As the entire planet moves forward and events unfold, it’s clear what the true essentials are and have always been: Good health. Mutual aid. Equality for all. Peace. Communication. Love.
Now more than ever, we are seeing what true community looks like all across the Hudson Valley, as people come together to support one another. Not only are local businesses working together to help each other through an unprecedented pandemic, but as we head into the carefree season of summer, neighbors from all over the Valley are speaking out to stand up for justice and equality for all.
Peaceful vigils and protests are drawing large crowds in towns both large and small, funds are being raised to help those who are marginalized, and we are once again reminded of the power of civic participation. WE ARE ALL IN IT TOGETHER.
When Governor Andrew Cuomo put New York “on PAUSE” in mid-March, our Vortex was already mobilizing. County and municipal governments and not-for-profits sprang into action, pulling together Ulster’s Project Resilience, the Orange and Sullivan COVID-19 Response Fund, and Dutchess Responds almost overnight.
Restaurants and farm stands turned to pickup and delivery and feeding the needy; retailers crafted brand new online storefronts and expanded existing ones; real estate agents refined the art of the virtual reality walk-through and the drive-through closing.
“Important for people to see where food comes from. Focus on fresh air and allowing people to have a fun farm experience while picking. Back to the roots. Back to where we came from. The land.” –Kelder’s Farm
Outdoor wonders such as Mohonk Preserve and Opus 40, closed for a time, came back to life with new procedures in place. Rail Explorers, Catskills Division, has reworked its procedures to offer its “guided but solitary” tours safely, retraining staff and rethinking seating areas and check-in procedures to offer socially distanced rides.
Restaurants have put enormous thought into exactly what sort of culinary delights will travel well and be most nourishing to those staying home, introducing bodega-style market offerings and family meal deals.
All along, the creativity, generosity, and smarts we’ve written about in every issue of this magazine since its beginnings have been flowing like our mighty Hudson River herself.
Farmers markets in Kingston and Rosendale opened in May, while on-farm markets were limited to curbside and delivery service. Farmers, meanwhile, were impacted by challenging spring weather and the fact that crops and critters don’t pause for anybody’s pandemic. “Carrying on through the season especially when crops become available,” said Kelder’s Farm in a terse, eloquent update. “Important for people to see where food comes from. Focus on fresh air and allowing people to have a fun farm experience while picking. Back to roots. Back to where they came from. The land. Check website for updates since things change daily with the worldly climate. Most important thing is people feeling they are in a safe environment.”
“We used our advertising space to list important resources where our neighbors could find meals and critical hotlines.”
–Herzog’s Home Center of Kingston
roots. Back to where they came from. The land. Check website for updates since things change daily with the worldly climate. Most important thing is people feeling they are in a safe environment.”
Restaurants have put enormous thought into exactly what sort of culinary delights will travel well and be most nourishing to those staying home, introducing bodega-style market offerings and family meal deals. Breweries, cideries, and distilleries became pickup and delivery only to lubricate our lockdown.
Herzog’s Home Center in Kingston is essential. (Thousands of homeowners know this; it seems the government agreed.) “The first 10 days after the Governor put New York ‘on PAUSE’ were unlike anything we have experienced,” says marketing director Julie Jordan. “It meant we needed to quickly educate ourselves about employee and customer safety guidelines, as well as economic implications. We immediately implemented the CDC Guidelines and pivoted our marketing messages to support our local community. We used our advertising space to list important resources where our neighbors could find meals and critical hotlines.”
Sanitizers, cleaners, paper products, and safety equipment were suddenly in huge demand, requiring communication and coordination with suppliers as never before. On its social media pages, Herzog’s began posting daily whiteboard updates of which essentials rooms, were in stock, allowing customers to call in orders for curbside pickup; as things calmed a bit, Julie began posting quarantine-friendly improvement projects for home and patio. Safety barriers at registers and masks on employees protect those who need to venture in.
“We have been incredibly fortunate to be able to find a way to stay open when so many of our fellow local businesses have been forced to shutter. We have been encouraging our customers to support other local businesses through gift certificates to the local salons, spas, and in every other way they can.” –Jen Schwartz, owner Briars & Brambles Books
In the course of spending all this time at home, some have declared a sunroom to be a personal essential and it’s easy to imagine why. “We are working from home doing FaceTime internal & external visits,” says Colleen McNamara Depuy of Hudson Valley Sunrooms, based in Port Ewen. “The customer can take a walk outside around the perimeter where they would like to place their sunroom. As they do this I take photos and sometimes, if they are feeling energetic, they take some measurements...if not, I have a good idea if things will work from doing this for 17 years. I send them my Houzz pro site link to review many photos & reviews...we discuss. It’s great. Things are going along pretty darn smooth!”
Books are clearly essential, as are games and puzzles. At Briars and Brambles in Windham, owner Jen Schwartz has remained open for curbside pickup, some local delivery, and UPS shipping of books ordered online or by phone. Personalized reading and gift recommendations, along with book banter, are provided by email and on the store’s social media pages. “So even though we are missing the face-to-face interaction, we are very much still connected,” says Jen. “Speaking of connected…we recognize that many of our customers, especially students, don’t have access to a printer, so we have been inviting folks to send us anything that they need printed; especially school work and legal forms.
“We recognize that we have been incredibly fortunate to be able to find a way to stay open when so many of our fellow local businesses have been forced to shutter. We have been encouraging our customers to support other local businesses through gift certificates to the local salons, spas, and in every other way they can.”
Those whose essential joy includes the art of the fabulous have been well-served through the duration by Kingston Consignments. “We’ve been engaging in in-house online auctions, eBay sales, and regularly updating Instagram and Facebook feeds with store merchandise,” says Craig McElroy. “We still refresh the store windows for the passerby. We offer shipping and curbside pickup by appointment.”
As the entire planet moves forward and events unfold, it’s clear what the true essentials are and have always been: Good health. Mutual aid. Equality for all. Peace. Communication. Love. In tough times and boom times, indoors and out, paused or in motion...WE GOT THAT.
