When deciding to relocate her Dobbs Ferry shop in 2022, Melissa Lauprete sensed that Kingston would be the perfect place to reopen and reignite At Land, a concept store that proffers artisan-crafted clothing, accessories, and home goods, and celebrates the creativity behind every piece.
“Kingston is such a socially active community and there are so many conscious businesses here,” says Lauprete, who was also drawn to “nature’s splendor” in the Hudson Valley and the brick industrial-era Everett & Treadwell building on Broadway where she set up shop. “I’m empathetic to the backlash of gentrification, and I love the idea that this space [believed to be a grain mill in the late 1800s] was not open to the public in my lifetime,” she says.
The interior is modern, minimalist, and decidedly serene, with custom blonde-wood shelving, rough-hewn beams, and exposed stone walls and polished concrete floors. “At Land is intended to evoke a feeling of grounded-ness…a way of living that speaks to a considered lifestyle and benefits the people making the goods.”
The inventory—tucked neatly into shelves and hanging casually from a handful of solitary metal wall bars—is concise yet varied, curated slowly and with careful study. Everything for sale is made well, often by hand, with non-toxic materials, no plastics, and fair labor practices. “I’ve always been a seeker,” says Lauprete, “and the way I choose my products is very old school and word of mouth—I have a personal relationship with every brand I carry.”
While some items are crafted in the Hudson Valley—jewelry from a studio in Catskill, Kingston-based ceramics, clothing from a Chatham designer—most of Lauprete’s merchandise comes from design centers in Africa, Japan, Sweden, and the UK. “Local and vintage are great, but we should never lose the art of creation or hinder creativity,” she says. “We need to support global exposure for makers who are doing amazing work.”
That ethos is in harmony with Lauprete’s vision of operating as a “destination business,” a place people travel to for unique, heirloom-quality discoveries. “I am moving away from sameness,” she notes, describing how over 80 percent of her inventory cannot be found in other nearby stores, while the remainder of her stock sways just as rare. “It might be a designer you know but no one else has that color or style,” she explains, determined to peacefully co-exist with fellow shopkeepers. “I don’t want to compete with anyone locally.”
At Land is intended to evoke a feeling of grounded-ness…a way of living that speaks to a considered lifestyle and benefits the people making the goods.
In addition, Lauprete strives to strike a balance between flowing with Mother Nature’s rhythm and offering clothing and personal effects that are relatively seasonless or at least multi-seasonal. While an ethically handspun alpaca sweater surely wears best in the cooler months, bio-washed twill trousers can be worn any time of year—and by any body as they are crafted to be genderless.
Looking ahead, Lauprete hopes to create a signature housewares, clothing, and fragrance line for At Land, achieving this through commissions and custom collaborations with skilled artisans she already knows and those she continues to seek.
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