Hudson Valleyites take pride in local food and how it’s brought to the table. Kathryn Hammill of River Mint Finery in Kingston believes that same spirit should apply to all the goods that fill our lives.
“People are so specific about the food we eat and where it comes from,” she says. “It should be the same for clothing, furniture, ceramics, and other goods—they should be directing their purchases to things that are locally or mindfully made.”
Purposeful shopping is the ethos at River Mint Finery, the Stockade District shop that Hammill opened in 2019, where the curated selection of clothing, jewelry, and goods showcase quality fabrication and “a good story.”
“I’m a designer, and I love to bring products I find to the community and people around me,” Hammill says. “We do carry Levi’s jeans—they’re an American classic. Otherwise, I focus on independent designers who are close to their supply chain. A lot of the time, you buy something and you don’t make the connection with where it came from.”
Mindful consumers can find Kingston-based brands Eleven Six and Lake & Skye at the store, as well as some of Hammill’s designer favorites, like the cotton T-shirt line For Days.
“For Days is a ‘full-circle’ cotton knit,” Hammill explains. “Anything you buy from them, you can send back when you want to let it go, and they’ll reuse the cotton.”
Buying purposefully is the logic behind what Hammill chooses to sell. “I want people to have the sense that it’s going to be a memorable experience because there are stories behind the things they buy,” she says. “We don’t think of ourselves as trend-driven. We carry classic shapes that are modern and easy, so you feel well put-together.”
