A Vintage Shoppers Gem: Red Owl Collective in Kingston NY

On the Hunt for Vintage Treasures? Red Owl Collective Has You Covered. Whether you’re searching for sleek mid-century furniture, quirky retro kitchenware, antique jewelry, groovy ‘60s fashion, vintage posters, statement lighting, or crate-dig-worthy vinyl records—Red Owl Collective is your ultimate destination for all things nostalgic and cool. Founded by vintage enthusiast Cindy Hoose, Red Owl Collective brings a fresh twist to old-school treasure hunting. Cindy’s passion for flea market finds and retro aesthetics led her to create something truly special: a 10,000-square-foot haven in Kingston, NY, packed with a curated mix of vendors and one-of-a-kind pieces to thrill even the most seasoned picker.

And the vintage love doesn’t stop there. Last year, Red Owl launched its own outdoor flea market, transforming warmer months into a season of open-air discovery and community vibes. (And lucky for us—flea season is just around the corner.)

We recently caught up with Cindy to chat about the inspiration behind Red Owl, her vision for the flea, and why vintage still makes her heart skip a beat.

INSIDE+OUT: What inspired you to create Red Owl Collective?

Cindy Hoose: I opened my first vintage store, Rosendale Wares, in the 1990s. Then I took a long break from selling vintage, raised my two kids, and made art. I started selling vintage again in various antique malls in 2015, reigniting my love for staging and styling merchandise and the “thrill of the hunt” for vintage treasures. In late 2022, my husband and I purchased the MCM building – John was looking for warehouse space for his business JSP Home Services, which had a long local history as a bowling alley and the Wonderly Drapery factory. The building itself inspired me, and I started dreaming about the possibility of opening a multi-dealer collective space.

“I truly love vintage and the treasure hunt dopamine rush that comes with the picking life. Our collective has provided me with a deeper connection to the creative folks who are passionate about buying, selling, and collecting.” – Cindy Hoose, Red Owl Colletive

Red Owl is described as a “Vendor Mall”. Say more about this concept and how it is unique.

Cindy Hoose: The antique mall model of business allows us to provide customers with amazing curated finds by many different vendors. Red Owl currently houses 89 vendors in our 10,000 ft space. Our vendor application process allows us to curate different styles, specialties, and eras, and ensures we always have a variety of wares at multiple price points – truly something for everyone! Our vendors pay us rent for their space; we take a small commission on sales. We have a central checkout with modern software to keep things organized, and our amazing, friendly team of Red Owl staff members works hard to assist customers.

Had the space undergone any renovations? If so, what was that experience like, and how involved were you?

Cindy Hoose: I traveled all around the tri-state area, as well as Nashville and Austin, visiting as many vendor malls as possible in the early planning stages, looking for inspiration. We did many renovations: we needed to become ADA compliant, which involved installing 2 ramps; we had to demo all the drop ceilings and 1980s-era offices. We kept as many interesting features as we could, repurposing them in new ways – for example, a glass office wall now hosts a mural by local artist Thorneater Comics. We subdivided the main floor, installed all the pegboard booths, painted the interior, and created our own breeze block interior plant wall at the entrance that welcomes our customers into the space.

Are there any interesting stories tied to this space?

Cindy Hoose: The name Red Owl is an anagram of Wonderly’s, the former drapery factory that had been the previous occupant of the building since the 1960s, and the sign on the side of the building was repurposed from their original sign. The Apple TV series Severance rented the building for a few days of filming. You can see our facade used as the “Great Doors” company in Season 2, episode 2.

What can shoppers expect from a trip to Red Owl Collective?

Cindy Hoose: We often hear an “Oh WOW” or “I didn’t know it was so big in here” when customers enter for the first time. We try to shake off the “musty and dusty” antique mall stereotype; experienced antique mall shoppers may be surprised to find that we are so well organized, with wide aisles, great lighting, and that it smells nice and fresh. We work on having a large variety of items at many price points from our curated, specialized vendors. At Red Owl, you’ll find books, vinyl, a ton of vintage and secondhand clothing, mid-century furniture, artwork, homewares, ceramics, collectible toys, and tchotchkes. We also get tons of compliments on our music playlists!

Tell us about the Flea! How has it evolved from last year?

Cindy Hoose: We started the flea market in June of 2024. We started cautiously with 20 vendors and were blown away by the turnout both outside for the flea and inside the Red Owl. First Sundays have consistently been our highest foot traffic and sales days. I do love a good flea market! Ours is a mix of vintage sellers and regional handmade artisan vendors. This season, we are expanding to include more vendors, and also starting 2 months earlier on April 6th.

Are your vendors all local artisans and vendors, and the types of products are sold?

Cindy Hoose: We are primarily a vintage warehouse, but we do have a few artists – ceramicists, illustrators, painters – who sell their work here.

Aside from the shopping experience, do you offer special events and/or programming?

Cindy Hoose: We have hosted a few living room concerts, and we’ve started a yearly Red Owl birthday tradition in mid-August with a storewide sale and fun extras. Another storewide sale happens the weekend after Thanksgiving, encouraging shoppers to ditch the Black Friday big box stores and shop sustainably and creatively instead. Sign up for our mailing list to get the inside scoop on any events and sales coming up!

What are the challenges/rewards of running a vendor space like this?

Cindy Hoose: I truly love vintage and the treasure hunt dopamine rush that comes with the picking life. Our collective has provided me with a deeper connection to the creative folks who are passionate about buying, selling, and collecting. It has also connected me to other business owners in midtown Kingston, and I am enjoying this opportunity to get involved with our neighborhood and local community. During the first year of Red Owl, I found myself saying “I am learning something new” nearly every day, and I also stretched myself to get over some shyness and introverted habits. I liken myself to the matriarch of a large extended family. I have set up Red Owl with enough structure and organization that most days feel like a well-oiled machine. The Red Owl team members are invaluable in keeping everything running smoothly and providing a fun and friendly environment for everyone to enjoy.

How does one join the Red Owl Collective? Describe the application and selection process for vendors.

Cindy Hoose: We have an application form on our website that is super easy to fill out. This helps me stay organized and collect contact info to reach out to new vendors when there is availability. We are currently at wait list capacity. We have a variety of spaces for different kinds of vendors: full floor booth spaces, our “rent a rack” program for clothing-only vendors, and locked showcases.

What impact does your business have on your community?

Cindy Hoose: We love being in midtown Kingston! The most direct impact is that we are providing our vendors, many of whom live in Kingston, an opportunity to grow their vintage businesses. We provide not only a beautiful environment that is professionally staffed, but also an opportunity to benefit from our marketing and advertising reach. Also, the Red Owl often serves as a fun meeting place for friends to spend time together hunting treasure in our aisles, much like the shopping mall of the 1980s. We see many multi-generational families shopping together, sharing nostalgia.

What local businesses do you rely on to be successful?

Cindy Hoose: We love to share our Red Owl recommended list with our shoppers, particularly visitors from out of town, which has all of our local favorite vintage & antiques stores, coffee shops, lunch and dinner spots, entertainment, and other local attractions. There are so many great spots in our town, and we feel that all local businesses feed into each other, helping Kingston to become a regional draw for daytrippers and weekend vacationers. Some of our immediate neighbors here in midtown that have been so supportive of us (and that we patronize on the daily!) are Ollie’s Pizza, Fletcher & Lu, Masa Midtown, Tubby’s, West Kill Supply and Rewind.

What do you have in store for Spring that you’d like to share?

Cindy Hoose: We are looking forward to warm weather and FLEA SEASON!

+ + +

Photos courtesy of Red Owl Collective  and Terry Dagrosa

Follow/Connect via Website | Instagram | Facebook | Red Owl Flea