Beacon Bits -- "Buy-In" Beacon

If you missed Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, don't panic; everyday can be "Buy-In Beacon" Day -- be it for the holidays or for all the other gift giving occasions throughout the year.

Here's my top ten reasons to shop in Beacon

10.  One of a kind handmade gifts (and a skein or two of yarn) at Clay Wood and Cotton  .........

(And for handmade, don't forget all the pop-up stores around town, and scheduled workshops to make your own gifts at Jessica Wickham's wood studio during the weekend of December 6th and 7th and blowing glass ornaments at Hudson Beacon Glass throughout the month of December and D-I-Y workshops at Nixie Sparrow.)

9.  Warm clothes and boots suited for cold weather and outdoor sports at Mountain Tops Outfitters........

8.  The best of the valley's arts and crafts at Riverwinds Gallery........

7.  The best wine and spirits selection with expert advice about food pairings at Artisan Wine Shop..........

6.  Thoughtful treats and toys for all the furry, four-legged friends in your life at Beacon Barkery........

5.  A unique book about hiking, kayaking or local history throughout the Hudson Valley or a monetary donation for all the wonderful 'free' programming in honor of that special someone on your shopping list who already has everything they need at Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries........

4.  Seasonal plants, festive bouquets or floral home decorations at La Bella Rosa........

3.  A wide selection of gourmet gadgets and kitchenware at Utensil........

2.  Whatever you find (or smell or taste) that you may not have been looking for but that you find intriguing at Heart and Soul........

1.  Something elegant, fashion forward, artistic and custom made for your home or to wear as your signature garment or accessory at Gwenno James........

I bemoaned the fact that another one of my favorites, an iconic hat store -- Jaqueline's --could not make the list this year because it just closed. However, there may be more to report about what this talented creator and purveyor of hats will be planning for the future.

Most important, in the midst of all this shopping, I'd be remiss not to mention Giving Tuesday. While there are a multitude of nonprofits worthy of your donation in Beacon (see my previous blog about becoming a friend of our local organizations), this year I'd like to draw attention to a program taking place at Beacon's two local prisons--Downstate Correctional Facility and Fishkill Correctional Facility--(as well as four other prisons) called Puppies Behind Bars (PBB.) Inmates are trained to train Labrador retrievers to become service dogs for the disabled, those who are blind or for veterans healing from physical and emotional wounds. In addition to the staff for the non-for-profit PBB and the inmates, volunteers from neighboring towns are trained to become puppy sitters who socialize the pups in the community. Read more about this 16 year old program to find out why it is so deserving of recognition as a highly effective, win-win proposition for the rehabilitation of inmates, for the ultimate recipients of the dogs when they are placed in homes, and for those who volunteer to help raise loving companions. Consider giving a donation--or learning about how to become a puppy sitter--it will truly be a gift that keeps giving.

Food for thought:  It's all in the giving. Generosity and altruism are gifts of and for the spirit. So when you are in search of the gifts with monetary value, feed yourself with pleasurable pursuits and worthy causes. You will be giving a gift to yourself as you support local business, meet and greet proprietor-friends, and revel in the assortment of beautiful opportunities that Beacon has to offer.

As you shop, remember to feed your body as well. Make time for a snack or meal at  

Beacon Bread Company, Tito Santana, Beacon Pantry, 

Homespun, Poppy's, Bank Square, Ella Bella's and Beacon Bagels.

And if you need a place to spend an overnight, call ahead for a room at Botsford Briar Bed & Breakfast!

Beacon Bits--Hop to It!

Spring has officially arrived with the vernal equinox but it has been in the air for a couple of weeks. In the midst of all this balmy weather in Beacon, with the earliest arrival of daffodils, forsythia, magnolias and cherry blossoms that I've ever witnessed, there are several venues worthy of checking out: Hop, the new brew-oriented foodie hot spot across from the Howland Cultural Center and Gallery 508, where the featured artist, Christine Hartman, opened on 2nd Saturday in March. Both destinations are conveniently located on the East End of town with another new store, La Bella Rosa, in Russ Cusick's old gallery location. La Bella Rosa has the old feel of a traditional florist and knick-knack gift shop. Janette, the proprietor, is a friendly and knowledgeable, veteran florist who seems happy to have arrived in Beacon. The juxtaposition of La Bella Rosa amidst the row of funky and forward fashions found at Echo, Jacqueline,  and Lauren & Riley, the good eats at Beacon Falls Cafe and the Beacon Bagel, and the health-oriented Beacon Yoga, creates a time warp in the Beacon we all expect and love.

Hop -- aptly named since anyone trying to gain access at a pub crawl pace would be out-of-luck since it has had packed-to-capacity seating since its opening on March 1st. (Hop apparently will have an official opening on April 7th, so like spring, it seems to have arrived a month early!) Hop has a variety of local brews on tap, as well as bottled, international craft beers and food that can be eaten "in" (soups, cheese plates, beef jerky, pates) or items featuring Hemlock Hill Farm products and vinegars from a local monastery to be taken "out". The overall feel of the establishment is upbeat, casual and depending on when you arrive, a bit frenetic, even bordering on chaotic. It's definitely a meeting place for the younger (or young-at-heart) set in town.

For a more sedate excursion, be sure to stop by Gallery 508, owned by Jens Bille, who hails from Denmark and worked as a designer for Georg Jensen. The collection of his own artwork and  jewelry designs, as well as, antique collectibles, black-and-white photographs, and Japanese wood prints, is showcased with a featured artist who is local Beacon artist, Christine Hartman through the end of April. Hartman's still life oil paintings bring traditional and carefully placed household objects and even a cat or two on practically full-size canvases that make her art a tromp l'oeil of all that you stand before in the midst of in this well-appointed gallery. The color palate is soothing and inviting so you'll just have to pull up a chair (before it is sold) and gain your composure from all the activity that is ready to burst into being with upcoming spring and summer festivities in this soon-to-be Roundhouse section of town. Check out the progress of the Roundhouse, recently noted in Hudson Valley Magazine to be the second best thing for Beacon's development after the Dia's opening in 2003.

Some food for thought: For perspective, one has to acknowledge that Beacon has had many more seminal events in its recent history other than the conversion of two factories into a world-renowned art museum and a restaurant/conference center/loft space on either end of town respectively. It's all of Beacon's past, present and future that one finds along the full extent of Main Street -- from Bank Square to Hudson Beach Glass to Artisan Wine Shop to Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries to Seed to Fruit...and everything sandwiched in between. All of Beacon is getting ready to 'hop' to it as this glorious spring leads to summer surprises along the way. With the arrival of Hop, it is a reminder that 'imitation is the best form of flattery' since the food and gourmet local goodies-to-go will remind Beaconites of the popular Homespun and the fact that it became the forerunner of Frost & Justice, the local Kingston brewery that has been in partnership with the Beacon Theatre across the street. Good ideas are easily replicated. When a community can hold more than one venue featuring the same goods or services, it is a sign that demand is dictating supply; friendly competition never hurts anyone. It just offers more choices for the consumer who wants to buy and stay local.