For decades, J.J. Newberry’s was the beating heart of Saugerties retail—a “five and dime” variety store that citizens relied on for everything from penny candy to socks and underwear. “It was absolutely a cornerstone,” says Jen Hicks, who’s been hearing the stories ever since she purchased the building in 2017. “If you lived in Saugerties, you shopped at Newberry’s. It was the big deal of its time, and people have deeply fond memories of shopping there.”
The Newberry Artisan Market, hosting over 40 local makers’ stalls, is a place to find all sorts of goodies: antiques, candles, cowboy boots, wearable art, hemp tea, self-care products, pet portraits, hummingbird houses, and much, much more.
These days, new memories are in the making. Hicks spent several years on renovations, wanting to carefully preserve vintage features like the 14-foot tin ceilings. Since October of 2022, once again a wide variety of interesting and useful things can be purchased here. The Newberry Artisan Market, hosting over 40 local makers’ stalls, is a place to find all sorts of goodies: antiques, candles, cowboy boots, wearable art, hemp tea, self-care products, pet portraits, hummingbird houses, and much, much more.
Hicks, an artist herself, has been a Saugerties resident since 2015, when she bought the neighboring 11 Jane Street and founded the Jane St. Art Center there. Purchasing the neighboring building at a good price was a no-brainer, but restoring it to useful life was a lot more complicated. “It had been an antique dealership for years, but by then it was hardly ever open and in terrible disrepair,” she says. “I didn’t realize quite how bad it had gotten until the previous owners were all the way out, which took forever.”
Then it was time to get to work—massive amounts of it. “The first thing to do was just shut everything down—the plumbing, heating, all of it—and figure out how to make it more efficient,” Hicks says. “It needed a new roof, and the brick needed repointing. It needed a new electrical system—it had those dangerous old fabric-covered wires—and all new windows. And by the time we got it up and running, we had a beautiful space.”
“I just saw an opportunity and from there I was figuring it out one step at a time. Everybody had really cool ideas—a roller skating rink, a pool hall—but it’s just that I didn’t know anything about how to do those. It had to be something I knew I could handle.” – Owner Jen Hicks
As Hicks mulled over what would be the building’s highest and best use, there were plenty of suggestions. “I’m not the type to work with a detailed business plan,” she says. “I just saw an opportunity and from there I was figuring it out one step at a time. Everybody had really cool ideas—a roller skating rink, a pool hall—but it’s just that I didn’t know anything about how to do those. It had to be something I knew I could handle.” What she did know about was art, artists, and the communities in which they thrive. Born in Lawrenceville, NJ, to an artist/opera singer mother and artist/EMT/“mad scientist” father, she’d earned degrees in both fine and performing arts and spent years living and working in the cavernous warehouse spaces of Boston and New York, exhibiting and performing at a long list of venues.
Newberry Artisan Market went fully live in October of 2022; 2 years later, there’s a waiting list for vendors, and the space was reconfigured last fall to add new ones.
By the 2010s, living and working mostly in Boston and Boulder, Colorado, it was time for something new and different. “Boston was getting increasingly pricey,” she says. “Having grown up in New Jersey, I knew the Saugerties area and had a lot of friends there. It was a place I’d always thought of living, but it just wasn't the right time until 2014.”
At that time, the future Jane St. Art Center was boarded up, as was the back of the Newberry’s building. The space that now holds the Olsen & Company café was “a garage with a dirt floor,” Hicks recalls. “There was plywood and broken glass all over. It was pretty much a disaster.” Renovation of 11 Jane Street was still underway when the neighboring Newberry’s building hit the market, an opportunity too good to pass up.
Fortunately, the Newberry renovation was largely completed before COVID came along. “In between the different stages of the renovation we could do little pop-up things,” Hicks says. “We did some book readings and art installations plus great music events.
We had wonderful Christmas markets, which gave me a sense that the idea I was formulating was interesting and doable. We could fit vendors in here. And, of course, there are an awful lot of fantastic craftspeople and antique dealers and people who are really interested in vintage in the area. So that was a big positive.”
During the Christmas pop-ups, Hicks made connections with many of the people who would later become Newberry vendors. Organizing a market was new territory for her, but with the wise and enthusiastic support of her neighbors at the Saugerties Antiques Center, she got organized, choosing vendors who would offer a diverse variety of beautiful and well-made things, team players who’d keep their wares fresh and prices reasonable. “We have some very beautiful jewelry that’s on the higher end for good reason,” Hicks says. “And then we’ve got clothing and small handbags and crystals and beaded necklaces, woodcrafts, and candles, and tea. So the price range varies, but nothing’s crazy expensive—regular people can shop easily there and find nice things within reach.”
Newberry Artisan Market went fully live in October of 2022; 2 years later, there’s a waiting list for vendors, and the space was reconfigured last fall to add new ones. “I try to avoid duplication, so we might have, say, two woodworkers, but one is making very modern items and the other works in more of a farmhouse style,” Hicks says. “But I don’t want to be overly rigid with any of this. Mostly, they have to be original, and the quality has to be there. And every time you come here, I want you to discover new things.” Categories represented include pottery, jewelry, unique designer clothing, eco-friendly body products, vintage, art, collectibles, greeting cards; syrups and fruit butters, and too many more to list; each vendor’s unique slant is reflected on their page of the market’s website.
Hicks is having fun keeping her refreshed brick beauty stocked and bustling, welcoming the community once again to shop and chat. “We have some chairs and tables set up where people can relax, and we have regulars who come almost every day to hang out, like an old-school barbershop feel,” she says. “We’ve had a few wonderful benefits, with bands and food and dancing—those are fun. So are First Fridays.…I love working with the Chamber and the neighbors and figuring out how to entice more people into Saugerties, because once they get here, they’re completely charmed. And I love, love, love meeting people who are thinking creatively and being part of the big community conversation.”
newberry artisan market
236 Main Street, Saugerties
845-247-3002
newberryartisanmarket.com
