Looking for the perfect gift for someone special, or yearning for something fresh for your home or your wardrobe? Want a special souvenir of your Catskills visit? Check out Foundluck in Saugerties, where just browsing the loveliness will lift your spirits and remind you that life is about celebration—because that’s what Foundluck is, a shared celebration of lifelong dreams made real.
“People regularly walk in and comment on the scent of the store,” Jess Mannhaupt says. "‘It smells so good in here!’ It's usually a mix of new candles or soaps we've gotten in. We're working on a shop candle that hopefully captures that scent for our customers to take home. Our hope is that stepping inside feels familiar and new all at the same time. We try to rotate goods fairly often, so even for our locals and regulars it seems different from week to week.”
That’s the spirit of Foundluck, created as a labor of love by Mannhaupt and her husband, Mike—two Hudson Valley locals (he’s from Lake Katrine; she grew up in Lagrangeville) who lived in Chicago for a few years, polishing their already-established retail skills, before coming home to nest in the countryside just north of Saugerties. Mike’s grandmother had run the neighborhood convenience store while he was growing up, and he loved to spend time there basking in the affection she shared with her regulars. “He admired how she was a part of the community and had always wanted to find a way to do the same,” Mannhaupt says. “We actually met while both working at the Poughkeepsie Galleria in the early 2000s. We worked our way up through various mall jobs from sales associate to management.
“We really love Saugerties and are among so many great, hard-working business owners that promote and lift each other up.” – Co-owner Jess Mannhaupt
Then, while we were living in Chicago, we worked in a neighborhood with lots of small businesses, as opposed to the corporate retail world we were used to. I worked in a shop that carried both new lifestyle brands and vintage apparel, so I really got to see how the buying process worked and got to dig deeper into visual merchandising.”
A place of their own was a dream that came into sharper focus as their experience grew deeper, but it was after they came home that it started to feel achievable. “We really love Saugerties and are among so many great, hard-working business owners that promote and lift each other up,” Mannhaupt says.
Since opening as Foxglove General in March of 2024, the shop’s wares have evolved to better fit the community.
“The village and the building we're in have tons of historical charm and details that we appreciate. We really feel at home here and are thankful for how welcoming the neighborhood has been. Owning our own shop was something we would daydream about, but it was really the space we're currently in that made us take the leap. Driving through the village we had always admired the curved glass windows of the storefront and the old tin ceiling. As soon as we saw it was available and walked inside—that was it.”
Since opening as Foxglove General in March of 2024, the shop’s wares have evolved to better fit the community. “When we first opened, we went into it trying a lot of different product categories to see what would resonate with people,” Mannhaupt says. “We've somewhat scaled back on the pantry and ‘general store’ type goods and have expanded the men's and women's apparel. We've stuck with a tight mix of around seven clothing lines and do an assortment from each every season. It's a lot of classic Americana gear: snap shirts, lots of denim, whether it be pants, or shirts and jackets. There's accessories in that same classic vein—bandannas, hats, socks. It's funny, because I'll get asked if we're from out West because there's brands from Texas and California—but the truth is we try to carry a range of brands from all over the country. It's the best way to get a variety of things customers may not have seen before. It also allows us to support small makers from not just our immediate area. There's also lots of gift items, which change often depending on the time of year. Candles and greeting cards are always a staple, then we drop in specific gifts for occasions like Valentine's or Mother’s and Father's Day, and we usually do something fun for the Fourth of July.”
When they first returned to the Hudson Valley, Mannhaupt spent a few years working in floral design and loved it so much that she wanted to make it a part of her retail journey. “Having fresh flowers around is really important to me,” Mannhaupt says. “So while we’re primarily a lifestyle shop, I offer hand-tied bouquets in store during the local growing season and à la carte event and wedding florals year round. I also do some seasonal items like wreaths and small arrangements during the holiday season.”
It’s the kind of diversification and self-expression they could only dream about while working for others. “I had someone tell me ‘there's nothing like being able to steer your own ship’ when we were talking about opening the store, and that really has stuck with me,” Mannhaupt says. “In good times or otherwise, we have the ability to adjust, get creative, and really change the course if needed. Working in a small business changes everything; you really have the freedom to get creative and make adjustments as often or as little as you need. It also allows you to build strong relationships with customers. It's just the two of us here, so it's really nice to be able to catch up with people when they visit regularly.”
Just as Mike’s grandmother did, they’re building their community and lifting it up, and a lot of that still has to do with good old-fashioned face-to-face interaction. “In a world where so much is happening online and [on] Instagram, there's moments that you just can't re-create in the digital world,” Mannhaupt says. “The scent of a candle, the way that the breeze and sunlight come through the front door at different times of the day, being able to feel the textures of different fabrics and see their true colors in person. We really believe in keeping these things alive, and while we understand their role and importance to the business, we try not to get too caught up in the pace of the Internet and evolving technology.”
Keeping genuine interaction and customer service at the center means they’re getting to enjoy the reasons they both fell in love with shopkeeping in the first place. “I love hearing the stories of where the goods in the store end up,” Mannhaupt says.” There was a day we had two separate customers coincidently buy something they were going to wear for their upcoming weddings, which was really special. Another time, a mother picked out a packet of seeds to give to her daughter that had just bought her first home. It makes us work really hard to find the right mix of goods so that hopefully everyone can find a little something that speaks to themselves or makes them think of someone in their life they can give to.”
“Not a day goes by where we don’t stop to acknowledge how fortunate we are to be doing something we’re both proud of.”
Both the Mannhaupts thrive on the rhythm of retail, planning a season or two ahead, constantly researching the coolest new items to stock. In rebranding the shop as Foundluck, they’re keeping to their roots, infusing personal meaning into every choice. “Mike and I started dating on January 14th in 2007, and got married on October 14th in 2016, so we figured we'd keep the tradition going, so our opening date as Foxglove General was March 14, 2024. With our two-year anniversary this year, we've decided to rebrand as Foundluck; it feels like this fits us and what the personality of the shop has become since opening. Not a day goes by where we don't stop to acknowledge how fortunate we are to have been in the right place at the right time and be doing something we're both proud of.”
foundluck
85 Partition Street, Saugerties
518-859-1723 foundluckshop.com
