John Allen Blue is co-owner, with his wife Maureen Byrd, of Blue-Byrd’s Haberdashery & Music at 320 Wall Street in Kingston. The best shop around for extensive blues music and classy headwear, it is a must-visit location in our fair city.
On The Hill Antiques is a lovely antique center at 41 Broadway in the heart of Kingston’s historic waterfront. Owner Suzanne Schreter has been a fixture of Hudson Valley’s antique community for more than three decades. She took the time from a busy day to show me around one of the most fun shops in the area and to tell me a bit about her experiences running her well-regarded store.
Dustin Bryant is the operator of the popular and important Planet Woodstock Music store at 1112 Morton Blvd. in Kingston. A premiere spot for music gear, in-store events and servicing as well as a small vinyl shop, the place is a one stop shop for musicians in these parts and was a dream come true for longtime Kingston enthusiast Bryant.
The executive director of the Ulster County SPCA, she’s a very interesting person with a range of life experiences who has been many places. You can tell she takes her job helping animals seriously.
Richardson can often be found at his Wall Street bike shop helping customers or having a conversation with people stopping in to say hello. He also has been throwing semi-casual concerts with local charm out of the space.
This week we are going to talk to Sean Miller, often seen in Uptown running the well-loved to-go dining spot known as The Lunchbox at 275 Fair St. Often touted as “Ulster County’s Smallest Restaurant,” the location offers very personable service paired with delicious food. It’s the perfect stop for a quick soup, sandwich or salad and some light conversation.
Andrew (or more popularly known as Andy) Parker has been a valuable member of the Kingston community for a long time. A half perpetually inspired/half world-weary soul who plays a mean harmonica while gravitating towards laughter and yarn spinning, many of us around here have an Andy memory or two, or three, or seven. If you don’t know him at all, well, here’s your chance.
Peter B Deli on Wall Street is a favorite local spot for many. It’s my personal favorite deli in the area, with home-cooked food along with fresh selections and to-go sandwiches. You can often see Mohmmad Barak there working, helping his family or just talking to other Kingston folks. Mohammad is one of the friendliest people in the whole city — a regular source of poetry, jokes, good cheer and positivity.
I grabbed a slice of pizza Uptown and went for a stroll with Kingston’s own Steve Rodriguez for this week’s Faces of Kingston. Rodriguez is an affable, funny and insightful dude who can often be seen on the social scene or working hard to help people have an enjoyable time. Let’s get to know him a little better.
This week we are going to talk to Kingston resident Nardia Bennett, a 31-year-old volunteer for Citizen Action who graciously shared some time afterwards to talk to me. She told stories me about seven instances of things she had experienced within our own city she believed to have racist motivations within the past year alone. I wish I could fit our whole conversation but wanted to share as much as I could.