These shops create a bookstore trail spanning the Hudson Valley: See the list
What started as a doodle on the back of a bookmark quickly escalated into a regional social activity spreading across eight counties and comprising nearly 40 bookstores.
The Hudson Valley Book Trail was founded in 2019 by Walt and Claire Pahucki, owners of the Montgomery Book Exchange and the Children’s Chapter in Orange County.
“That’s the epitome of our philosophy – there’s no competition,” Claire Pahucki said. “Collaboration over competition.”
“It hurts me in no way to tell someone to go look for a title at another shop,” Walt Pahucki said. “We should all be working together.”
The pair worked with a series of local graphic designers to draw up a map, which is available for purchase on tote bags at nearly every stop along the trail.
“We had to get a bigger bag to fit all the stores,” Walt Pahucki said.
While the book trail continues to expand as new stores open in the region, the Pahuckis envision one day linking it with other regional trails for wine, beer and coffee.
The Montgomery Book Exchange
The Montgomery Book Exchange was founded in 2015 after Walt Pahucki retired from his career in the Army and was laid off from another job.
The used bookstore runs on book donations from community members.
“We thought at first we wouldn’t be able to keep the shelves stocked,” Claire Pahucki said. “Now we’re practically giving books away and our shelves are still full.”
The Montgomery Book Exchange is known for its quarterly bag sale, which allows patrons to walk away with all they can carry between two handles for only $10.
“That’s one of the most rewarding things about this,” Claire Pahucki said. “We see families come in for the bag sale that might not come by otherwise, and we know that we’re sending them away with plenty to read until the next time we see them.”
The couple also host a weekly online sale, offering stacks of 15 books for $20, available for pickup or delivery.
The collection process has amassed an almost serendipitous quality to it, Walt Pahucki explained.
“When someone comes in looking for a specific title or a book on a certain topic and we don’t have it,” he said, “whatever they’re looking for usually turns up in our stacks or on our shelves within the week.”
In addition to regular book signings and author events, the store also hosts the wares of 15 local merchants on tables throughout its space.
The Pahuckis seek like-minded vendors — usually in the business of selling used, vintage or repurposed items — and handle monthly sales on behalf of each seller, taking only a small cut for processing fees and monthly expenses.
In between the bookshelves and vendor stalls are large, comfortable wooden tables, open to patrons for crafting, community meeting spaces and board game meetups.
“There’s a lot of talk about third spaces, and we want MBE and the Children’s Chapter to be where people meet and hang out,” Claire said.
Third spaces is a sociological term for the places where one’s time is spent outside the home and work – first and second spaces, respectively. Since the pandemic, many businesses have expanded their focus from strictly providing a product or service to fostering an environment for socializing – often without the pressure of making a purchase or consuming alcohol.
Here are the shops in the Hudson Valley Book Trail
Rensselaer County
Yellow Lab Vintage & Books
9 Broadway, Troy, NY 12180
518-203-7111
One of the newest additions to the Book Trail, Yellow Lab opened in July 2023. The store offers used books and vintage clothing, furniture and home decor, and hosts children’s storytimes and monthly “Down and Dirty” salons – “freewheeling discussions for broadening one’s base of knowledge through the company of others.”
Greene County
Magpie Bookshop
392 Main St., Catskill, NY 12414
518-303-6035
“Specializing in awesome,” Magpie offers secondhand books with an emphasis on fiction, children's literature, travel, food and history. The bookshop is easily recognized for its signature red library cart out front.
Read & Read Again
4853 NY-81, Greenville, NY 12083
518-708-9837
Billing itself as the “quintessential small-town bookshop,” Read & Read Again offers a hearty selection of new and used books and gifts.
Briars & Brambles
61 Route 296, Windham, NY 12496
518-750-1249
Briars & Brambles is known for hosting three monthly book clubs – Prosecco & Prose, Books & Bios, Great Novels in Literary History – the latter two offer options for virtual participation; as well as seasonal art shows, featuring the work of artists local to the Catskills, and the Story Walk.
In partnership with Windham Arts Alliance, the Story Walk is a free, family-oriented activity that promotes literacy, exercise and togetherness. A different page of the selected book is posted every few yards for families to read, discuss and even act out together as they stroll the Windham Path, beginning at the Route 23 entrance.
Columbia County
The Chatham Bookstore
27 Main St., Chatham, NY 12037
518-392-3005
This used book store offers a monthly book club in partnership with the Chatham Public Library, showcasing fiction authors who are Black, Indigenous and other people of color.
Librarium
126 Black Bridge Road, East Chatham, NY 12060
518-392-5209
This used book store, named for the Latin word meaning “bookcase,” has been in business since 1979, specializing in poetry, art and children’s books.
Rodgers Book Barn
467 Rodman Road, Hillsdale, NY 12529
518-325-3610
A used book store founded in 1972, Rodgers Book Barn offers a self-proclaimed selection of “old and unusual books, bought and sold” – all tended to by Sappho, the resident tuxedo bookstore cat.
Little Red Book Shack
2710 US-9, Hudson, NY 12534
518-537-5027
The Little Red Book Shack is the physical component of Melanie Nelson Books, an online retailer, offering used books, CDs, cassettes, vinyl, comic books and postcards.
Spotty Dog Books & Ale
440 Woodson St., Hudson, NY 12535
518-671-6006
With a dozen beers on tap – featuring an emphasis on local offerings – Spotty Dog is a popular community hangout, regularly hosting author events, readings, book signings and live music performances. The bookshop has offered books, art supplies, stationery, toys and gifts for more than two decades.
Ulster County
Barner Books
3 Church St., New Paltz, NY 12561
845-255-2635
Known for its selection of regional history books, Barner Books specializes in rare and special editions, plus children’s books and literary ephemera.
Inquiring Minds
200 Main St., Saugerties, NY 12477
845-246-5885
6 Church St., New Paltz, NY 12561
845-255-8300
Founded in 2003, Inquiring Minds offers a selection of used books and regularly hosts open mic nights for poetry and children’s storytime.
The Saugerties location includes a cafe space, and the New Paltz location often sells textbooks and required readings for students at nearby SUNY New Paltz.
Rough Draft Bar & Books
82 John St., Kingston, NY 12401
845-802-0027
Anchoring Kingston’s historic Four Corners intersection, Rough Draft operates as both a bookstore and a bar and café, offering beer, wine, cider, coffee and local pastries. The bookshop is home to the Sustainable Hudson Valley Book Club and hosts near-nightly events, including local book launches, trivia, game nights, open mic and live music performances.
Half Moon Books
35 N. Front St., Kingston, NY 12401
845-331-5439
48 Broadway, Tivoli, NY 12583
845-757-1155
At the heart of Kingston’s historic Stockade District, Half Moon Books offers a selection of rare and used books and regularly hosts poetry readings and book signings by local authors.
O.U.R. Bookshop
97 Partition St., Saugerties, NY 12477
845-246-3106
O.U.R. Bookshop offers more than 25,000 used and rare books, plus vintage postcards, magazines, CDs, DVDs, sheet music, prints and ephemera.
Postmark Books
449 Main St., Rosendale, NY
845-658-2479
Founded in 2016 and sitting on the banks of the Roundout Creek, Rosendale’s only bookshop offers a vast selection of new books and stationery, as well as custom floral arrangements and bouquets through its in-house studio, Nissi Meadows Floral Design.
Patrons may catch a glimpse of Rosie, the bookstore’s (sometimes) resident tabby cat.
The Golden Notebook
29 Tinker St., Woodstock, NY 12498
845-679-8000
Named for the founder’s favorite Doris Lessing novel, the Golden Notebook has been offering used books since 1978, and recently pivoted to sponsoring book fairs at local schools.
Through its association with the Woodstock Book Fest, the store has hosted and sponsored events featuring Pulitzer Prize winners William Kennedy and Paul Muldoon, Man Booker Prize winner Lydia Davis, as well as Philippe Petit, Neil Gaiman, Steve Earle, Colm Toibin, Cheryl Strayed, Andre Dubus III, Augusten Burroughs and Zephyr Teachout.
Mirabai of Woodstock
23 Mill Hill Road, Woodstock, NY 12498
845-679-2100
Billing itself as “the Hudson Valley’s oldest and most comprehensive spiritual/metaphysical bookstore,” Mirabai offers books, jewelry, crystals and statuary, as well as online workshops, healing sessions, tarot card readings and psychic consultations.
Dutchess County
Binnacle Books
321 Main St., Beacon, NY 12508
845-838-6191
Binnacle Books specializes in new and used literature, poetry, literary nonfiction, political history, art, drama, philosophy, graphic novels, and children's books.
The Beacon bookshop also helped found the Prison Books Project, a collaboration with Blackbird Infoshop, Half Moon Books, Oblong Books, Rough Draft Bar & Books and World’s End Comics to provide books to locally incarcerated individuals.
The Merritt Bookstore & Toy Store
55-57 Front St., Millbrook, NY 12545
845-667-5857
Featuring a selection of books, toys, puzzles and gifts, the Merritt also hosts local book launches and author talks, community readings and regular “Merritt @ the Market” excursions to the Millbrook Farmers Market.
The Book Cove
22 Charles Colman Blvd., Pawling, NY
845-855-9590
The Book Cove offers new and out-of-print books, specializing in reference books, classics, gardening, history, religion and music, as well as stationery, candles, soaps and home decor.
The Three Arts Bookstore
3 Collegeview Ave. #1, Poughkeepsie, NY 12603
845-471-3640
A favorite of Vassar professors for assigning textbooks, the Three Arts features a selection of books on sports, travel, cooking, fiction, nature, reference, language and poetry, as well as a sizeable collection of children’s books
H.A.S. Beane Bookshop
5 E. Market St., Red Hook, NY 12571
845-835-8333
Specializing in antiquarian and collectible books, children’s books, classic and modern literature, foreign literature, philosophy, religion, history, archeology, poetry, art, architecture, gardening, cookbooks, crafts, science, nature, and state and local history, H.A.S. Beane also offers 15% off purchases through Red Hook’s Ultimate Discount Card.
Oblong Books
6422 Montgomery St. Suite 6, Rhinebeck, NY 12572
845-876-0500
26 Main St., Millerton, NY 12546
518-789-3797
Named as a nod to “the Oblong” – the colloquial name for the Hudson Valley in its early colonial days – the bookstore was founded in 1975 as a bookshop and record store in Millerton. The Rhinebeck location opened in 2001. The Oblong hosts fundraisers for schools and nonprofits, as well as author conversations and book signings, online events and workshops.
Orange County
Sadie’s Books & Beverages
37 North St., Middletown, NY 10940
845-670-4463
Sadie’s Books & Beverages is the first-of-its-kind “bookseum,” a term coined by founder Yaa Yaa Whaley-Williams to encompass the blend of Black history, art and literature showcased in her shop. Interspersed among the displays are small samplings of products by local Black-owned businesses.
Sadie’s Studio, an alcove in the back of the store reserved for artists and creators, can easily transition from movie set to sound stage to photo studio, complete with tripods, microphones, lighting and production equipment.
Montgomery Book Exchange
84 Clinton St., Montgomery, NY 12549
845-764-1787
A used bookstore that also showcases the products and wares of a dozen local artists and vendors, the Montgomery Book Exchange regularly hosts fill-a-bag events for $10 and weekly live sales on Facebook.
MBE Children’s Chapter
8 Factory St., Montgomery, NY 12549
The Children's Chapter houses all of the kids' books available through the Montgomery Book Exchange, on display in the same space Claire Pahucki hosts her Kindermusik classes.
Golden Hour Books
181 Broadway, Newburgh, NY 12550
845-787-4185
Newburgh’s newest bookstore, opened in Fall 2023, offers a selection of used and new books and hosts author events, book club and children’s storytime.
Blue Fox Books
49 Main St., Walden, NY 12586
845-219-1974
Blue Fox Books specializes in new and gently used books, as well as literary gifts, journals, stationery, cards, candles and totes. The Main Street bookshop also hosts regular community events, including a Valentine’s-themed kitten kissing booth.
The Book & Nook
24 Ronald Reagan Blvd., Warwick, NY 10990
Warwick’s The Book & Nook offers a selection of new, used, antique, rare, first-edition and signed books, new and vintage comics and graphic novels, and stationery, toys and tote bags.
The shop regularly hosts poetry readings, children’s storytime, book signings and book clubs, and offers the store as a venue for private events.
Putnam County
Split Rock Books
97 Main St., Cold Spring, NY 10516
845-265-2080
Founded in 2018, Split Rock books specializes in literary fiction and nonfiction, small presses and children’s books. The store also offers children’s and family programming, book clubs, readings, signings and discussions.
Antipodean Books, Maps and Prints
29-31 Garrisons Landing, Garrison, NY 10524
845-424-3867
Founded in 1977, this eclectic book retailer hosts a weekly Friday Soirée – no RSVP required, and guests are welcome to bring appetizers, wine and other delicacies to share.
Rockland County
Pickwick Bookshop
8 S. Broadway, Nyack, NY 10960
845-358-9126
Founded in 1945, Pickwick Bookshop boasts wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling stacks of new, used and antiquarian books.
Westchester County
Hudson Valley Books for Humanity
67 Central Ave., Ossining, NY 10562
914-847-0773
This bookstore with a social justice twist offers a selection of "used "pre-loved" books of all genres and new titles in the social justice realm, as well as hosting a variety of community events, including Zen meditation on Tuesdays and chess with Virginia every Thursday.
Books for Humanity is home to the Human Story Swap, in which attendees are partnered with “someone you might not otherwise get to know in your typical day” and given a light conversation prompt for 20-minute one-on-one conversations, and the Short Attention Span Book Club, a lunchtime program in partnership with the Sing Sing Prison Museum, which “shares stories of incarceration and reform, past and present, and brings people together to imagine and create a more just society,” according to its website.
Bruised Apple Books
923 Central Ave., Peekskill, NY 10566
914-734-7000
Peekskill’s premier bookstore offers a selection of new and used books, records, CDs, featuring 50,000 titles across more than 200 subjects.
This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Hudson Valley Book Trail connects dozens of stores, literary legacies
