Wandering on (and
off) Warren Street is a great place to start your visit to Hudson, NY. The shops on Warren Street are amazing and very high
end. Many of the antique stores (over 300) sell museum quality pieces with
price tags to match. Creativity and style is everywhere.
Hudson combines the
best of both worlds: nature and the kind urban ease that you would expect
to find in the city.
As an artist and
maker, a visit to Hudson is inspirational. The window displays are imaginative and styles are tightly curated. Katherine Moore, founder of
the Hudson
River Exchange says the Hudson Valley is "...an
ideal place for creating. Setting up a sustainable living here poses
several questions. Part of what we do (at Hudson Exchange) is seek people
from the greater maker community to stimulate that dialogue." They
have a lovely pop-up shop on Warren Street (just closed on October 18) with
locally crafted items and studio spaces. They organize local events offering
visual and community inspiration as well as platforms for commerce and exchange
for local makers.
There is also a lot
that you can do on the cheap in Hudson says founder of The HudsonRiver Exchange, Katherine Moore: "There are two
art stores - Sketch up by the park and Spotty Dog - along
with a lot of parks including the river front. Grabbing some art supplies and
heading to the river is amazing. Another nice thing to do in Hudson is
just wander Warren. Go into antique stores and just look at the oddities
and eras of design. There is one antique store Hudson Mercantile in the 300 block of Warren. You can buy little industrial
trinkets from a dollar or two. There is also the Red
Chair in the 600 block.
Also sells small little items from France."
Our favorite spot was the Spotty Dog Books and Ale: a bookstore, watering hole, art supply shop rolled into one. Beer on tap is mostly local and always delicious. Growler friendly. Also loved the funky vintage clothing shops on and off Warren.
Hudson River Exchange upcoming events include:
a workshop on Visual Merchandising with Nick Blaine of Hawkins New York (a design shop and brand on Warren
Street in Hudson) on October 27th.
The workshop will be directed towards
market booths as we approach the holiday season, but will include
foundations of visual story telling relevant for people selling on Etsy as
well. Importantly it will also be attended by other creatives and is a
great way to connect with peers.
We ventured out of
Hudson on two day trips. One to Frederic Church's Olana and
the other to the home of Church's mentor, The Thomas Cole House. Both locations offered insight into each artist's work and passions and hosted a
contemporary art exhibit called, River Crossings. The surrounding landscape was also
quite beautiful. The Hudson River School artists painted the American
landscape and our relationship to nature through themes of wilderness,
discovery, exploration, and settlement. The artists often traveled to remote locations and painted from memory or from an amalgamation of sketches.
Looking forward to exploring more of the Hudson Valley.
For more info about Hudson, NY check
out the following websites:
Design Sponge Hudson Valley Guide
What are your favorite places in Hudson or the Hudson Valley?
