Antiquing is a huge business and pastime in the Upper Hudson Valley. In the past decade, Hudson has been transformed from a sleepy and fairly run-down upstate town into one of the premier antiques destinations in New York State, with more than 75 shops and galleries spread out along 6 blocks of Warren Street and to a much lesser degree, a few streets that fan out from there. It has many slick, high-end design shops (though most shoppers find the prices a bit more accessible than in New York City) and a few stores that are eclectic and reasonably priced. Pieces range from Egyptian to fine French and midcentury modern. There are far too many to mention, but among the nicest shops (in walking order along Warren St.) are: Hudson Supermarket Antiques, 310 Warren St. (tel. 518/822-0028); Vincent R. Mulford Antiques, 419 Warren St. (tel. 518/828-5489); Skalar Antiques, 438 1/2 Warrant St. (tel. 518/828-1170); Eustace & Zamus, 513 Warren St. (tel. 518/822-9200); Gottlieb Gallery, 524 Warren St. (tel. 518/822-1761); Historical Materialism, 601 Warren St. (tel. 518/671-6151); and Neven and Neven Moderne, 618 Warren St. (tel. 518/828-4214). If those are too precious or pricey, check out Fern, 610 1/2 Warren St. (tel. 518/828-2886) and, above all, The Armory Art & Antique Gallery, at 5th & State (tel. 518/822-1477), an eclectic and lower-priced assembly of some 60 dealers. For a full list of shops and galleries (and websites), visit Hudson Antique Dealers Association (HADA) at www.hudsonantiques.net. A cool art gallery dealing in contemporary photography is Carrie Haddad Photographs, 318 Warren St. (tel. 518/828-7655). Other non-antiques shops of interest, selling mostly housewares and gift items, include Shop Naked, 608 Warren St. (tel. 518/671-6336); Pieces, 609 Warren St. (tel. 518/822-8131); Rural Residence, 316 Warren St. (tel. 518/822-1061); and the unique jewelry store Ornamentum, 506 1/2 Warren St. (tel. 518/671-6770). Hudson City Books, 553 Warren St. (tel. 518/671-6020), is a fantastic local bookshop.
The Shaker Museum & Library, in Old Chatham (88 Shaker Museum Rd.; tel. 518/794-9100), has a gift shop with an excellent selection of high-quality crafts based on Shaker traditions (such as splendid oval boxes, furniture, and baskets), as well as books about the Shakers. Shaker crafts aren't cheap, but they're extremely well-made and make great gifts.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
