Hoppy Holiday Shopping at Hudson's Bookstore/Toy Shop/Beer Bar
Hudson’s Spotty Dog Books and Ale is worth visiting just for its cozy environs and 12 well-curated brews on tap (10 beers, a cider, and a kombucha on our last visit). The bar-meets-bookstore also promises a fine selection of bottles and cans, wine, French press coffee, cheese plates, and other snacks. And besides books, they’ve got a solid toy section. And an art supply shop in the back. Holiday shopping just seems so pleasant with a Fiddlehead IPA in your hand.
Under tin ceilings and the soft glow an old-timey chandelier, the Spotty Dog’s bookstore feels as warm, welcoming, and well-curated as the bar. Our family librarian, 8-year-old Archer, was impressed by the kids’ non-fiction shelves and was happy to find one of his all-time favorites, Under Water, Under Earth. (If you have a little nature kid in your life, you can find a list of Archer’s favorite animal books for kids here.)
A clothesline of little t-shirts and onesies (featuring literary classics from Olivia to Goodnight Moon to Everyone Poops) hangs along a brick-exposed wall in the children’s section. And they even carry some very cute Very Hungry Caterpillar socks.
Ramona, still holding a watermelon agua fresca from nearby Casa Latina Pupusas y Mas, posed beside the plush crayons from our new holiday favorite, The Crayons’ Christmas.
We were also pretty into the selection of unicorn themed cookbooks. Count ‘em—there are three!
In the back, there’s a whole art supply shop. I love the coloring page below with small print that reads, “I have lost myself and found myself in books.”
Ramona was dazzled by the array of gel pens and paintbrushes.
And if that’s not enough, the back room also has shelves of science kits, magic sets, puzzles, fake food for play kitchens, and (to Archer’s delight) even some boxes of owl pellets—the ready-to-dissect ejected chunks of teeth, skulls, claws, and feathers that can’t pass through an owl's digestive tract. (Yum!) There’s really a gift here for everyone, and another beer waiting for you when your shopping is done.
The Spotty Dog Books & Ale is located at 440 Warren Street, Hudson, NY; 518-671-6006. They are open 11 to 9-ish Mondays through Saturdays and 12 noon to 8-ish on Sundays. Check out their calendar for upcoming events like literary readings, musical performances, and trivia nights.
