Get to know Scott Neild, owner of Clove & Creek – a mercantile that celebrates local makers with locations in Kingston and Hudson. Below, he shares about his childhood dream of musical theater, his sources of inspiration, and what led to him creating a set of charmed boutiques that take their cues from the natural world.

1
I spent my childhood renting musical cast recordings from the public library, and eventually pursued musical theatre throughout my 20’s living in New York City.

2
Maybe I’m rationalizing a shipwrecked dream, but I do think I put on a good show through my store, Clove & Creek.

3
Lately, the song that gets stuck in my head most often is “Cockeyed Optimist” from South Pacific.

4
Right before moving upstate and opening Clove & Creek, I was an event planner. My firm managed events for Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Office of the Mayor. It was an exciting time.

5
I had a couple of very solitary years in Delaware County, which gave me time and space to create a new dream for myself. The makers and artists in the area became my sources of inspiration.

6
In 2016, I opened the first Clove & Creek in Kingston, where I live now. Last year, I opened a sister location in Hudson.

7
We stock a lot of heritage products, particularly ones made from natural materials. The store changes with the seasons and is really influenced by our natural surroundings: the rivers, the mountains, the valleys.

8
Believe it or not, I’m not a winter person! I embrace going to bed at 8 p.m., lighting candles during all waking hours, and escaping to Florida whenever I can.

9
I love Susan Riesen’s L’ouvrière candles, which we’ve sold since the beginning. They’re made in her dreamy studio outside of Stamford, NY.

10
Local makers continue to inspire me. We just started stocking Dominique Ostuni’s ceramics, which are so unique with scribbled thoughts and illustrations right in the clay. I can’t think of a better way to enjoy your coffee.

11
On days off, I love sitting at a bar and talking, or laying around outside by a pond or a pool — so yea, I suppose just sitting around is my cup of tea.

12
My guilty pleasure? Diet Coke. But I can’t live without cold-brew, Quickbooks, and an Opinelfolding knife.

13
The beauty of working in this community, to me, is the ease of getting things done. Work doesn’t require loading docks, crazy street parking, or sitting in traffic.

14
My favorite Upstate stops? Kingston Wine Co. for great wine, The Stonehouse and Kabinett & Kammer for treasure hunting, Hops Petunia for flowers, the Antique Warehouse for, well, antiques, and Talbott & Arding for sundries.

15
The reason I live here? That’s gotta be the accessibility to the river, the mountains, and the city.

Find @cloveandcreek in Hudson + Kingston, New York
www.cloveandcreek.com

By Keith Flanagan

Images courtesy of Clove & Creek

Volume 7