5 Shops And Boutiques To Visit This Fall
You'll enjoy visiting these clothing, jewelry, home furnishings and gift stores even if you're not holiday shopping.
Canvas + Clothier
How’s the retail scene doing in our part of the world? Quite well, and waiting for you to visit. These are some mainstays plus new stores that are worth checking out when you’ve got a yen to go shopping.
Canvas + Clothier | Poughkeepsie
Mary Vaughn Williams of Hudson Clothier and Jillian Grano of Utility Canvas call their retail collaboration a micro-department store, updating the best qualities of brick-and-mortar with sustainable next wave sensibilities, offering practical, high-quality, US-made clothing and home goods in the heart of Poughkeepsie. Downstairs in the handsome 19th-century building, there's a coffee shop and sustainably manufactured, fashionable clothing from Hudson Clothier; upstairs, you'll find 2,000 square feet of bed linens, pillows, and textiles designed and manufactured by New York City-based Utility Canvas.
Westerlind | Millerton, Great Barrington, Rhinebeck, Hudson
Westerlind, with four outposts in the region, is the creation of Andrea Westerlind, part of the third generation of a prominent Swedish design family and a wildly passionate, discerning seeker of the best-in-class for any given product. Westerlind curates outdoor gear and apparel items that are built to last and are casually chic, as well as cleanly designed yet cozy home goods, linens and candles, rugs, pillows and soft throws, all of it manifesting "a thoughtful offering and a left-of-center attitude," says Westerlind. The Millerton location also features the Westerlind Pantry, with fresh bread, prepared foods, local produce, pantry staples, beer, and cider.
Andrew Arrick and Michael Hofemann
Finch is a dream made real by Andrew Arrick and his husband, Michael Hofemann. Arrick's spent two decades on the front lines of luxe design and retail working with brands like Yves Saint Laurent, Celine, Carolina Herrera, and Vera Wang. Hofemann has an equally strong financial and marketing background, and both men adore traveling the world and sourcing treasures: sleek Scandinavian furnishings, choice antiques, fine textiles. Writing in Upstate House, Kathleen Willcox described Finch as offering "that sizzle of sensual pleasure that can upgrade a day of casual browsing into a memorable, even artful experience."
What a Gift in downtown Lenox is aptly named, because it truly is a godsend to shoppers looking for the perfect thing. Owner Jennifer Berkel closed it last year to retire, but reopened it last month when she realized retirement wasn't for her. Berkel has a good eye and great taste with a little bit of quirky sensibility thrown in (and she keeps things affordable). For instance, the Brittany Paige pen sets sport spot-on imprints in themes like Always Anxious ("le me ask my therapist," "my anxiety has anxiety;") and Little Vctories ('made it to the gym," "took a shower"). Elegant paint-by-numbers gift sets, shower bombs, socks and mittens, beanies with a built-in headlight, stocking stuffers and snarky cards keep What a Gift a lighthearted place to shop. We're glad it's back.
Nelson's Jewelry and Gifts | Pittsfield
Unless you regularly travel busy Elm Street in southeast Pittsfield, you probably don’t know about this jewel box of a store, a compact hideaway chock full of fashion jewelry, bridal and special occasion accessories, scarves, ponchos, and other gifty items like jewel boxes. It’s also where you’ll snare some pieces that are hard to find these days: clip-on earrings and religious jewelry. Peter Nelson’s father started the business as a wholesale concern in the early 60s, and in the 90s opened this retail outlet. He took over his dad's business, still selling wholelsale and maintaining the shop where you can get “good quality” fashion jewelry at excellent prices. “We don’t mark up like regular retailers,” he says, and in fact, every Saturday, everything in the store is half price. Nelson’s is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., but days and hours can be variable. You’ll know it’s open when the flag is flying out front.
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