SamPratt.com

Claverack resident (and Hudson computer repair guy) Jonathan Simons snapped this picture this afternoon, which explains the power outage in the Bell’s Pond/Blue Hill area.

As if bucking the trend identified by The New York Times this week in its much-discussed “Cultivating Hudson” feature, two new 300 block shops seem like throwbacks to the type of less-curated, more-affordable stores which were common in the Hudson of the ’90s. Such shops were filled more with yard sale and estate sale finds, drawing a lot of decorators and bargain hunters to Hudson in those pre-1st Dibs years.

Opened by a former vendor at Carousel in the 600 block, Furlong features repurposed industrial lighting by its owner (Eamon Furlong), an an eclectic array of other vintage lighting, rugs, seating, midcentury furniture, thriftstore paintings and the like.

Another escapee of a neighboring shop, former Hudson Supermarket manager and chef Chris Hebert, has slid into the space just to the left of Furlong, and is offering a similar array of what some have called “almost antiques.” (Supermarket building owner Abel Sun has returned to town, and resumed oversight there; Hebert has not yet named his new digs.)

Prices at both shops are in the 10s or the 100s, not the 1,000s, of dollars. These new additions complement the wares at the long-running Warren Street Antiques bazaar just uphill, making the north side of the 300 block a good choice for those looking to fill their house with interesting or useful objects, but not currently in need of a $9,500 sideboard.

Hebert disclosed that later this year he’s planning to occupy the cavernous former Schroeder metal shop on the corner of 2nd and Allen streets, currently being renovated by the Haddads. A group store of four or so vendors to start is in the works in the cinderblock building off the beaten Warren path. The building has been vacant for most of the past decade.