Could you tell us about your journey in the design world before opening Available Items?

Chad received a crash course in design while working at Moss, the inimitable design store in Soho, in the ‘90s. He then became a Creative Director in the early days of Kidrobot where he contributed to the development of toys, stores, and apparel, and played a key role in establishing the cool factor for the iteration of Fab.com as a design ecom site. More recently, he has helped reimagine the retail experience for the Brooklyn Museum, Cooper Hewitt, and Whitney Museum of American Art.

Kristin has spent the majority of her career working at Novità – a NY-based PR and marketing agency that specializes in design and architecture with clients like Salone, Neocon, NYCxDESIGN, Neri & Hu, and David Weeks. She worked her way up to become Senior Vice President, helping to grow the agency from 5 people in 2008 to 25+. While she worked with many different types of clients in various capacities, she worked intimately with the Italian ceramics industry and other product manufacturers and developed a love for materials and sustainable design.

We met while working on Brooklyn Designs – a design event focused on Brooklyn makers that Novità co-produced with the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce. It was hosted at the Brooklyn Museum in 2017 while Chad was Merchandising Director. And the rest, as they say, is history.

What initially led you to starting Available Items in the Hudson Valley? Could you walk us through your journey of establishing your space, from the initial idea to where you are today?

In terms of what led us to the Hudson Valley, we have somewhat of a typical pandemic story… We were living in Brooklyn and bought a (very reasonably priced) house in Germantown as a country retreat six months before COVID emerged. When it became evident that the pandemic was still a long way from being over, and our jobs allowed us to work remotely, we gave up our apartment and moved into the house that summer.

We spent that first year fixing up our house and fantasizing about all of the different businesses we could potentially start. We noticed there weren’t many stores in our area carrying contemporary design so when our friends told us about a building for sale on the main street of Tivoli (a charming, artsy village that’s only a 5-minute drive from our house) we jumped at the chance and opened Available Items in the summer of 2022.

Despite the fact that it was a student rental for over a decade, the building was in surprisingly good shape with lots of character so we mostly left it alone (besides painting of course). We were also inspired by places like 8 Holland Street in London and wanted to lean into the homey charm of the house.

Even though Available Items has only been open for a little over two years, it’s gone through many iterations. In the beginning, we mostly had vintage pieces – from mid-century modern to (maybe too much) rustic and primitive furniture – and a handful of contemporary designers like Office of Tangible Space and LikeMindedObjects. And we would host occasional exhibitions or pop-ups in one of the rooms, from our first exhibition “Going to Country” to a collaborative show with our friend Susan Wechsler of South Road Antiques.

The biggest change came this year when we converted one of the rooms into a dedicated gallery space to host exhibitions, giving local artists and designers a place to showcase their work on a larger scale. We also grew our collection of contemporary furniture and art and plan to incorporate more design shows in the future.

How has your design industry background influenced your approach to running Available Items? On the flip side, what aspects of running the store were you unprepared for and learned on the job?

Our backgrounds have definitely laid a good foundation for creating Available Items and have helped inform our approach to running the store and gallery, from knowing how to style and merchandise to marketing exhibitions and promoting the designers and artists we work with. But we’re always learning… Tivoli is a small town so part of the learning curve has been around navigating local politics, finding ways to engage the community, and trying to build the shop as a destination. This summer we helped start First Fridays in Tivoli and hosted a free birdhouse making workshop for the community, which were both successful, so we feel like we’re making some headway. 

What we love most about your store is the curation; eclectic but always well considered. What do you look for when selecting your buys and how do you discover new items or artisans?

We gravitate toward objects with interesting stories to tell – whether it’s about the maker, the process, or the backstory of acquiring the piece. It allows us to connect with people on a deeper level and engage people in the world of design.

We also love objects that help solve a problem – whether it’s reducing the amount of landfill-bound waste or improving someone’s quality of life at home. And we’re always on the hunt for rare objects and undiscovered artists. In the beginning, we were constantly scouring for pieces – from estate sales, auctions and our travels. We’re continuing to do that but, now that we’ve been open for a few years, people are coming to us with their work, or making introductions.

What are some of your favorite items that you’re currently carrying? Are there any upcoming collections or new arrivals you’re looking forward to showcasing?

Picking a favorite object is like picking a favorite child but one product we’re excited about is an outdoor rocker made from fully recycled plastic (or, more specifically, six-pack beer holders). The designer, Ken Landauer of FN Furniture who’s based in Hudson Valley, spent the past couple of years working with a company out of Oregon to develop sheets for furniture production and the result is amazing. We’re also looking forward to our next group design show, Nuts & Bolts, featuring furnishings made from off-the-shelf parts, that will open in early October.