A Paw Print on Schoharie Valley: Maggie Pryor’s Path of Giving Back

A Times Journal Star, Maggie Pryor, Executive Director of the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley and co-owner of Carpets & Then Some, has deep roots in Schoharie County, though her path back home wasn’t always straightforward. Well-known for her involvement in the community, Maggie serves on the Head Start Board, Schoharie County Animal Shelter Board, CRCS Sports Booster Club, works with FBLA, Cobleskill Partnership, Inc., helped start the Prom Project, organizes Cobleskill parades, town Easter egg hunts, holiday food drives and “anything involving kids really.”  

As a mother of three, Maggie understands firsthand the importance of providing opportunities for young people in our community. Her serial-entrepreneurial pursuits were often inspired by family. 

Raised in Cobleskill, NY, Maggie’s childhood was shaped by the quiet of the countryside after her family moved from the bustling streets of Long Island when she was four years old. Her father, a police officer for 20 years, made the decision to retire and move his family to Schoharie County, seeking a life away from the city. Maggie’s parents relocated the family into her paternal grandfather’s home up on West Fulton Road, setting their roots in the county. 

Maggie attended Cobleskill Central School before going on to Syracuse University, where she earned a degree from Newhouse in Business Communications. After graduation, Maggie left New York, like her father, vowing never to return. “I think I watched City Slickers one too many times,” Maggie laughs. “I ended up working on two dude ranches in Colorado.” She persuaded her brother Jim, best friend Dana, and Dana’s husband to join her in Denver. “Turns out, real life on a ranch was nothing like the movie.” 

Nearly a decade in Colorado, Friends for Life, her companion-care for the elderly was born after seeing and handling her own father's health troubles. Two kiddos later, Maggie began to reconsider her roots. “I realized that Schoharie County wasn’t so bad after all,” she reflects. “It was a great place to grow up, and an even better place to raise my own children.” 

In 2004, Maggie sold her half of the company and brought her family back to NY to plant her new seeds. Maggie and husband, Bryan, immediately opened Carpets & Then Some in Cobleskill, a business that quickly became woven into the community fabric. 

The original location, between the laundromat and the Cobleskill Diner, was small but with Maggie’s entrepreneurial spirit, the extra building space was used to open a women's-only gym. One year later, they moved the flooring business to its current location on Route 7 near the college, just across from the old soccer fields, a place that would become significant in their community connection. “The soccer fields—although no longer in use—were key to helping us become ingrained in the community,” Maggie shares. “We offered our parking lot for free for parents during soccer games. Little things like that made a big difference. It taught us how to truly be a part of the community. It started us on the path of giving back.” 

“We participated a lot, we donated a lot, we volunteered a lot,” Maggie Pryor shares.  

While managing the carpet store and caring for her family of five, Maggie trusted her instincts and enrolled in an MBA program at Russell Sage, taking night classes. The experience not only led to her earning her master’s degree but also reinforced Maggie’s belief that she still had more to give, more to accomplish, and more to learn. 

In 2021, the opportunity to become Executive Director of the Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley arose, and Maggie saw it as a chance to combine her love for animals with her commitment to community. What started as a part-time role quickly grew into a full-time position. Under her leadership, the shelter has facilitated thousands of adoptions, received hundreds of donations, and expanded its social media presence to more than 18,000 followers. “One of my favorite projects has been working with Radez Elementary,” Maggie shares. “The kids pick a shelter animal and write stories from its perspective, teaching them about compassion.” 

Maggie credits the shelter’s success to collaboration. “We’re a small shelter with a big heart. It’s a group effort,” she says. Maggie has worked tirelessly to improve the shelter’s facilities. Thanks to a NYS grant, a new building is underway, which will include a full-time veterinarian offering low-cost spay and neuter services. Additionally, Maggie is launching a new foster program to expand the shelter’s capacity to care for more animals. 

Maggie’s belief in community collaboration extends beyond the shelter. She has been an advocate for animal protection on a state level, recently being elected to the NYS Animal Protection Federation Board, where she works to change legislation to support smaller shelters like the one in Schoharie County. “It’s important to give a voice to smaller communities,” she says. 

If you’ve met Maggie, you’ve likely heard her defining line: “I have an idea.” It’s a phrase that captures her entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to community. Whether she’s running the animal shelter, contributing to local initiatives, or leading with curiosity and compassion, Maggie exemplifies the power of being rooted in a community and the lasting impact of giving back. 

And if that is not enough, when Maggie is not courier for sick animals or visiting her grown children out of state, she and her husband buy dilapidated houses, put in the sweat equity to repair and put local contractors to work creating quality homes for rent or sale. Maggie is constantly adding value to whatever she touches or wherever she goes. A seemingly bottomless well of giving.

“The best advice I can give,” Maggie says, “is to go with your strengths and use them for good. The more you give back, the better place it makes for everyone.” 

ROOTED

Interviewed and Authored by SEEC Associates, January 2025
Photos taken by Roslyn Rose Photography

RESOURCE BIN

Human
Maggie Pryor, Executive Director of Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley  

Physical
Animal Shelter of Schoharie Valley  
No-kill nonprofit shelter for stray and abandoned dogs and cats, funded by donations. 
Address: 304 Howe Cave Rd, Howes Cave, NY 12092 
Hours: Monday, closed. Open 1-3PM rest of the week. 
Phone: (518) 296-8390

Carpets & Then Some 
Address: 1698 NY-7, Cobleskill, NY 12043 
Phone: (518) 234-2347

Financial
Personal business ventures: self-funded. 
Governor Hochul Announces $7.6 Million Awarded to Animal Shelters for Improvements
Nicholas J. Juried Foundation

Intellectual/Industry
Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communication
Russell Sage College

Digital
Animal Shelter Website
Carpets & Then Some Website

For more information contact marketing@seecny.org.
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