Woodstock is the pinnacle among shoppers' destinations in the Catskill Mountains. It has everything from antiques and modern clothing to Tibetan crafts and tribal rugs. A neat little antiques shop is Treasure Chest Antiques, a tiny cottage down Waterfall Way (off Tinker St.). The Golden Notebook, 25-29 Tinker St. (tel. 845/679-8000), is a great little bookshop, a real readers' hangout.
Saugerties is on the upswing, and its main drag, Partition Street, is a smaller cousin of Hudson's Warren Street across the river. Worth a look are Saugerties Antiques Gallery, 104 Partition St. (tel. 845/246-2323); Partition Street Antiques, 114 Partition St. (tel. 845/247-0932), full of antique wicker and Stickley and Arts and Crafts furniture; Central Hotel Antiques, 83 Partition St., Saugerties (tel. 845/246-6874); and Dust and Rust Antiques, Route 32, Saugerties (tel. 845/246-7728). Arcadia, 78 Partition St. (tel. 845/246-7321), is a cute housewares shop with nice ceramic pieces.
New Paltz is, apart from Woodstock, the next best shopping town. It has a preponderance of Woodstock-like stores overflowing with tie-dye and incense, but it also has a couple of good antiques shops. One is Medusa, 2 Church St. (tel. 845/255-6000). Also take a look at Water Street Market, 10 Main St. (www.waterstreetmarket.com), which contains several specialty craft shops, art galleries, restaurants, an excellent cheese shop, the Catskills photography of G. Steve Jordan, and The Antique Barn.
Don't miss the bevy of polished, upscale specialty shops at The Emporium at Emerson Place, 5340 Rte. 28, Mount Tremper (tel. 845/688-5800). From fine women's apparel, a bath-and-spa emporium, and Simon Pearce glassware to country furnishings and gardening shops and the amazing Kaleidostore, specializing in hundreds of fine-art kaleidoscopes, this is one shopping experience that will entertain you before making off with your wallet. Tiny Phoenicia, just down the road, has a handful of interesting home-furnishings and gift shops, including The Tender Land, 45 Main St. (tel. 845/688-2001); The Nest Egg, 84 Main St. (tel. 845/688-5851); and Tender Land Home, 64 Main St. (tel. 845/688-7213).
