Antiquing in Hudson: Warren Street and the Antique Warehouse

A day plan for Hudson's Warren Street antique shops, starting at the Antique Warehouse, with hours, what to expect, and where to eat.

Warren Street runs straight up from the Hudson River into the middle of the city of Hudson, and it has been called the best antiques shopping in the Northeast. A walk up the street shows why: dozens of shops in a mile of intact 19th-century buildings, most of them run by dealers who furnish homes for a living.

Here is the trap the street sets for anyone who doesn't know it: most of Warren Street is closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Plan for Thursday through Monday, or you'll park, walk two blocks, and wonder where everyone went.

Morning: The Antique Warehouse

Start at The Antique Warehouse, 99 South Front Street. It isn't a group shop. It's a single owner-operated business, 40,000 square feet, carrying more than 3,000 items at a time across every period and style. It's open every day, including Tuesday and Wednesday, which makes it the one sure thing if your schedule forces you onto a quiet day. It also offers carpentry, welding, and upholstery for pieces that need adjusting, and it ships.

Expect it to be enormous and theatrical. Rooms are staged like sets. Prices run the full range, so go in knowing what you want to spend, and ask.

Midday: walk Warren Street

The densest run of antique shops is in the 500 and 600 blocks, near the top of the hill. If you drove in, park up top and stroll downhill.

  • Arenskjold Antiques (605 Warren) deals in 19th-century paintings and Danish Modern.
  • Sutter Antiques (556 Warren) has Biedermeier, Empire, Art Deco, and Asian pieces at serious prices. Open Thursday through Saturday, 11 to 5.
  • Ammi Ribar (545 Warren) specializes in fine period frames. Call first.
  • Battle Brown and Batterby House Shop (608 Warren) keep more casual hours and a friendlier price range.
  • Bavier Brook (621 Warren) is a small jewelry shop, open Saturday and Sunday afternoons, with weekdays by appointment.
  • Stair Galleries (549 Warren) is Hudson's auction house and appraiser. A preview day is a free education in what things are worth.

Also on Warren Street

A few more places to look up before you go. Each keeps its own hours, so check the listing:

A fair number of these shops don't list phone numbers and keep hours that shift with the season. That's the character of a street built on individual dealers instead of a managed mall. It means Warren Street rewards someone with a free afternoon more than someone on a tight schedule.

Eat and drink nearby

If you have more time

  • Olana, Frederic Church's hilltop home just south of the city, puts the Hudson River School paintings you'll see in shops into context.
  • Quittner Antiques and Restoration in Germantown is part shop, part restoration workshop, about twenty minutes south on Route 9G.
  • Olde 1811 Antique Shoppe in Chatham is open Fridays and Saturdays and closed in January.

Make a day of it

Arrive by ten, start at the warehouse, walk uphill, and plan on leaving around five. If you come by train, Amtrak's Hudson station sits at the foot of Warren Street, about two hours from Penn Station, and you can do the whole day without a car. Hours change, so call ahead for any one shop you're driving to.

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