Doers and Dreamers – Margaret Verghese
People who have moved to this area recently either have the ability to telecommute, resign themselves to commuting back to the metropolitan area daily or for at least some part of the week, or make a complete transformation and start some sort of business here. Very few decide to keep commuting AND to start a new business as this week’s Doer and Dreamer has done. Given the accolades that she has gotten in previously chosen profession, I’m sure she’ll manage both just fine.
Your name: Margaret Verghese
Business or organization: South Manor , 25b Broadway, Kingston, NY
Occupation: Radio executive, Shopkeeper
What is your approach to your business or occupation that makes you unique?
I’m a paper lover in a digital world. I love the idea of keeping notebooks, writing letters/postcards and sending sweet snail mail to the people we care about. My love of paper also means I stock vintage & antiquarian books, old prints and various other ephemera. In the spirit of bringing back what I believe to be the lost art of writing — I’ll be setting up a writing desk so people can come in and write a letter or a postcard inside the store that I’ll mail for them. It’s going to be an homage to a time when we stopped for a few minutes to send our loved ones personal, handwritten communication. That won’t be until January of 2018, though.
Where are you from originally?
I mostly grew up in Maryland, but spent most of my adult life in New York City & New Jersey before moving to Kingston.
What brought you to the Kingston area and keeps you in this area?
A few years ago, my husband and I came up for a relaxing weekend on the Rondout and instantly fell in love. We came back the next weekend and looked for a house and the rest is history.
What is your favorite hangout in this area and why?
Don’t make me choose! I spend my time off bothering every bartender and shopkeeper in the area, haha! I adore Art Bar, Just For You, The Anchor and The Beverly in Midtown, Boitsons & Santa Fe in Uptown and Brunette & all our Broadway neighbors on the Rondout.
When you’re not in Kingston, what’s your idea of a wonderful city to visit, and why?
There are so many cities with really rich histories, great food and beautiful architecture in the Hudson Valley and New England that it’s hard to pick just one. Internationally, I loved visiting Florence, Italy and Marseille, France.
Tell us something that we never would have guessed about you.
I’ve been named one of the Most Influential Women In Radio for five years in a row.
