Photo by Alexander Schimmeck
It’s fair to call the Hudson Valley a treasure hunter’s paradise. Centuries of settlement by the creative, the well-heeled, and the eccentric, to name just a few, have generated quite a stash of cool old stuff, from the odd seven-figure find to the funky and quirky, from the simply fabulous to the fabulously simple, from the meticulously preserved to the lovingly restored.
AUCTION ACTION
Cool old items around here come in every genre and at every price point, objects with personalities and life stories lending them a patina that mass-produced new stuff can’t match. Antique and vintage shopping is a wonderful way to make your home really yours and to find gifts for loved ones that you absolutely won’t find anywhere else. If you’re looking for a higher-end statement piece, you should probably start online.
Two of the Hudson Valley’s major dealers in pre-loved items, the Rhinebeck Antique Emporium and George Cole Auctions, post their finest finds as auction items. George Cole and his partner Robin Mizerak hold 12-15 estate merchandise auctions a year, selling, as they say online, “Almost Anything Of Value That Is Legal To Sell!!!” They once rehomed a 1934 Dusenberg for $1 million; among theirlong list of clientele are a former president, celebrities, and government agencies, and they’ve helped charities raise millions. They deal in anything from toys to farm equipment to real property, with a lot of antique and vintage in the mix.
Rhinebeck Antique Emporium 
Jay Grutman’s Rhinebeck Antique Emporium holds an auction or two a year, featuring treasures they’ve accumulated from the Hudson Valley and their outposts in Vero Beach, Florida and Newport, Rhode Island.
“We’re always coming across unique and interesting things,” says Grutman, who grew up in Larchmont in a family that collected 18th-century furniture and originally purchased his Rhinebeck store as a place to store his own collection of classic cars. “In Florida, it’s often smaller items: silver jewelry, paintings, art glass. People who’ve moved to Florida often get rid of larger items before they make the move.
In Rhode Island, we get the whole spectrum—there are still a lot of huge estates there. And we still come across some very nice pieces of furniture, as well as smaller items, here in the Hudson Valley. We’re seeing a lot of Hudson River School art—there were and are a lot of prolific artists in the Woodstock area in particular.”
If you’ve never bid on an auction item before, both houses pride themselves on demystifying the process. And if you have inherited or gotten tired of something special, they offer expert appraisals, from free, informal, and verbal to in-depth and meticulously researched.
George Cole Auctions 
MARVELOUS MARKETS
Part of the joy of the whole game is that pretty much anyone can play, as treasure hunter or treasure merchant—and while one level plays out in the highly specialized world of the high-end collectible, there’s a wider assortment of what one might call the people’s antiques, things that won’t break the bank and may even be practical and handy to have around. That’s where many of our vintage and antique merchants fit into the scene, operating establishments as unique as they are—and they’re an eclectic bunch.
At Kingston Consignments, for example, you’ll find a vast and intriguing mix that comes in from every direction. Owner Craig McElroy had a rental spot across the river before diving in and setting up the Front Street building, now jammed with all manner of fascinations. “We don’t take everything; clear glass, for example, is a really bad market right now,” he says.
“People ask me what I buy and I say, ‘I buy what you buy.’ And we try to keep the prices aggressive, so it turns over, rather than trying to bleed every penny out of things.”
Part of the joy of the whole game is that pretty much anyone can play, as treasure hunter or treasure merchant.
Kingston Consignments 
Along with the consignment items, Kingston Consignments hosts a number of dealer’s booths. Most antique venues are collaborations among a few dozen sellers, veteran treasure hunters who maintain a spot or two. The bricks-and-mortar Rhinebeck Antique Emporium is filled with not just the things Grutman finds but those of the 40-plus dealers under his roof. “You have all of those eyes constantly looking for things all over,” says Grutman, “and you literally never know what you’ll find.”
Red Owl Collective 
Antique center proprietors take great pride in both the shopper-friendly experience of the overall space and in working with vendors who “get it” and rotate their merchandise often so that you’ll always see something new and different, keeping the adventure fresh for everyone. At the Red Owl Collective in Kingston, treasure-merchant Cindy Hoose hosts over 70 vendors, which makes for a vast variety; around 20,000 items have changed hands there since August of ‘23. “Every day folks are buying home items...pottery, decor, useful objects, vintage clothing,” she says. “We have sold not one but two human skulls! Last week I sold an outsider artist’s painting that was originally part of a set of two to the same person who bought the other a year ago at a different location. It was the first time this customer had been to the store, and it was the day I brought in the painting. Synchronicities of objects finding their new owners! Connecting people and objects is what brings me joy.”
Maple Lawn 1843s 
Ball & Claw Antiques 
FINDING THE FABULOUS
Unlike the managers of megamarts, antique and vintage impresarios can express their individuality in every choice they make. “I love having a space where people can come in and walk all around a piece, turn it upside down, lay hands on it,” says Ron Sharkey, proprietor of Maple Lawn 1843 in Stone Ridge. “I also love fixing and repairing. I do a lot of that. There’s something very satisfying about restoring an 1800s cabinet back to useful life.” Sharkey, who’s got an art degree from Pratt, has been tapped to decorate some of the region’s fanciest resorts and has brokered five-foot-diameter barrels, fancy gilded frames, and a vintage OB-GYN examining table. “I guess in the broadest sense, I’m an antique dealer,” he says. “I certainly have some. But I shy away from labels. I have things I like; some of them are gilded and fancy, and others are very simple.” Opened early last summer, Ball & Claw Antiques, Design & Garden in Port Ewen is the project of Maria Phillipis, who’s been credited with revolutionizing the Kingston restaurant game during her tenure as owner of the wildly popular bistro Boitson’s. Now she’s opened a spot where she can be hospitable among a collective array of treasures of all sorts “in an old, winding building,” she says. “It was vacant a long time, but it’s got a nice street presence and plenty of parking—I foresee craft markets and other events. I just like spreading joy and having fun.” Given that Ball & Claw has a pastry chef and a drinks truck from the Stockade Tavern, we foresee lots of that joy. Those delights in themselves are a high-touch mode of retail therapy, and the results are priceless, equally available to the collector of fine porcelain pieces and to folks who love digging through a stack of old vinyl or books. When you buy a pre-loved item that you love, you’re adding something very special to your daily life.
Pink Clementine 
Half Moon Books 
The Shops at Emerson 
“Good old things have layers of vibes, the way trees have rings,” says Grutman. "Each person that lays their hands on it and brings it home, cares for it and cherishes it, adds another layer that’s unique to them.”
HERE’S A SELECTION OF TOP-NOTCH DESTINATIONS FOR AN ANTIQUE AND VINTAGE QUEST:
Antiques Barn at Water Street Market in New Paltz is a multi-dealer, two-story treasure trove that’s won both a Hudson Valley magazine best-of award and a Chronogrammy readers’ choice. Loads of beautifully presented, well-priced, and unique jewelry, antique glass, pottery, clothing, furniture, and more, curated and assembled by treasure hunters for treasure hunters. waterstreetmarket.com/antiques-barn, 845-255-1403
Ball and Claw Antiques, Design & Garden in Port Ewen features over 20 diverse dealers in a big old house, with good coffee and pastries to enhance your exploration. Ballandclawhv.com, 845-481-4993
George Cole Auctions & Realty in Red Hook holds regular live auctions. You can see previews online, then register and bid online on a custom-built platform or attend in person for an exciting evening out. georgecoleauctions.com, 845-758-9114
Half Moon Books in Kingston and Tivoli has an eclectic, weird and wonderful selection of fine, rare, and pre-read volumes. Looking for something hard to find? Ask them. halfmoonusedbooks.com, 845-331-5439
Newberry Artisan Market 
Maplelawn 1843 
Red Owl Collective 
Kingston Consignments in Kingston’s Stockade is a glorious two floors packed with furniture, clothing, decor, art, music, jewelry, and more. You can bring good old things here and they’ll give it three months to sell and split the take with you 50/50. kingstonconsignments.com, 845-481-5759
Maple Lawn 1843 is the name and birth-year of a gorgeous Stone Ridge home that tastemaker Ron Sharkey has refurbished and filled with all sorts of things he loves for your perusal. facebook.com/fieldandbarn, instagram.com/maplelawn1843 845-706-1070
Newberry Artisan Market is a fine Saugerties mercantile in a historic building, where you’ll find several booths focused on antique and vintage among art, pottery, jewelry, unique designer clothing, eco-friendly body care, and more. newberryartisanmarket.com, 845-247-3002
Pink Clementine Curated Consignment & Community Space in Kerhonkson is an artfully curated array of thrifted and handmade women’s and children’s clothing and accessories; all of it from women-owned businesses and arrayed amidst fine art—the shop is also a gallery with new art exhibited every three months. instagram.com/pinkclementinellc, 917-679-0094
Red Owl Collective is a well-organized and spacious antique, vintage, and design emporium in Kingston’s Midtown Arts District with 70 indescribably varied vendors; watch their website and socials for flea markets held outdoors in the spacious parking lot. redowlcollective.com, 845-481-4675
Newberry Artisan Market 
Maplelawn 1843 
Red Owl Collective 
Rhinebeck Antique Emporium in Staatsburg is the largest under-one-roof destination in the valley for antiques and appraisals, run by a lifelong connoisseur of all things old and wonderful. rhinebeckantiqueemporium.com, 845-876-8168
Saugerties Antiques Center is one of the area's oldest continuously running antique shops, operating since the 1970s and constantly adding fresh, expertly curated estate jewelry, vintage furniture, and historical collectibles to its vast array of just about everything imaginable: fine arts, industrial, midcentury modern, agricultural and garden artifacts can all be found here at reasonable prices. facebook.com/p/Saugerties-Antiques-Center, 845-246-8234
The Shops at Emerson Resort & Spa in Mt. Tremper offers a curated selection of spots where you’ll find the antiques of tomorrow at diverse price points. Check out the Kaleidostore, the Toy Chest, and Home & Garden. emersonresort.com/theshopsatemerson, 845-688-2828
Uptown Attic in Gardiner is a consignment boutique where you’ll find fine, hand-selected clothing and accessories from the trendy to the timeless for women of all shapes and sizes, plus a children’s department; check their Facebook for live events. uptownattic.net, 845-255-0093
Yellow Lab Vintage & Books in Troy’s antique district is a lighthearted, inclusive, and quirky destination that combines a fine selection of secondhand reading blended with curated vintage clothing, furniture, and decor. instagram.com/yellow.lab.vint, 518-203-7111
