Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the “Progress 2014” section of North Country This Week.

POTSDAM -- In three years, by adding new products and brands, Maple Run Emporium, 49 Market St., has evolved into a top-notch kitchen store, gift shop, and the entertainers’ “go-to.”

Maple Run offers maple specialties, gourmet foods, cookware, art, gift baskets, cookbooks, and scents. Incorporated in 2010 by Mary Hilton, the shop opened April 1, 2011.

On the “sweet side,” maple candy is a mainstay, sparking expansion into new confections including 2013 introductions of maple/bacon chocolate bars, goat milk maple cream caramels, and maple pecan brittle. The pancake and waffle mix line-up is also ever expanding and includes over 24 flavors.

Syrup in many sizes features maple, complemented by fruit and liqueur infused syrups, and the 2013 introduction of boxed gift sets of Light, Medium, and Dark Amber.

On the “savory side,” maple sauces, mustards, and dips are customer favorites. Expanding the flavor palette from maple-based to include international gourmet foods, Maple Run added pastas, salsas, chutneys, and now features an array of open-and-serve delicacies perfect for entertaining.

The “Fridge and Freezer” offerings are continually expanding – in 2013, customers enjoyed introductions of maple juniper sausage, goat cheese/spinach quiche, basil pesto, maple bacon cheddar, mozzarella, brie, and camembert.

The shop also expanded its cookware base from griddles for pancakes, waffles, and crepes, to include knives, stockpots, saute pans, utensils, and grill-ware from topnotch brands including Wusthof, All-Clad, and Le Creuset. In 2013, Maple Run added Mauviel copper and Emile Henry high-fired clay cookware.

To its collection of maple wood cutting boards, utensils, and servers, in 2013 the shop added hickory, ash, cherry, and slate. For those who love cookbooks, Maple Run is always adding new titles, especially tomes featuring maple. Scents for the kitchen and bath, made exclusively for Maple Run by Sunfeather Natural Soap Company, are available in three maple fragrances.

The shop’s Artisan Gallery of local artists’ paintings, stoneware, and woodcarvings provides a showcase of unique gifts. In 2014, Maple Run Emporium will launch a new online presence, introduce several of its own brand products, expand into kitchen/dining textiles, and continue to add innovative new merchandise. Winter hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information, call 274-0102.