Main Street Business

There’s a new store in Millerton in the renovated building on Main Street that had been Terni’s for over a hundred years. We talked with Jason Jobson, one of the partners in the endeavor, along with Richard Lambertson and Christophe Pourny, one hot July morning before the store opened for the day.

How did you come up with the name Dutchess Trading?

First and foremost, legally we could not use the Terni name. We thought of our region and wanted an identity that evoked a general store and our location at Main Street and Dutchess Avenue. There’s a mysterious origin to the name Dutchess spelled with a “t” that was appealing. Also, it has an old world sound that we thought was appropriate to the building.

You bought the building two years ago just as retailers everywhere were closing. Why did you want to open a store in Millerton?

All three of us are retailers at heart. Christophe and I had a retail store in Brooklyn with unique products at all price points that anyone could buy, such as these French birthday candles. Previously my background was in fashion and retail. Richard is a partner in Privet House in New Preston, designs and makes Lambertson Truex bags (which we carry), and had a fashion career in New York and Italy. When we received a telephone call from Bill Melnick, a friend and a real estate agent with Elyse Harney, that Terni’s was for sale, we jumped at the opportunity. We all have houses in Sharon and were spending more time up here, so nearby Millerton seemed very attractive. Besides, the three of us fell in love with the building and wanted to save it.

Was the renovation process difficult?

You know the saying about twice as long and three times as much – it’s pretty accurate. We worked with our contractor Jason Lemon starting in the basement to rebuild the foundation and structural elements and renovate the ground floor interior while trying to retain the spirit of Terni’s. We glazed the walls and kept the same green paint. Parts of the roof at the back of the store were replaced – you could actually see the sky. The floors in this room had to be replaced and we used 100-year-old wide board pine planks with square headed nails. Christophe finished them himself with our beeswax product. We used most of the original Terni’s fixtures and even the mirrors that are from The Mirror Café that was here before Terni’s.

It was straightforward to get our required building permits, but it was more difficult to get a retail permit from the Village Planning Board. I’m not quite sure why.

You have an amazing range of products. What guides your selection?

Our idea is to have a range of products not available locally with many of the same categories as Terni’s minus the shotguns and ammunition. In the back of the shop we are an exclusive distributor of Farrow & Ball paint. There are canvas bags, aprons and hats from Christophe’s sister in France, antique linen nightshirts purchased from all over the world by Richard, the Pourny Studio furniture products, traditional French olive oil soap from Marseille, striped house slippers made in a small factory in France, Laguile cutlery, and even these handy water buffalo leather fly swatters made in Brooklyn.

Do you consider this a luxury goods store?

It is and it’s not. Farrow & Ball is very high quality, pigment-based paint, not widely available and pricey. We have their ten most popular colors in inventory and 48-hour access to all 136 colors and four finishes. Creed perfume is an expensive luxury brand. Bigelow’s Pharmacy products are excellent, not available around here, but affordable. We’re trying to have unique, natural, quality products at all price points. For example, look at these placemats and rugs. They are made in France of the same material used for extracting oil from olives. They range from $12 for trivets to $125 for a large oval. Our taper candles from France retail for $3.50 each.

Any plans for the second and third floor?

Good question. That will be phase two. Originally this was a boarding house, and there are seven small bedrooms on the third floor. Phil Terni grew up on the second floor. Eventually there may be professional offices of some sort, but our focus right now is on The Dutchess Trading Company.

How do the three partners share tasks?

We are equal partners in every sense of the word. We all identify products and buy for the store. Richard has an incredible eye for display and curating vintage clothes and artwork. Christophe is a master furniture finisher and restorer, and he can apply that to almost any object. He has worked on most of what you see in the store. By default, I’ve become the IT guy and handle our social media just because I’m the most computer savvy. I started posting our renovation on Instagram and was amazed at the interest in our progress. Turns out that people love a preservation/renovation story. We have 4,000 followers with no boosting. 2,000 people liked the story of finding and installing the pharmacy showcase. And we will all be present in the store.

Did you write a business plan for the store?

No, our plan was made while the three of us were sitting around and having dinner. It’s exactly how we imagined it.

How did the first week of business go?

Many different types of people showed up. Some just wanted to see what was inside Terni’s store. One gentleman who helped Phil put newspapers together every day for 30 years told us that the bathroom on the first floor used to be a chicken coop. Another asked where the soda fountain went, and we explained that it was given to a guy in Poughkeepsie who restores them. Others recounted stories about Phil’s mother, Henrietta, who was a teacher.

Customers bought up the linen gowns, Richard’s antique tin savings banks, Pourny Studio furniture products, and even Farrow & Ball paint brushes. We felt very welcomed and excited about becoming a staple in this community.

What about the rusty goats?

We found the pair at an auction. They have become a personality mascot for the store during our renovations. 

Don’t you miss the fashion world?

On my last day at Chanel no one could believe I was leaving to join a furniture renovation company. I haven’t  missed it for a minute. •

To learn more about the Dutchess Trading Company, go to their website dutchesstradingcompany.com or their Instagram: @thedutchesstradingcompany, or visit them in person at 42 Main Street, Millerton, NY.