The town of Hudson, New York is a marvelous contradiction. We’ve gotten to like this trendy little town—visiting again two weeks ago. It’s an old whaling town that thrived for a short while in the late 19th century. Then business left and the town stood still. There was no 20th century for Hudson. Economically, that was hard. But the upside: the town’s 19th century architecture remains fairly unspoiled and intact.
This brings us to the town’s surprising glimmer of new life. Starting in the 1980’s some dealers in antiques and art began to set up shop on the main street. Now, a stretch of four blocks on Main Street features some pretty edgy galleries and decent antiques shops. You don’t just breeze through Hudson. There is too much to see – plan on taking your time.
We’ve become friends with Harold Hanson. He’s the founder and editor of Northeast Journal of Antiques & Art. One of the pioneers of the Hudson rebirth, he has a shop called Verso. He is a fantastic wealth of information on antiques and the region. We sat for nearly an hour while he captivated us with his knowledge. The longer I sat in his shop and looked around, the more intrigued I became with his eclectic and affordable gallery of objects.
Harold Hanson, Verso
Lisa Hammell, Noonmark Antiques and Harold Hanson
Stair Galleries auction house
Warren Street, looking west toward the Hudson River.