TALBOTT AND ARDING, A CHEESE AND PROVISIONS SHOP IN HUDSON
Date: July 2 2015
Publication: And North
Images: Emma Tuccillo
When Mona Talbott and Kate Arding partnered to open Talbott and Arding last December, they had a similar vision – to create a gourmet market where an attention to quality products, the producers behind them, and customers were paramount. “It’s not really about us,” says Kate, the shop’s owner and operations manager. “We’re the curators of it, but it’s not about our egos, it’s about representing the people that we buy from.”
Set in the burgeoning city of Hudson, the shop has a minimal, understated aesthetic. Delectable cakes are artfully presented behind open panes of glass; white tiled walls become a backdrop to wooden baskets overflowing with fresh produce; cheeses of all shapes and sizes rest on butcher blocks above a bright white refrigerated case. These deliberate details not only add to the shop’s farmhouse feel, but invite a dialogue with customers who come in to taste, smell and learn. “It’s worth spending a lot of time with people,” says Kate. “If they have the interest to come into the shop, the least we can do is reward them.”