ONEIDA, NY – Oneida resident Abbey Woodcock, Oneida Dispatch reporter and marketing specialist has gone from being a Oneida Dispatch reporter and marketing specialist to a local success story through her and her family’s work at Kelly’s 1945, a cheese and charcuterie shop located in downtown Oneida.
On November 10, the NY Business Journal named Woodcock, a Greater Oneida Chamber of Commerce board member and Oneida business owner, as one of their 40 Under 40.
During the ceremony, held at the OnCenter in Syracuse, the magazine recognized Woodcock’s business acumen and his ongoing contributions to the Oneida community.
The store offers in-store shopping, curbside pickup and delivery, is located at 134 Main Street, Oneida, and is numbered 315-367-0007. Shop hours are Wednesday through Friday from 11am to 6pm and Saturday from 10am to 5pm. It remains closed from Sunday to Tuesday.
Cali 1945 offers 90 varieties of cheese and will increase to more than 100 by the holidays. “Cheese boards are our big thing,” Woodcock said. “We offer just about anything to go with a charcuterie board, including nuts, crackers, cured meats, and jams.”
Woodcock grew up on a farm in Durhamville Farms and graduated from Oneida High School. After college, she returned to Oneida to begin her adult life.
“I was a reporter for the Oneida Dispatch, then I had kids and got into digital marketing,” she said. “I worked in online marketing for twelve years before deciding to open this business. Like most people who went through the COVID-19 pandemic, I re-evaluated my life and goals.”
Woodcock started the business of selling cheese online in November 2020. On September 1, 2021, they moved to their current location.
“We wanted something really trendy, something that was missing in our community,” she said. “I’m a foodie, and I’m really good at things because of my background in dairy,” she said.
The store is a tribute to his grandfather, Calvin Jens, and his grandmother, Leah. Woodcock said both his grandparents taught him the importance of community, hard work and enthusiasm for life.
“My family lived [in a] Separate homes but we lived on the same land that my grandparents farmed,” Woodcock said. “I learned a lot from them. My grandfather was an entrepreneur. He had five or six jobs. He had a mail route, he drove a cab, [and] He had a landscaping business. He was always working and always out.”
Woodcock said his grandparents taught him the importance of community involvement.
“My grandfather was a fireman and my grandmother was part of the fireman’s auxiliary,” she said. “They both worked hard and played hard. He always entertained people and always cared about his community.”
Woodcock followed his example. He volunteers locally for several organizations, serving on the board of the United Way of Madison County, the Greater Oneida Chamber of Commerce, and the Downtown Oneida Revitalization Committee. Woodcock said he’s excited about what’s in store for Oneida’s downtown.
Oneida received a $10 million credit for downtown projects last December 7 through New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative. The city was one of the winners of the fifth round of DRI in the Mid-New York area.
City officials submitted 11 projects for state approval. The city will split the cost of the projects with the money provided through DRI. These projects include:
Creation of the Downtown Onida Fund to support businesses
Improve downtown infrastructure and streetscaping
-Develop Area Youth Soccer Organization soccer field on Wilson Street between Skondoa Street and Lenox Avenue
Establish zoning overlay districts to remove constraints created by existing zoning codes
– Redevelop Dispatch Commons. It will convert a 1950s-era supermarket and former home of the Oneida Dispatch into a micro-brewery and restaurant
-Redevelop the Lerman Building, 155 Madison St.
-Re-imagine the vacant Hotel Oneida, 181 Main Street, as a multifunctional event space
-Renovation and upgrade of the historic Collett Theater, 159 Main St.
-Restore and upgrade the historic Devereaux Building, 146 Main St.
-Upgrading facilities at Veterans Memorial Park, 360 N. Main St.
Woodcock said, “We have received a ten million grant from the state, and we have submitted several projects to the state for their approval.” “They’re evaluating these projects. We were supposed to hear from them this fall, and it’s now November, so it could be anytime we hear from them.
Woodcock has also honored his grandparents with the name of his store. The Cali 1945 is named after his grandparents, and the year he started his farm. It was also the name of the farm on which she grew up.
“The farm is located two miles north of the store along Route 46, it still has the logo painted on the barn. It’s a tribute to him,” she said.
His shop, Cali 1945, donates locally to performing arts, veterans organizations and the Oneida Little League.
“We’re really passionate about the arts,” Woodcock said. “My daughter sings. We support both Oneida and Vernon-Verona-Sherrill Music Boosters.
The shop supports a Little League team, also named the Cali 1945s. “We name our teams after the businesses that support them. For example, we will play against NBT Bank,” Woodcock said.
Woodcock’s family — husband Casey Bunney, son, Calvin, 14, and daughter, Mary Sue, 13, help with the business. “I have to twist my son’s arm a little bit, but he loves working here,” Woodcock said. “My daughter loves it. She loves working the cash register. They both love packing boxes and applying shipping labels.
Bane served in the military from 1995–2005. He worked in the Criminal Investigation Department. He oversaw former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s visit to Abu Ghraib and was involved in the investigation of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon during SPT. 11, 2001 attacks.
Woodcock said, “My husband always says the first five years of his service were a little too boring and the second a little too active.”
Woodcock and Benny work hard to support the Giants. They met at a Team Rubicon event. Team Rubicon is an international non-governmental organization specializing in disaster response. He recently donated $800 worth of items to Thanksgiving gift boxes provided by Clear Path for Veterans in Chittenango.
“Supporting veterans is part of our marriage and our business,” Woodcock said.
Woodcock hopes that any legacy he leaves behind will help improve Oneida.
“There has been a lot of talk about bringing it back to Oneida when the city was bustling in the 1950s and 1960s,” she said. “My idea is not to bring it back to the 1950s, but to bring more people to the city, to create a new thriving city.”
“We can bring a brewery, a bakery, places where the next generation can hang out,” she continued. “We are not alone here. We have Blend, we have Bella Vita Cafe, and others who are fighting a battle with us. Maybe we’re not in the best place, we could be in Rome or Clinton or Cazenovia.
“But maybe more people can see our success and set up shop in Oneida. That would be success enough for me.
