Pas de deux: FINCH hudson’s married founders look back, forge ahead.
By Isabel Hochman
Andrew Arrick and Michael Hofemann have had a weekend house in Hudson for more than a decade-and-a-half. They say they loved escaping New York City to submerge in the local shopping scene and scope out the many antique dealers. Hofemann says Hudson was a respite from the craziness of Manhattan (though he admits the kinetic Gotham energy still has a place in his heart). “As it turns out, Andrew and I both thrive here in Hudson. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.”
FINCH hudson has become a sanctuary for art and design lovers alike. Hofemann says the shop reflects Hudson’s diverse community. “It’s not just antique stores,” he says. “It’s not just dealers. It’s writers and actors. There’s a whole art community, and there’s an entire music scene happening right here.” FINCH hudson’s co-founder insists he makes a conscious effort to create an experience for the art-attuned shopper with curated music mixes and a selection of visual art, antique furniture (1920s-’70s), clothing and textiles. The shop’s focus is vintage, modern furniture, but over the years they’ve added men’s apparel, bath and body products. Timed with their ten-year anniversary, FINCH hudson launched a second floor of wares: women’s apparel, textiles, bedding and much more.
Hofemann attributes the store’s expertly curated aesthetic to husband, Arrick, who has a background in luxury women’s fashion (Yves Saint Laurent, Celine, Vera Wang) and a visual mind. “He’s the one who makes the store look how it does, and why everyone loves it so much. I can buy all these great things, but I couldn’t put it together the way he does.”
Hofemann has become the store’s unlikely vintage furniture sourcer. “My whole career was banking, investment banking and finance,” he says, so his current role wasn’t always on his list of career moves, but he does seem to have an eye for the very best pieces. Now, he says, he wakes up daily at 4:30am to be the first to purchase new items from a vendor in The Netherlands. “Every day, I spend my life shopping—it’s not a bad gig.”
Since opening FINCH hudson, Arrick and Hofemann have moved the store’s location three times. With their storefront currently on Warren Street, Hudson’s main artery, Hofemann says they now want to take the time to grow in a sustainable way. For the first time, he says, “We now have the security to build something much larger.”
The retail team is talking about expanding but they’re not exactly interested in being too big any time soon. “We want a bigger business, but we must be careful about the decision to grow. We want to make sure that we’re still having fun.”
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