A journey to Tannersville, the Painted Village in the Sky, is a gift in itself. You’re in the heart of the glorious Great Northern Catskills, surrounded by breathtaking views, colorful art, and a few hundred smart mountain folks. Congratulations on picking a great place to explore—now head on into Tannersville Works and reward yourself with something cool from their creatively curated array of gifts, vintage finds, fine art, and useful goodies
Tim Patrick’s journey to Tannersville began in suburban central California, continued through a semester in London and a sojourn in San Francisco, and then landed him on the East Coast in the West Village. Like many a creative New Yorker, he found that the Catskills offered a wonderful escape hatch, and he and his partner purchased a weekend retreat in 2017. Then came the pandemic. “When COVID happened, we thought, ‘well, we’ll just spend a couple of weeks up here and see how all this plays out’,” he says, “and it ended up being a lot longer than expected. In the process, we sort of reversed the roles of the city and the mountains in our lives going back down when we chose, but the Catskills became home base.”
It was a life transformation that went deeper than simple geography. “The pandemic was challenging for so many people on so many levels, but it opened a door for people to evaluate how they spent their time, with whom, what they were really doing, and how it felt,” Patrick says. “It gave us permission to take a deep look at the formula we were following around jobs and the whole hustle, you know? And the process freed me up to let go of my corporate gig.”
His day job as a Creative Director in a marketing agency had been mostly remote for a while, but making the decision to actually resign felt “liberating and exciting, but also horribly irresponsible and scary. I took three months off to self-reflect and try to figure out what I wanted tomorrow to look like. And mostly out of curiosity, I picked up a hobby—I started making candles. It was fun, and people liked them. But I knew I didn’t want to throw my whole self and all of my energy into being the Candle Guy.”
“The pandemic was challenging for so many people on so many levels, but it opened a door for people to evaluate how they spent their time, with whom, what they were really doing, and how it felt.” – Owner, Tim Patrick
“I loved designing the candles—from fragrances, style and tone, to branding and labels. I also enjoyed reaching out to some local shops throughout the Catskills and Hudson Valley, the networking and connecting with people.” – Owner, Tim Patrick
But within that hobby lay the seeds of his next chapter, just waiting to sprout. “I loved designing the candles—from fragrances, style and tone, to branding and labels. I also enjoyed reaching out to some local shops throughout the Catskills and Hudson Valley, the networking and connecting with people. My old job had me behind a computer 10 hours a day. This got me out there.”
Before he transitioned away from candle making, Patrick went through the process of setting it up as a business, which turned out to come in handy down the line. So did a connection he’d made up here before resigning from his corporate gig: a fellow city refugee, a Brooklynite, had opened a coworking space where he took refuge while his partner, Stephen Corsello, was working on loud home improvement projects.
When Workspace owner Gillian Telling found that life was drawing her back to Brooklyn, Patrick and Corsello bought the business, renegotiated the lease,. rebranded as Tannersville Works, and put a gift shop in the front of the space. “There was still demand for coworking at that point, but I wanted to add something more dynamic and offer more to the community,” Patrick says. “Little by little, as the need for coworking space diminished, the art and gift space has organically grown and taken over. So we’ve been bringing in featured artists, some local, mainly just contemporary art we love. We don’t want to go in the direction of clichéd, you know, having nothing but pastoral mountain landscapes or Catskills souvenirs all over the place— we wanted it to be smart, dynamic and interesting, which to me is what this place genuinely is.”
Now, Tannersville Works is all in on “the cool retail, the fun gifts, and vintage and small pieces of furniture, the artists’ receptions,” Patrick says. “People who come here to visit often remark that they’d had no idea so much great stuff goes on up here. And it’s not just us—we have a lot of great shops and restaurants here, along with all of the waterfalls and outdoor adventures.” Out-of-towners aren’t the only ones enjoying what’s working about Tannersville Works. “People who’ve lived here forever also love to see something new and interesting going on when it’s geared to welcome them too,” Patrick observes. “We had a reception for a wonderful photographer, Hans Petrich—he’s from the Hudson Valley—and the event brought people up from the valley and from the city who hadn’t been to Tannersville in a long time. And it also brought in a lot of people from the local community, and it was really nice to just get them all together, pour the wine, and turn up the tunes.”
Part of the shop’s organic evolution has turned out to be a steady stream of vintage treasure. “We had a little extra space, so we asked a friend, Matthew Izzo—he does mostly highend furniture, but he also collects vintage and has a lot of retail experience if he’d like to try bringing a few items up. He’s become a great mentor and informal partner, and he’s got a really great eye, so he finds and curates our vintage collection. We integrate those items with our new stuff—apparel and housewares, and stuff like that—and the result is a beautiful example of how vintage and newer items can work really well together. Vintage items were made to be used, after all, in new celebrations and special moments, not to gather dust on a shelf.”
“We mix up the silly and campy with the elegant and sophisticated,” Patrick says. “We love the contrasts; it’s a lot of fun.” – Owner, Tim Patrick
The resulting blend has a feeling of real life that customers respond to with pleasure, he says. “Matthew said early on that we’re not making a museum here, and we took it to heart,” Patrick says. “We have things that are meant to be touched, picked up, and integrated into celebrations and pleasures. So while he does the vintage, I focus on finding wonderful new things at a wide range of price points. We want to keep it very accessible.”
The team is having a blast, so stop in and check out the results: the classic Catskills wool blankets, cheery needlepoint pillows— some with classic Catskills motifs, and others with serious sass—the mid-century glassware in gleaming reds and blues, the jewelry, and, yes, candles, fine art, and pop art. “We mix up the silly and campy with the elegant and sophisticated,” Patrick says.
Come as you are, and don’t feel like you need to whisper.
“We love the contrasts; it’s a lot of fun. We’re doing small grab-and-go oil paintings for the holidays, and the back of the space is still evolving— we’re thinking grab-and-go furniture, pieces that can go in your car, new items done really well that integrate well with vintage pieces. Think mid-century modern, but reimagined for today’s world.”
Back in 2017, Patrick couldn’t have imagined the vivid life he’s now immersed in. ”I’m still on a learning curve,” he says. “I’m just enjoying the journey, having the space and the opportunity, working with people I respect and trust—both within our team and among the other local businesses—working together to make Tannersville better for everyone. So come in and say hi! We keep the energy light and playful and dynamic, never pretentious. So come in and be happy and silly, ask questions, joke around, enjoy the artwork. Come as you are, and don’t feel like you need to whisper.”
tannersville works
6041 Main Street, Tannersville
518-718-4050
tannersvilleworks.com
