Deer Heads And Daydreams: A Shop Where Every Corner Tells A Story

Walking into Hudson Street Vintage is like slipping into a well-edited daydream, where every corner tells a slightly different story.

High-concept housewares give way to a cast-iron Victorian mannequin shoe, a “vegan leather” armchair, a strangely compelling antique bowling ball — all before leading into a pint-sized room devoted to retro cowboy chic, including cowboy boots in powder blue, snakeskin, suede, and tasseled turquoise.

On a quiet Friday afternoon, a woman arrived with a white deer head mounted on wood. The head belonged to her father and was kept in his garage. She hoped to find a place where the aging trophy would be appreciated.

"It's quite a mix. There’s something for everyone,” one of the vendors, Katrina Hupfeld, said. “Fans of Disney would definitely find some treasures. And Charlie Brown, of course.”

But a deer was the most unusual item she had seen come into the store. “The deer is top right now,” she said.

It’s the kind of place locals rave about, and designers quietly depend on.

People waiting for nearby wine tastings stop in, as do locals, who come by to see what's new.

"You don’t just shop. You hang out here, chat about the treasures and what we’re into," Hupfeld said.“

Mayacamas, an artisan home goods boutique based in Kenwood, occupies a section behind the counter. “Shawn has an amazing eye,” Hupfeld said, referring to designer Shawn Hall, whose touch is evident at restaurants, tasting rooms, and homes up and down the coast.

Above it all hang light fixtures—some from Hero, a vintage-meets-modern home goods shop in Sebastopol with "objects for life." Some fixtures are found, some antique, some custom-designed.

“We’re treasure hunters. This is our passion," Hupfeld said.

In all, 20 Hudson Street vendors share the hangar-like space tucked into the Old Roma Station on Front.

Vintage merchants know each other and support each other, another vendor, Carol Ann Korpi, said.

Some are are seasoned veterans of the hunt-and-sell. Others are newer to the business. Others, like Mayacama and Hero can have a footprint in Healdsburg without committing to a store.

Hudson Street Vintage itself just opened in July.

The owner, Constance Brown, a one-time realtor and hotdog merchant, originally opened Healdsburg Vintage in 2009, then sold it to Modern Antiquarium in 2016.

Hudson Street Vintage is her fifth vintage collective.

She rents space to vendors, who each work two days a month in the store. The model helps them run their own businesses, but at scale.

“It’s like selling hope, selling a promise,” Brown said. “And I like the look of vintage,” she said.

Asked how Brown curates the vendors, she said, “I just do. I have an eye.”

The store sits in the Old Roma Station on Front Street, near the edge of town before Healdsburg drops off into the Russian River.

That Hudson Street Vintage is an unusual name for a shop that sits on Front Street has been mentioned to Brown.

She said she originally planned to open the store on Hudson Street. Rent was pricey, so she chose Front Street instead. But she liked the original name, so it stayed.

She and her neighboring merchants are working on a name to brand the area bordered by the Emitt-Scorsone winery overlooking the river on one side, and a loose chain of wineries and tasting rooms that end in the Fogbelt Station.

They are all within walking distance of the future SMART train station.

The stop on Hudson Street will be the most northerly in the chain of stations that will extend service from the current end of the line in Windsor in 2028.

The hoped-for future of the station includes more visitors to Healdsburg who don't need a car to eat, drink, and shop.

Although Brown said her location is a good one, the station will be a "real bonus for sure."