BOOKS AND BREWS CONVERGE UPTOWN
New business to operate in stone building at historic four corners
KINGSTON, N.Y. » A landmark stone building in Uptown Kingston will soon be home to a bookstore that also will sell a selection of craft brews, according to plans submitted to the Planning Office.
Rough Draft Bar & Books is to be at 82 John St., the former Kingston Academy building at Uptown’s historic four corners, where John and Crown street intersect.
“Rough Draft Bar & Books plans to open on or around Nov. 1, and will sell new books, with an emphasis on fiction, paperbacks and local interest,” a written narrative of the project states. “The bar will serve a selection of local craft beer with wine, cider and various nonalcoholic options.”
Amanda and Anthony Stromoski, high school sweethearts who grew up in South Jersey, are the owners of the new business. They lived in Brooklyn for more than a decade and recently purchased a home in Kingston.
“We fell in love with Kingston over a series of Hudson Valley road trips throughout the past eight years or so,” they couple said in an email. “We appreciated the history of the town, the architecture, the proximity to the mountains, the growing restaurant, bar and art scene, and most importantly, the people.”
The couple said they chose Uptown “primarily because we thought the space was incredible and also because this is still where the most foot traffic is.”
The Stromoskis view Rough Draft Bar & Book as a unique blend.
“Rough Draft provides a unique combination of a convivial bar atmosphere and independent bookstore,” the email says. “There are plenty of fantastic bookstores in the Hudson Valley, including Half Moon Used Books, right here in Kingston, but few provide a place to sit, read, relax, chat with others and have something tasty to eat or drink.
“We want to combine some of our favorite things — beer, coffee and books — in one space, while providing a place for people to come together, as well,” the email adds.
The couple said that while there are many café/bookstores, even some that offer beer and wine, “only a few really provide a true bar atmosphere, with drink selection,
music, eating and events to match.”
Spotty Dog Books and Ale, a bookstore/bar in Hudson, is a notable exception and one inspiration for the Stromoskis, they said.
During the day and early evening, Rough Draft Bar & Books also will serve coffee, including espresso-based beverages. Food will be available for purchase, but there will be no full-service kitchen.
Rough Draft Bar & Books will be open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
The building at 82 John St. dates to 1774, when it was constructed as the Kingston Academy, according to the group Friends of Historic Kingston. The private school remained there until moving to a building on Academy Green in 1830.
The John Street building stands on the only corner in the United States where all four buildings predate the Revolutionary War. It was damaged when the British set fire to most of the buildings in Kingston in 1777 but was repaired soon after, according to Friends of Historic Kingston.
The building is owned by Gerald Celente, who heads the Trends Research Institute, and previously has housed a Sears store, a newspaper office, a carpenter’s shop and various restaurants. The second floor of the building is occupied by radio station WGHQ-AM.
The Stromoskis said the structure’s historic nature will be a significant asset to their new business.
“The very first time we ever walked by the building and saw the Kingston Academy sign, we said, “That’s the spot,’” the couple wrote. “The character of the building itself, with all of its stone nooks and crannies, the tasteful renovations made by the owners of the building, and the location on one of the ‘oldest intersections’ in the country are all wonderful on their own.”