Retailer says online shopping finally too much
After offering an eclectic mix of handcrafted home goods and gifts for 27 years, Archipelago at Home will close its doors in Cold Spring at the end of this month.
Owner Tim Chevtaikin said he can’t compete any longer with online shopping, notably Amazon. “Everyone shops online now,” he said.
The ever-increasing cost of doing business was also a factor. “Everything only goes up, never down,” including rent, bank charges, credit card and terminal charges and stock.
He said he also observed a change in shoppers. “Cold Spring used to be a shopping destination, with antique shops, boutiques and clothing stores,” he said. “People came here because they knew there was merchandise you couldn’t find everywhere else. Times change, things shift.”
In addition, “the winter months can be brutal,” he said. “It’s tough if you don’t take advantage of the summer through the Christmas season.” However, he has seen an uptick in foot traffic during the colder months. “People come here more during the winter than before,” he said. “No one used to come here then.”
Chevtaikin named his business long before it existed. Before moving to Cold Spring, he worked as a makeup artist in New York City. “No matter where I lived there, including for years in Hell’s Kitchen, I always made my home into something not normal, something creative,” he said.
Visiting friends noticed his talent and encouraged him to open a store. He compiled a list of 100 possibilities for names but always returned to Archipelago, adding At Home to distinguish it.
He had a name but needed a location. New York City was too costly, so Chevtaikin researched up-and-coming Hudson Valley locations, including Beacon, Peekskill and Newburgh. “I picked Cold Spring because the train stops right here, and I didn’t have a car!” he said.
He opened in 1998 in what had formerly been a lingerie shop in the building now occupied by The Blue Olive and the Buster Levi Gallery. Two years later, Pizza and Stuff closed at 119 Main and Chevtaikin moved Archipelago to its current location.
Chevtaikin said he enjoyed helping people decorate their homes. “I’ve seen people not pregnant, then pregnant, then have kids in college,” he said. “Many have become friends.” Some people who dropped into his shop on a day trip later moved to the village “because they want to have kids, they want a house, they want a dog.”
Chevtaikin has been heartened by the number of people who have dropped by to wish him well. “They say I’m a staple here, an icon on Main Street, and how much they’re going to miss me, “ he said. “But I tell them, life goes on and things change, times change.”
He does not see another retail store ahead. He plans to sell any remaining stock from his home after he locks up the shop for the last time. “I’m sorry to leave, but I’m a jack-of-all-trades, and when a door closes, another opens,” he said. “I don’t want to jinx anything, but I have several things in the works.”
Asked if he has any advice for other Main Street shopkeepers, Chevtaikin said: “There are a lot of successful shop owners here — I’d just say keep on doing what you’re doing.”
I wish Tim well — he had a good run. When I opened my shop in Beacon, Flora Garden and Home, in 2015, I quickly realized I could not compete with online merchandise or the Javits trade shows in New York City. Retail shops up and down Main Street started to carry similar merchandise, so I began doing my buying the hard way: visiting flea markets, rural antique and junk shops and working with local craftspeople.
It was a lot of work, but it paid off handsomely because I ended up with a shop full of unique finds. I’d sometimes see people in my shop Google various things and end up buying what was in front of them or, better yet, gush about something they hadn’t seen before. But it isn’t for everyone to find products this way. It takes time and you must have a passion for it.
I’d happily do it again, but I don’t like to charge ridiculous prices just to pay skyrocketing rents.
While I am saddened to hear that Tim Chevtaikin is closing his magnificent Cold Spring shop, my only surprise is that he lasted this long. It is a testimony to his excellent taste and artist’s eye that kept him in business this long while fighting Amazon, et. al.
Let’s face it: All brick-and-mortar shopping has changed since people find it so much easier to use their phones or computers. You can have Christmas every day of the year! Instant gratification is all that matters.
During the time I had my tiny Side Effects shop up the block, I could see how people’s brains had become wired differently because of screen addiction. Young people especially would come in, look around and take pictures. I couldn’t figure it out since my stuff was cheaper than what they’d find online, plus more unusual.
When I asked them why they were photographing, they said that I had such a nice shop that they wanted to have pictures to send to their friends. I suggested that if they bought something, they could show them the actual item.
In any case, it is the end of an era on Main Street with Tim leaving. He always had the most beautiful windows in every season and his incredible merchandise never failed to delight me. I wish him the best and thank him for all the beauty and style he brought to Main Street for so many years.
Tim, you’ll be missed. Now write that cookbook so I can buy it. [via Instagram]
It’s sad how much the village has changed. Tim had the best shop in town. Now there is no reason to visit. [via Facebook]
We simply loved Tim’s store. Everything was so unique. We will treasure the items in our home that we bought over the years. Tim and his store will be sorely missed. All the very best moving forward.