Just when there seemed to be a settling in of the stores, a whole lot of movement happened in the storefront community on Main Street Beacon. Here are a few moves:

Closed: Trendy Tots - Beacon's Kids Consignment Store

296 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508
Trendy Tots Take Two, the kids consignment store in the sweet corner yellow house, has closed. Owned by a husband and wife team, this store had been a resource for parents who consigned gently used kids' stuff, and bought low-priced, high-quality items. Owner Jenn had a discerning eye for threads and did not accept everything that was brought into the store. Toward the end of summer 2017, the store posted a sign that said it would be closed until September. Small business owners often make personal choices like this - basing Open Hours around family needs. One time, Jenn was in a car accident and hurt her hip. Another time, the couple were caring for an aging parent and their open hours became inconsistent, but later returned to normal.

But September came and went, and the shop never reopened. In fact, the building and the grassy lot next to it, as well as the warehouse behind that which was known to be rented by artists from time to time, were put on the market to be sold. Asking price was $1 million. According to the realtor, there has been an offer on the property. The merchandise inside of the store has been removed, and we were unable to reach the owners to see if Trendy Tots is relocating.

Open: Wee Bitty Kids - New Kids Consignment Store

178 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508
Just in the nick of time, a local mom, Jenny Donovan, opened Wee Bitty Kids, LLC, near Artisan Wine Shop on the west end of town near Bank Square Coffee. This has replaced the vintage shop Classic Couture Fashion Boutique. The owner of Classic Couture, Leah, has said she will send us an update when she finds the next location for her collection of vintage fashions.

In the meantime, Jenny is taking new consigners and has new and gently used clothing and items for sale. You can learn more about the store via Classic Couture's website and Facebook page.

Note: The new shop, Wee Bitty Kids, has no connection to the volunteer-based nonprofit group, the Wee Play Project, who runs the annual Ree-Play Sale fundraiser every April to raise money for Beacon's parks and library projects.

Loopy Mango Replaces Heart & Soul Apothecary

500 Main Street
Beacon, NY 12508
Longtime oils concoction artist, Leah Quinn, maintained a storefront at this corner store. Inside, she carried anything you might need to solve most any ailment. If it wasn't there, Leah would tell you how to make it. Over the summer of 2017, Leah packed it in at the storefront and went digital all the way. She seems to be exploding from her website, offering Subscription Boxes, workshops, and what looks to be a new line of clothing, like this hoodie.  Don't worry, you can still get Leah's Wonder Salve online here! It truly is wonderful, especially for eczema and sufferers of super chapped lips.

Loopy Mango has replaced the physical location of Heart & Soul, and ... all we can say is Wow. No stranger to retail, Loopy Mango has over 41,000 followers on Instagram, and has had a store in New York City since 2004. This location is all about "big loop" yarn, which is some really big and soft strands of yarn. They are so into it, they make their own in Key Largo, FL. Who is "they"? The business owners are corporate refugees who met in an art class, while "Loopy" is a German shepherd, and "Mango" is an orange cat. As for the people, according to their website:

Waejong Kim was born in Korea. She moved to Japan for college and after graduating from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies she worked as an interpreter and later opened a Korean fusion restaurant in Nagoya, Japan. She moved to New York after 9/11 and worked for a corporate housing company. She taught herself how to crochet, took a long vacation, and never returned to the corporate world. Waejong has a German shepherd named Loopy and and orange cat named Mango.

Anna Pulvermakher was born in Russia. She moved to Seattle, WA, with her family and after graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in Mathematics, she worked for Microsoft and Expedia as a Software Test Engineer. In 2003, she moved to New York to pursue her dream of becoming a professional artist.

Hudson Valley Fitness Center Renames to Zoned Fitness

Hudson Valley Fitness has rebranded to Zoned Fitness, and boy are they in the zone. We've watched their website for a number of years as we looked up information for A Little Beacon Blog's Adult Classes Guide, and the latest updates demonstrate that they are clearly in the zone, and are ready to transform your body. Their services Include food and nutrition training as well. Branding done by Beacon locals Rabe & Co.

New Fitness Center Coming Soon - The Studio at Beacon

Also on our radar! The Studio@Beacon, down near the Howland Public Library and Royal Crepes, is opening in January and will have a juice bar. Based on what drives the owners, the studio will likely specialize in boxing and cycling. With creative branding done by Kingston Creative.(P.S. Kingston Creative kind of has a thing for Beacon, and just released a 16 Most Instagrammed Places in Beacon, according to actual numbers. You'd be surprised who made the list!)