- It’s always a good time to support Black-owned businesses in the mid-Hudson Valley.
- Local business owners provide everything from Southern comfort food and sweet treats to high fashion, organic gardening and event planning to the mid-Hudson Valley community.
- If you’re looking for something nearby, try one of the 55 businesses we’ve pulled together, in Dutchess, Ulster and Orange counties.
February brings a reminder to celebrate the many contributions of Black creators in the mid-Hudson Valley. From Southern comfort food and sweet treats to high fashion, organic gardening to micro weddings, these local business owners have made their mark in the community.
To honor and celebrate Black History Month, we’ve put the spotlight on five Black-owned businesses making a difference in the mid-Hudson Valley.
We’ve also pulled together a list of more than 50 Black-owned businesses in Dutchess, Ulster and Orange counties you can support year-round. From restaurants and coffee shops to fashion boutiques and specialty gift shops, there are plenty of opportunities to support Black creators in the area, no matter what you’re shopping for.
Businesses were compiled from Dutchess Tourism, Poughkeepsie Journal archives and community resources. Have a business to add? Send an email to [email protected].
The Spruces Hudson Valley, Newburgh
The Spruces Hudson Valley is a new American clubhouse hosting weddings, showers, birthday parties and corporate events. The Spruces is owned by Erica Forneret and Christopher Hajek, whose greatest joy as co-owners is seeing friends and family come together. The pair made the mid-Hudson Valley their home back in 2019, and established The Spruces during COVID-19, hosting virtual, socially distanced and micro weddings.
“We moved to Newburgh from Chicago because we had friends in the area, and had visited the Hudson Valley several times with my sister who was living in Manhattan,” Forneret said in an email statement.
After moving a block away from their friends on the same street, The Spruces became a way for them to offer a beautiful space at an affordable price. Back when the co-owners got married, “the only thing we wanted was to throw our version of the best party ever,” she said. They stay flexible with their clients so they can have the opportunity to throw their version of the best party ever too.
This year, Forneret and Hajek are hoping to align with more non-profit organizations to host fundraising and charitable events. At their five acres in the heart of Newburgh, the co-owners “take the stewardship of this land and its other residents,” including the animals that live there, with care.
Learn more about The Spruces at thespruceshudsonvalley.com.
Darryl’s Boutique, Rhinebeck
In 1986, Darryl’s Boutique opened in New York City. Owner Darryl Gamble and his partner, Ed Coviello, then bought a home in Wappingers, and were told Rhinebeck was the place they needed to be. They opened Darryl’s Rhinebeck in 2005 on East Market Street. About nine years ago, they found their current space, across the street from the original, with a bigger space to expand.
“Our mission is to make every woman who comes into the store look and feel good when she leaves,” Coviello said.
For 39 years, the two have been working to style women, giving a shopping experience with customer service you won’t forget and ensuring each customer who steps out of their shop is impeccably dressed and happy. Their pieces, ranging from sportswear to evening wear, are hand-picked from showrooms and shows, and bought from across the globe, including from France, Italy and Spain.
“It’s an eclectic mix of unusual things that are just a little different, that you don’t see coming and going,” Gamble said.
Gamble said he’s always had “an innate ability” to tell just what’s going to fit a person well, taking their energy and spirit into account, and “matching the person to the clothing.” They’ve trained all their stylists to pick up on those cues, too, and cater to the person and their needs.
You’ll find unique pieces at Darryl’s, which Gamble said they make sure are comfortable and low-maintenance — in many cases they are wrinkle-free and washable.
Customer service is what sets them apart, Gamble said, “which we find is missing in the market and the world these days.” The relationships they’ve built with their clients are generational, from grandmother to granddaughter.
“We care about our customers; it’s more personal than just coming in, getting an item and leaving,” Gamble said.
Shop Darryl’s Rhinebeck and learn more about the store on their website darrylsny.store.
Brothers Barbeque, New Windsor
Three brothers raised in the hamlet of Mountainville, Gavin, Jamie and Chris Farella, grew up on their mother’s Southern cooking and hospitality.
Now they own three restaurants, one in New Windsor, established in 2008, another they opened in Ramsey, New Jersey, in 2020, and the third in West Nyack last year, all dubbed Brothers Barbecue. Their restaurants feature family recipes — “We call it putting our family on a plate, legacy on a plate,” Gavin Farella said.
Cheryl Weston, daughter of jazz musician Randy Weston, taught her sons the importance of giving back, too. She cooked a homemade meal for their entire school once a week when they were growing up.
“She’s the reason we’re doing what we’re doing… She was just the most hospitable person, somebody who was like everybody’s mother,” Gavin Farella said.
The Farella brothers, who described themselves as biracial — they are also Italian — learned to take pride in their heritage and culture from their mother, who took them on summer trips to North Carolina, where the family has strong roots in Beaufort. The brothers were shown what they call chopped barbecue, a staple for them, where you smoke a whole hog, seasoning the meat in an apple cider vinegar-based sauce with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic and a bit of ketchup and chopping it all together.
That chopped barbecue is now on their menu, as well as their great-aunt Edna’s fried chicken recipe. Edna was another role model for the brothers growing up, as was their grandmother.
In 2010, a fire destroyed their New Windsor location. Jamie Farella was diagnosed with congestive heart failure the same year.
The brothers took time to regroup and reopened their business in 2012, which has been going strong ever since.
“Eventually, [Jamie] had a heart transplant during COVID in 2020,” Gavin Farella said, “which was like the best thing that ever happened to him.”
The Farellas have plans for a steakhouse to open in 2025, after buying the old Schlesinger’s Steakhouse in New Windsor. For more information about Brothers Barbecue, visit smokenallday.com.
A Traveler’s Garden, Red Hook
After studying herbal medicine, gardening and farming for a decade, Morgan Francis found her passion, establishing A Traveler’s Garden in 2019. The name is an ode to her successful attempts to grow plants in the back window of her car while traveling.
The business offers a variety of services including garden design plans, home and storefront garden installation and maintenance, plant arrangements, brush clearing, tree pruning and woodland path creation.
Health is a huge aspect of Francis’ business, and she hopes to inspire chemical-free farming. The mission, Francis said, is to encourage people to “grow organic food and stay connected with nature.”
Nature, she said, “is one of the universal languages of the world.”
“This inspires compassion and comradery with our fellow humans regardless of race, religion, gender orientation or any other differences,” Francis said. “It’s a wonderful way to peacefully bring people together.”
The business provides organic, garden and landscaping services to select areas of Dutchess, Ulster and Columbia counties.
Francis ensures her customers are a part of the process from start to finish, and for prospective employees, she said, “We are happy to provide a safe space for marginalized communities.
For more information, visit atravelersgarden.com.
Perfect Sweets, Newburgh
Born and raised in the Hudson Valley, Hasina Grice has been baking and selling treats since 2000, but her passion for food started early on.
“Ever since I can remember, I have always loved cooking. My mother was a caterer, and I was her young assistant,” said Grice, who owns Perfect Sweets in Newburgh. “One Christmas she even bought me an Easy Bake oven.”
She graduated from Wake Forest University in North Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and worked in social work for a time after moving back to the area.
“With the support of my husband, I went back to school at the Culinary Institute of America to become a trained pastry chef,” Grice said. “Soon after that was when my husband and I went official with Perfect Sweets.”
Perfect Sweets was established in 2018. Her dream of opening a bakery café of her own came true, even if she does not have a brick-and-mortar shop just yet. Perfect Sweets is a concierge bakery, baking fresh to order with high-quality ingredients, no preservatives or artificial flavoring, from a commissary kitchen. Grice has a mobile dessert cart to bring Perfect Sweets to events.
“Our mission is simple, yet critical to everything we do: to provide high-quality products and customer service with love,” Grice said.
Find out more about their services, along with their Cookie Club, a pop-up at the Poughkeepsie Galleria on March 1 and 16 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Perfect Sweets social media or newsletter, which can be found at perfectsweetsinc.com.
Black-owned businesses in Dutchess County
Anna et Pierre Le Cafe: Café offering coffees, teas and freshly baked pastries. Poughkeepsie
More:What’s new on the dining scene? Try these three Poughkeepsie eateries in 2025
Accuprint Pack ‘N’ Ship: Packing, printing and shipping. Beacon
Balloon Couture by Veronica: Balloon decorations. Poughkeepsie
BJ’s Restaurant: American restaurant, vegan options and home-cooked food. Beacon
Eduardo’s Hair Studio: Multicultural hair salon. Poughkeepsie
Essie’s Restaurant: American cuisine, global influences and family heritage. Poughkeepsie
Hudson Valley Concierge Service: Local concierge service. Poughkeepsie
Lady K’s Southern Comfort Food: Home-style southern cuisine restaurant and catering. Hyde Park
Mann on the Move: Auto detailing. Wappingers Falls
Matcha Thomas: Wellness teahouse serving matcha lattes, boba, teas and occasional sweets. Beacon
More:These sisters want customers to find a spa-café hybrid at their Beacon family business
Measured to Fit: Custom bra fitting and apparel shop. Wappingers Falls
Megabrain Comics: Comic book store and board game café. Rhinebeck
More:Megabrain Comics move: Why Rhinebeck shop is now in Red Hook
More:Line dancing and painting with goats: Hudson Valley date ideas for couples beyond dinner
Miz Hattie’s Southern BBQ: Southern-style BBQ soul food. Beacon
More Hair: Natural hair and loc salon. Poughkeepsie
Sylvia’s Jamaican West Indies Restaurant: Jamaican restaurant. Poughkeepsie
Sundaze Smash Burgers: Poughkeepsie’s first smash burger joint. Poughkeepsie
Twisted Soul: International cuisine and cupcakes. Poughkeepsie
Upstream Cafe: French Caribbean cuisine and baked goods. Poughkeepsie
21st Century Living, LLC: Real estate and property development company striving to provide affordable housing. Poughkeepsie.
More:Which affordable projects are getting $8.9 mil in housing trust funds
Black-owned businesses in Orange County
Addiction Cycle Breakers: Dr. Izetta Briggs-Bolling is a doctor of social work and licensed mental health counselor with over 30 years of experience. Middletown.
Amalie Industries, LLC: Real estate firm. Walden.
Andrea M. Events: Event planning and design company. Newburgh
Blacc Vanilla: Coffee lounge also serving food. Newburgh
Blend Smoothie and Salad Bar: Healthy drink and food options, juice and meal plans. New Windsor, Middletown, Monroe and Newburgh
Café Little Treasure: Eatery serving breakfast, lunch coffee and drinks, named after their dog Treasure. Newburgh.
EC Media Group, LLC: Team of photographers, videographers, sound engineers and other creatives to enhance your next event. Middletown
Newburgh Mercantile: Gift shop, custom picture framing and photo digitizing. Newburgh
Rise & Root Farm: Farm known for herbs and greens, with produce available for purchase. Chester
Sadie’s Books & Beverages: Blended experience of a bookstore, museum and cultural center. First black-owned bookstore in Orange County. Middletown
Salad Expressions: Healthy, fresh and gourmet salads — a meal prep and catering service. Newburgh
Style Counsel: Fashionable clothes for everyday wear. Warwick
UpRaise Construction: Construction and handyman services for homes and businesses. Middletown
Black-owned businesses in Ulster County
Damour Drake: Design and construction firm. Kingston
Emergency One Urgent Care & Diagnostic Center: Urgent care, occupational health and onsite services medical center. Kingston.
Harambee: Cultural and educational organization, festivals and events. Kingston
Kingston Design Connection: Building community through design, connecting local designers, artists, makers, contractors and vendors. Kingston
The Library at the A.J. Williams-Myers African Roots Center Promotes literacy through teaching and learning about African heritage. Kingston
Love Hair Salon: Blowouts, hair extensions, hair straightening, hair coloring, eyelash extensions, and more. Lake Katrine
Di Sweet Spot by One N Only Cakes: Serving sweet treats for any occasion. Kingston
More:This Kingston baker started with an after-school project and landed on the Food Network
Sakinah Irizarry, LMT: Massage therapy. Saugerties
Stella Bella Salon: Multicultural, full-service salon. New Paltz
Top Taste: Jamaican restaurant. Kingston
Violet’s Bakery: Bakery serving pastries, pies, cakes, bars and cookies. Saugerties
We Got the Juice: Juice bar serving nutritious juices and lunchtime bites. Kingston
Black-owned online businesses based in the Hudson Valley
BabaLid: Baby bottles with attachable lid to ensure it never gets lost. Newburgh
My Basics: Natural, plant-based wellness products. Based out of Newburgh
Nature’s Giff: Organic bath and body care. Based out of Poughkeepsie
Ourstory Collectibles: Online store selling collectibles and art. Based out of Poughkeepsie
Tee-Owels: T-shirt towels to prevent hair breakage and frizz, silk scrunchies and satin pillowcases. Based out of Middletown
Zhanés Palette Studio: Traveling paint party company. Dutchess County
Nickie Hayes: [email protected]: 845-863-3518
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