Skiing on pristine slopes and eating farm-to-table fare in the region’s restaurants is all well and good, but sometimes you just want to get out and shop. The creative entrepreneurs of the Hudson Valley show no signs of letting them up their ambitious plans for transforming how we engage in commerce.
Berte | Beacon
The term “Scandifornian” describes an elegant design concept that fuses clean edges and airy spaces of Mid-Century Modern style, which originated on the West Coast, with the blonde wood tones and minimalist styling of Scandinavian design. It’s earthy yet fresh, clean yet warm. That’s exactly what you’ll find at the Beacon boutique
Berte, a curated home and lifestyle shop focused on handcrafted goods from small businesses. The shop represents the fusion of deSimone’s passion for handmade goods and modern design, her commitment to sustainability and diverse representation, and her rejection of the corporate world she once inhabited. Berte’s inventory is sourced from nearly 80 different artisanal brands and makers, including SIN, Anchal Project, House No. 23, GoldeGolde, Studio Arhoj, Blackbird, Tellefsen Atelier, YAM, Apres Ski, and Debbie Bean. There are hair clips, journals, and art pieces for around $15, while finer items, like a handblown glass vase, cost in the $100-$200 range.
Lovewild Design | Woodstock
From utilitarian home goods to creative stationery and gifts,
Lovewild Design specializes in low-waste living with style. Handmade entirely in New York with ethically sourced natural materials, Lovewild’s line of products reminds customers of the importance of sustainability even when shopping locally. All of Lovewild’s original products are homemade at Lovewild’s two studios. The Woodstock studio focuses on Lovewild’s messier products such as salve and soap making and screen printing, while more condensed items like face masks and bath salts are created at the East Village location. Beyond handcrafted Lovewild items, the shop also carries goods from local businesses. The storefront sells independent products that largely originate from New York, with many of the lines coming directly from Hudson Valley makers. The collection now includes candles made in Catskill studio and shop Cave Glow, elixirs from Saugerties-based ImmuneSchein, maple syrup from Arkville’s Tree Juice, salted caramel sauce from the Ardent Homesteader, and a variety of bulk soaps from Phoenicia Soap Co.
Mary Macgill Studio | Germantown
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Mary Magill Studio, Germantown
Mary Macgill grew up in and around New York City, where her father’s art gallery represented luminaries in the photography world such as Robert Frank, and Irving Penn. Through Frank, Macgill met the celebrated jewelry designer Kazuko Oshima who became her mentor. She discovered Germantown a few years ago, where her studio/showroom sits on Main Street in an old dry goods store. In her brick-and-mortar, as online, she sells her own 14-karat jewelry, along with a hand-selected assortment of art, objects, tea, books, clothing, and accessories from other makers. Part gallery, part concept store, the studio is an elegant showcase of Macgill’s aesthetic and curatorial eye. There is swimwear from Lido; dynamic vases from Hudson-based ceramicist Sarah Mijares Fick; relaxed, elegant clothing from brands like Black Crane and Jesse Kamm, and stone-and- string sculptures from California-based artist Laura Fischer.
DamnAged Vintage | Cold Spring
On a dreary winter day,
DamnAged Vintage in Downtown Cold Spring offers a bright antidote to the dark season, with well- organized, color-coded racks of garments and styled displays. Like most kids, the vintage shop’s founder Judiann Romanello played dress-up, rifling through her grandmother’s closet to put together glamorous outfits that spoke of bygone eras. After working corporate fashion for a few years, she opened her own brick and mortar in June 2020. Romanello’s well-trained eye for display is evident in the store’s thoughtful layout. Tidy racks of hats and shoes, accessories, and candles evoke a high-end department store display. Color and pattern transition smoothly across racks of dresses, skirts, sweaters, and pants, drawing you in, inviting you to browse.
WYLDE | Hudson
WYLDE is many things rolled into one: retail store, cafe, local hangout. Owner Hillary France conceives of WYLDE as a “cafe, clubhouse, and retail space,” which will have a two-tiered membership program. While the retail area, flush with antiques, vintage products, and local makers’ wares, will always be open to the public, the cafe and communal space will be for members only on weekdays. For those who choose to become WYLDE members, there’s also a gathering area and private meeting rooms, with interiors designed by local artists. France describes the retail style as “upstate comfort meets Western flair,” an expression of her personal aesthetic. All products are made either locally or sustainably and include brands such as Doen, Kordal, and Apis Apotheca. With the inventory at WYLDE, France strives to select well-made, lasting items that “you’re not going to throw away or are trend-based.”
Ritualist | New Paltz
A “modern witch shop” is what proprietor Dana Cooper calls her retail space promoting wellness, spirituality, and magic in downtown New Paltz.
Ritualist’s products are almost exclusively from small and independent brands and makers, such as 69herbs, an apothecary that focuses on LGBTQ health, and Bébé Vaudou, a Black-owned brand whose handmade, vegan offerings are sold in eco-friendly packaging. Cooper thinks it’s important to make sure that she lives her values “every step of the way.” For her, this means committing to exclusively sourcing from companies that implement sustainable and inclusive work practices, making it easier for consumers to shop ethically. Customers can see themselves represented there in products made by BIPOC, queer, and trans makers. Ritualist items include herbal tinctures, apothecary goods, journals, tarot decks, altar candles, and zines on witchcraft and wellness, as well as houseplants for purchase.
The Crows Nest | Red Hook
The Crows Nest storefront in Red Hook catches your eye as you pass by, the big windows revealing brightly patterned textiles hanging from the walls within, colorful pillow collections, ceramic plates, and wooden cutting boards. The vision of shopkeeper Sarah Carlson, The Crows Nest stocks products from both local and global makers—handmade baskets from Ghana; rugs from Afghanistan, India, and Nepal; and pottery from Morocco can be found alongside photography and collages by an artist who lives just a 10-minute drive away in Rhinebeck. The store’s mission is to provide women-made and socially responsible goods at affordable prices. This means both environmentally sustainable goods, such as glassware made from recycled beer bottles, and goods made by women worldwide, such as necklaces of repurposed kente cloth and sari textiles made by mothers who sell them to put their children in school.
