It is the time of year when we are thinking of our favorite little stores around the Hudson Valley that we enjoy visiting for holiday gifts. We are lucky to have such great locally owned places throughout the area. From Poughkeepsie to Kingston, Middletown, and Rhinebeck to Woodstock and everywhere in between, we are lucky to have so many great shops.

This past year has been hard on a lot of small business owners. Both restaurants and shops have had a hard go of it, so it is more important than ever if you have a favorite place, you find time to get there for the holidays. Your business is greatly appreciated this time of year.

Unfortunately, one of my favorite holiday shopping stops in Washingtonville won't be able to greet holiday shoppers this year. Early in November, the Corner Candle Store suffered a devasting fire which did significant damage resulting in the store having to be closed, and leaving its historic building in need of many repairs.

So it is no surprise that on November 20th, The Corner Candle Store posted a note on Facebook which explained that due to the fire, they would be closed for the holidays and that they are working with many folks to get their building back in order and the store re-opened.

 

You may not be able to shop at the Corner Candle Store this holiday season but you can support their Go Fund Me Page.

This GoFundMe page is intended to show our appreciation for the historic building, the store owners Joanne and Richard, and an attempt to spread the same joy the store brought to us! While we are all so devastated to not have the store this holiday season, it would be great to come together and give thanks to the owners for 45-years of running the Corner Candle Store. via GoFundMe Page

The goal is to raise $10,000. If you were a customer you might consider donating a portion of the money you had planned to spend there doing your holiday shopping.

Looking for places other than the big box stores this holiday season.

Hudson Valley Farm Markets for Holiday Shopping

These Hudson Valley Farm Markets are great for doing holiday shopping. They all have gifts and goodies. Here is a list of Hudson Valley Farm Markets.

Did you ever get one of these for Christmas?

LOOK: The top holiday toys from the year you were born

With the holiday spirit in the air, it’s the perfect time to dive into the history of iconic holiday gifts. Using national toy archives and data curated by The Strong from 1920 to today, Stacker searched for products that caught hold of the public zeitgeist through novelty, innovation, kitsch, quirk, or simply great timing, and then rocketed to success.

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