Before and After: Simple Gifts and Goodies

Collapsed Ceilings

Here comes the conclusion of the work that Nancy and her husband Kermit have done at 19 Liberty Street in Newburgh. First we brought you the before and after pictures of their rental apartments, and then we showed you the transformation of the exterior of the building.  Now we present to you the work that has been done to the storefront, Simple Gifts and Goodies. The ceiling had to be patched up, a wall was taken down, paint was stripped, and a lot of cleaning was done. Who wouldn’t fall in love with the original woodwork from the ice cream parlor that once existed? Nancy definitely had a vision when she found this place. Simple Gifts and Goodies had been in business for 4 years on Broadway before coming to Liberty Street. She has been at the current location for 3  years.

Storefront Window and Entrance

Lovely Original Woodwork that has been painted over

Original Mirrors

Although a huge improvement has been made to the space, Nancy still considers her shop a work in progress. There are many more things she would like to do to her shop. Like maybe one day strip all the paint from the original wood work in the shop. She has already stripped some surfaces to reveal beautiful stone counter tops and moldings. Nancy also mentioned that she feels a social responsibility to keep her shop looking beautiful. She said that children deserve to have a clean and beautiful space to come to, and that children who come to buy candy at her shop carry themselves differently when they walk through the door.

When discussing with Nancy what motivated her to restore this building, something she said really stood out to me. She said that she could imagine the City of Newburgh “all polished up.” That is something that a lot of people can imagine when they visit Newburgh. Being that it is a historical city with thousands of historic buildings and homes, there is a chance for everyone to polish up a piece of Newburgh to bring it closer to the city it once was. There are dozens-if not hundreds of storefronts in Newburgh begging for quaint shops like this one. Hopefully this post will inspire some new businesses in Newburgh.

I should also mention that Nancy took business training courses that helped guide her on running a business for her location. She is now looking for a baker for Simple Gifts and Goodies. You can contact her at ncolas3124{at}aol.com or (845) 568-0050.


One Comment

  • Good point about “polishing up”. Many of these buildings are so well built that, even with all the abuse they have been through over the years, with a little elbow grease they are as good as new. They are the original “green” buildings- they were built to last for generations. Look at how such buildings are honored in Europe that have been around for centuries longer than our 19h century crop. It’s more than charm, its sustainable living.