Q & A from the Field
Scott Neild
Clove and Creek (Kingston, NY)
Art • Design • Hospitality
Art • Design • Hospitality
Art • Design • Hospitality
Art • Design • Hospitality
Live: I live in an apartment near the shop with my dog, Jasper.
Previous Life: I started out pursuing a career in musical theatre in Chicago – that lasted about a decade. In a way, that brought me to NYC where I ended up working as an event planner. A couple wrong turns landed me in the right place, Bovina. And now here I am, in a life I could’ve never planned.
Activities: Thinking about my hobbies makes me homesick for my pre-Covid life. I spend my life in restaurants, crowded bars, and theatres. Can’t wait to see you there again someday
When did you open Clove and Creek, tell us a little bit about your journey?
My best friend, Michael Cook, and I started Clove and Creek as a series of pop up markets in 2015. We collaborated with And North, Table on Ten, Brushland Eating House and Bushel Collective, primarily representing handmade goods made in Delaware County. We opened our shop in Kingston in 2016 and have expanded our collection to include handmade products from South America and heritage brands from Europe.
How did you come across kingston?
I was living in Bovina at the time and Michael was part time in Halcott Center. Kingston serves as a nexus for a lot of the Catskill region. We were patrons of Hops Petunia, Kingston Wine Co and Brunette Wine Bar which all recently established themselves in the downtown neighbourhood. We just fell in love with architecture, the camaraderie of local business owners and the socioeconomic diversity of the town. My love for Kingston continues to run deep.
As a small business owner in a small town, how has the pandemic affected you?
Well, we closed at the end of March. The majority of our business since then has been online through cloveandcreek.com. We’re hanging in there and are thankful for our greater community from all over America that have sustained us through these difficult times.
What does community mean to you? How has the community shaped your own business?
Community to me really means a shared responsibility for each other. And that has really come into focus in the past few months. How can we lift each other up? How can we care for each other? How can we work for the common good? How can we give voice to the marginalized? I really try to use the platform I have to bring attention to organizations in the community who are working tirelessly to answer these questions.
