Wildlife, design, food & drink, travel, real estate, country characters, adventures, waterfalls.
All in Shopping
Inquiring Minds Bookstore and Coffee House sells new books alongside used books, has a super kids section as well as a giant grown-up selection, and pours notably delicious coffee, tea, and lemonade. When it’s too cold or too hot or too rainy to enjoy the outdoors, this Saugerties book shop can really save the day.
Did you know that Sfoglini makes all of their pasta in the quaint Hudson Valley town of Coxsackie? Sfoglini makes fun, colorful pasta shapes, combining American ingredients with Italian techniques. The result is a rustic, rough-textured pasta that clings to sauce far better than its slippery, mass-produced supermarket counterparts.
Mansion + Reed, our favorite general store in the Hudson Valley, is now serving some of the best coffee for miles around. The owners, twin sisters Lia and Justine Post, pour a fine cup of cappuccino, a smooth and chocolatey cold brew, and signature espresso drinks like the Maple Cinnamon Latte, made with a shot local syrup, a sprinkle of spicy Ceylon cinnamon, and oat milk or Ronnybrook farm creamline milk. It’s caffeine heaven, and when it gets too hot for a steamy latte, you can order it iced.
Black Horse Farms in Athens, NY is so much more than a typical farm stand. With two balmy greenhouses, tons of plants and garden supplies, ridiculously delicious house-made cookies, loads of local food, and everything you need to make a simple-yet-delicious meal, it’s a destination-worthy shopping experience, especially on a cold and rainy spring day.
Some of the best tea in the Catskills comes from Catskill Mountain Tea Company, a one-woman business run by Ashley Carr in South Westerlo. A native to the Catskill and mid-Hudson Valley area, Ashley curates a health-promoting collection of black tea, green tea, and herbal tea blends that celebrate the aromas and flavors of her home in the Catskill Mountains.
Briars & Brambles Books, a cozy little bookstore in Windham, has an incredible selection of winter reads. Their staff picks are perfect for curling up by the fire, their cookbooks are geared toward comforting cabin fare, and their children's section is carefully curated with the exact books you want to be reading at bedtime after a long day of skiing or snow-tubing on Windham Mountain.
Phoenecia-based jewelry designer Sara Golden shares a guide to stylish gifts crafted in the Catskills, pairing her own jewelry line with chocolate, liqueur, beauty items, and housewares. Her clean-lined designs have a subtle, natural sparkle that’s eye-catching enough for cocktails in the city yet earthy enough for dinner on the deck.
Where to buy food, drink, and local goods during the Covid-19 outbreak. Catskills/Hudson Valley/ Upstate NY businesses that provide delivery or safe distance curbside pick-up. Buy local and stay safe from the coronavirus.
Mattice, a Catskills boutique where coffee meets couture. A new reason to visit the quaint hamlet of Oak Hill, just 25 minutes from Hudson.
Hudson’s Spotty Dog Books and Ale has 12 well-curated brews on tap, wine, French press coffee, and snacks. Plus books, toys, and an art supply shop in the back. Time to crush your gift list with an IPA in your hand.
If you need a kid-friendly rainy-day activity in the Catskills, the World’s Largest Kaleidoscope is here for you.
A barn-turned-tropical-paradise. Magical reels played in a treehouse-like cafe. A destination-worthy record store. A blacksmith. A soap maker. Some neo-Dadaist art. Hey, it must be Oak Hill Day!
At Mooney’s Auction House in East Durham, Al Cardamone, Jr. carries on the tradition of singing away solid wood furniture, jewelry, antiques, and ephemera.
A sun-drenched, plant-filled space. Impeccable coffee. Picture-perfect yard. To-go bottles. Crazy-delicious snacks. Artistic goods. Beautiful people. Um, who needs Brooklyn anyway?
The hand-lettered signs out front read "ALL BOOKS 50¢ to $1" and "YES! PARK ON THE GRASS!" If you're a bookworm who is a few beers deep (thanks to the nearby Suarez and Sloop tasting rooms), this roadside bookshop is pure magic.
Here's a cheat sheet to all my blog posts on the shops, restaurants, farm stands, hotels, and AirBnB's mentioned in my Brooklyn Based piece, “Upstate escape: 3 off-the-beaten-path Catskills towns.” Photo by Beth Schneck.
Lime Kiln Farm feels like a little piece of the Italian countryside tucked into the Hudson Valley. The owners made cheese in Tuscany for over 20 years before moving to the Catskills town of Coxsackie.
