Millerton has new PLACE for art

MILLERTON — PLACE, an art gallery and studio located at 3 Main St. in Millerton, was an “11th hour decision,” according to business partners Sonne Hernandez and John Goudreault.

The gallery, which opened this spring, is preparing for an official opening at the end of the month.

The business partners have known each other for almost a year, and they could not be happier to have met and made the storefront a reality in such short time.

Goudreault, a custom furniture maker, has lived in Millerton for several years and has even owned a custom-made furniture storefront in the center of the village previously.

When Goudreault closed his last shop years ago, he knew he wanted to open another one when the time was right. That time came when he met Hernandez, an artist from Brooklyn who was introduced to the area by a friend of hers when she was looking for a studio space.

Both described their liking of one another “instantaneous” and their meeting as “random, but perfect timing.”

“We met and five minutes later we decided, ‘We should open a place together at some point in time,’ thus here we are today,” Goudreault said.

Hernandez thought it would be a good idea and so the search for a good location began.

“I decided I would give it a try for a year — at that time I was looking for some proper studio space and I wasn’t able to find one,” said Hernandez, who specializes in creating photo-realism.

When Goudreault happened to find this place, she continued, the artist happened to be in Los Angeles doing commissioned work.

“I remember John called and said, ‘I found you a studio space, and it’s really big, and do you want to start a business?’” Hernandez said. “For me it was like at the 11th hour because I was getting ready to move back to Brooklyn, but I just really love the area — I love all the different people, it’s essentially a bunch of displaced New Yorkers and cool artists,” she said, adding that she then decided to give the new location a chance.

PLACE looks to introduce its owner’s work to the community as well as promote the work of other artists in the region. Hernandez and Goudreault said they hope to do this not just through regular open hours, but also through gallery events.

“We want to create a vibe through our events so people can come in and sort of can take a look at a new art piece or furniture we got in the store, and we can introduce them to new artists,” said Hernandez.

“We want to create a relaxed feel compared to other galleries where you walk in and people ignore you or are all over you,” added Goudreault.

PLACE will host a formal gallery opening on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 4 to 8 p.m. Everyone is welcome to stop by.

Additionally, the new owners are excited to get more involved with activities in town such as the annual Festival of Lights around holiday season.

“Anything that’s helping Millerton be a better place is awesome,” Goudreault said.

Although a website has not yet been set up for their business, people may call Goudreault  at 845-705-5288 or Hernandez at 347-622-3084 with any questions about their work.