Engelhard & Koenig manufactured custom furniture and offered other furniture-related services from its 4-story factory in Towners which was located behind the Towners General Store. The company also operated a showroom on 70th Street in New York City. In the 1950s, the company owned another factory on Ludingtonville Road, off NYS Route 311 in the town of Kent, that was once part of the Cushman estate. The Kent factory was a former 3-story dairy barn that was used by Engelhard & Koenig to manufacture furniture. The Bobrich Products Corp. operated a factory on the property that produced goods for the Korean War effort. One floor was used Alexander Marron to manufacture women's clothing. The Kent factory was destroyed by fire in June, 1964. .

In April, 1967, the Towners factory would meet the same fate. Engelhard & Koenig had already abandoned the factory at the time of the fire, having left Towners for Danbury, Connecticut. More than 100 men from fire departments in Patterson, Putnam Lake, and Carmel, and forest rangers from Poughkeepsie, fought the blaze for several hours. The fire spread to a nearby unoccupied house and several nearby shacks, and also damaged two other houses and the feed store. Burning embers started brush fires, causing the evacuation of several homes in the area. The fires spread along the Maybrook tracks, and damaged the railroad bridge over the New York Central tracks some distance away.

The Engelhard ad appeared in the Putnam County Courier on March 28, 1963. In a photo published in the May 4, 1967 edition, firefighters fight the blaze consuming the former factory in Towners.

The Ludkin family operated a turkey farm and factory on Cushman Road, just off NYS Route 311. The house and coup still stand today. Local girls were hired to process the turkeys, which included dipping the birds in boiling water after they were killed and plucking the feathers. The turkeys were shipped around the area.

For many years the Towners General Store was the center of the commercial community in Towners. The store was located along the railroad tracks and facing the state road now known as NYS Route 164. Walter S. Crosby owned the store for many years, and also served as the local postmaster. In May, 1899, Crosby found a novel way to provide additional floor space to his growing business. Two area businesses had recently vacated their buildings, and Crosby bought them and had them moved and attached to his building. One had been used as a detached storage house, and the other had been the George Dykeman music store. Both structures were rebuilt on the east side of Crosby's store. The May 12, 1899 edition of The Putnam County Courier lamented: "The worst feature of the thing is that the number of buildings in our community is reduced by two, and we haven't many left since the city struck us so hard". This may refer to New York City's aggressive reservoir building projects in eastern Putnam County which eliminated many homes and businesses. In February, 1908, a large fire swept through the businesses along the railroad tracks, destroying the Crosby store. Crosby's son, E. C. Crosby continued the business temporarily from his home. In 1898, E. C. Crosby was also tax collector for the town of Patterson.

The first photograph dates from the late 19th century. (The Patterson Historical Society). The first ad appeared in the Patterson Weekly News in 1901. By the time the next ad appeared in the October 1, 1908 edition of the paper, E. C. Crosby had assumed responsibility for the store. E. C. Crosby issued this receipt for a money order to J. V Baldwin of the Patterson Grange in August, 1913.

In July, 1922, Eugene Coombs purchased the Crosby Store. The Store had been owned by the Crosby family for 50 over years and had become something of a landmark. Coombs announced that he would expand the store to provide floor space for new merchandise. His plans included raising the roof to add another story, and building out the store to bring it closer to the road. Coombs was born in Maine in 1858, and worked for several years as a conductor for the Boston and Maine Railroad. Coombs relocated to Towners, and decided to become a farmer for health and safety reasons. He purchased a farm on Bullet Hole Road in Patterson, known as the Arbutus Lake Farm, in approximately 1912. That farm was sold to New York City Commissioner of Public Welfare Bird S. Coler, who planned to remodel the farm and use it as a "summer rest home for colored people", according to the July 21, 1922 edition of The Putnam County Courier. Coombs ran the store until his death at age 69 on September, 1927.

Mrs. Coombs, his wife, continued to operate store with the assistance of their daughter, Mary (Coombs) Imhoff who also was a school teacher at the Towners School located at the intersection of NYS Route 164 and NYS Route 311. She married Frederick Imhoff, of Queens, New York City, and Mountain View Road, who also assisted in the operation of the store. Frederick Imhoff served in the US Army in World War II, stationed in Germany. Mary was a Civil Defense Air Raid Warden and she kept a hand cranked siren on the porch post in front of the store. After the War they relocated to Peekskill, NY. (Jim Cunningham)

The Towners Grocery is first seen in a 1910 postcard and NYS Route 164 is known as "Main Street". The grocery is again seen in a photograph taken in 1945 and Gulf gasoline is now sold in addition to grocery items. (The Patterson Historical Society) Thomas A. Hillis was the proprietor. In the mid-1960s, the store was owned by John Blanar. The ad appeared in the January 8, 1975 edition of the Putnam County Courier.

The building still stands on NYS Route 164, and is used as a private residence.

Bellucci's Store was located on NYS Route 164. This store, maybe 6' x 10', was built by the Bellucci family who lived in the white house across from the Towners General Store, for son Dominick Anthony who was returning from service with the U.S. Army Air Force at end of World War II. The store was impractical because of its size, but he operated it daily for years with few food items and few customers. The remains of the building can still be seen, but you must look closely to the left of the General Store and you can see the straight lines of the small roof covered with vines. (Jim Cunningham)

This photograph was taken in 1947. (The Patterson Historical Society) In the mid-1950s, Bellucci was a member of the board of the Towners School District.

Biehler's Nursery was owned by Charles Biehler, who operated the business from his home on NYS Route 311 in Towners. He was born in Germany on December 22, 1903, and lived in Germany, New York City, and Kent, New York, before moving to Towners in 1949. Biehler married the former Julie Egle of Valhalla on June 6, 1949. He served with the U. S. Army in World War II, earning the rank of Master Sergeant. He was a member of the Patterson Grange and the Daniel J. O'Brien Post V.F.W. of Lake Carmel. He died on January 15, 1968 at the age of 64, after a two-week illness. The ad appeared in the Putnam County Courier on May 3, 1951.

Albert Towner was a practicing veterinarian in the early 20th century. He attended New York Veterinary College of New York University in the early 1900s, and in May, 1906, became an assistant to Dr. Borradell in Pawling to get practical experience while continuing his studies. During the World War I, Towner served a year in France as the Chief Army Veterinarian with the American army. He tended to the horses, which were still widely used in warfare. Towner returned home in May, 1919. He served a combined twenty years in the army and the National Guard, earning the rank of major. He was a member of the 27th Division Corps of Veterinarians and the 102nd Medical Regiment of the National Guard. Albert Towner established his private veterinary practice in Brewster and in Towners. Mrs. Marie E. Towner died on August 14, 1972 at the age of 86. She was born on November 11, 1886. At the time of her death, the Towners were making their home in Pawling for the previous two years. Albert Towner died on June 29, 1973 at the age of 86. He was born on December 4, 1886 in Towners. He was a founding member of the Sgt. Gray American Legion Post in Patterson and a member of the Patterson Fire Department. He was also a member of the Putnam-Dutchess Veterans Association. He was buried in the Patterson Baptist Cemetery in Towners.

Albert Towner had an office in Brewster, according to this ad appearing in the Putnam County Courier on February 3, 1911. The two undated photos show Dr. Towner's office, and Dr. Towner himself. (The Patterson Historical Society)