartz countertops and white subway tile.
Useful cut-outs help open up this home and fill it with flowing light. Picture-perfect windows and thoughtful touches (like the living room’s warm wooden fireplace wall, and rustic hallway console table, as well as the durable luxury vinyl plank flooring throughout) combine to create a comfortable home with character.
The same week construction finished on the Mill Hollow Project, Bethany’s dad passed after a long illness. Since the beginning of this undertaking, people told her she’d invested too much, but she loved it, she said, and seeing the 5 Cabel Street home go to a good owner felt like a fitting conclusion.
“I struggled through the process of rebuilding every one of these houses. It was painful, chaotic, and really scary, but I was not going to get stuck living in fear,” said Bethany. Somewhere along the way, she found a renewed sense of purpose. “I did something that matters, and there’s a piece of me that wants to let other women know they can do it, too.”
“A rising tide rises all boats,” she said.
Look back at the Mill Hollow Project journey by visiting @millhollowproject on Facebook and Instagram, and
@bethanyparks273 on YouTube.
