Located in Orange County, Barking Goose Bookstore Bar & Café is the third shop of its kind to take root in the Hudson Valley.
There is just so much going on in Newburgh right now. First, the city’s much-anticipated taco shop debuts along the Hudson River. Then everyone’s favorite Liberty Street eatery announces its expansion. More recently, a hot new bookstore bar cut the ribbon on its shiny and new North Plank location.
When Barking Goose Bookstore Bar & Café opened at the end of March 2019, it became the third of its kind to set up shop in the Hudson Valley. If the success of its predecessors Spotty Dog Books & Ales in Hudson and Rough Draft Bar & Books in Kingston is any indication, then the Newburgh spot is primed to enter an eager market.
In fact, it’s because of said predecessors that the idea for Barking Goose came about in the first place. It all began a handful of years ago, when Newburgh couple Jenifer Flynn and Lani Ricozzi took a fateful trip to Rough Draft for trivia night. The duo had never been to the space before, but it only took a few minutes for them to fall in love with it.
“It was a wonderful atmosphere,” Ricozzi recalls, adding that the house was packed to the brim with locals who showed up for community vibes and brews on tap. Smitten in a second, she and Flynn soon began dreaming about what it would take to open a shop of their own. Fortunately, they didn’t require too much convincing to realize that yes, the Hudson Valley does need another bookstore bar. They began scouting potential locations throughout the Hudson Valley, ultimately settling on one that was right in their own backyard on North Plank Road. The space, which already had a kitchen, only required a few modifications to bring it up to par with the couple’s vision.
Now up and running, Barking Goose is a mecca for coziness in Orange County. Guests can settle down in one of the two main spaces, which Ricozzi dubs the living room and the bar room, respectively. In the living room, cozy couches and chairs abound, inviting locals to sit and stay awhile with a book and a brew. In the bar room, meanwhile, a signature bar designed by Bonnie Gulden of Spatial Issues welcomes visitors with on-tap beer, cider, and wine, while bookshelves constructed from reclaimed materials stock enticing reads that cater to a multitude of interests.
As for what visitors can find at the bar, drinks will include beer, cider, wine, and, yes, a really good cup of joe. Flynn and Ricozzi have fun with specialty drinks and a number of locally based brands. On the snackable end of the spectrum, the bar is a go-to spot for small, comfort-food style plates like chili, sliders, and quesadillas. Ricozzi, a self-proclaimed foodie with a background in bookselling, leads the way in the kitchen, where she also test-drives dishes like cheese plates and giant pretzels.
Looking ahead, Flynn and Ricozzi have big plans for Barking Goose, which takes its name from Goose, their loveable dog. They hope to continue their community-minded offerings like book clubs, game nights, and trivia shindigs to supplement a steady stream of readers, freelancers, and locals looking for a place to unplug – or plug, since there will be a number of charging stations and outlets for public use – in the Hudson Valley.
“It’s nice to have a spot to stop in, and people enjoy that,” Ricozzi observes. “There aren’t too many places like it.”
16 North Plank Rd, Ste 102-103, Newburgh
