Stanfordville’s Butter celebrates one year in operation

STANFORD — When interior designer Shaina Morse was driving her young son to daycare, she passed a space for rent on the corner of Bulls Head Road and Route 82 in Stanford that immediately caught her attention. A firm believer in self-manifestation, Morse said she saw it as the perfect opportunity to open a shop, something she had long dreamed of doing.

Morse would go on to open the doors to Butter, a curated home-goods store, in 2024. The shop began as a home-decor-focused space rooted in Morse’s love of sourcing vintage and antique pieces and collaborating with other creatives to develop exclusive products. She and her husband, an industrial designer, also envision it as a platform for designing and producing their own work.
“It’s ultimately a portfolio for me,” Morse said. “I’m trying to stay flexible with what the space can evolve into.”

Now in its second year, the shop has been both a learning experience and a test of patience. “Everyone tells me it takes at least three years to really establish yourself,” Morse said. “But the shop has been really well received. People are rooting for us, and that means a lot.”

What makes Butter particularly notable is that Morse founded it shortly after relocating from Los Angeles to the Hudson Valley. A graduate of San Diego State who was born and raised in Southern California, Morse said she wanted to live somewhere new for her own personal growth.

“Even though Los Angeles had been home forever and I love my family and friends dearly, I didn’t see it as my forever,” she said.
Morse also said she was seeking a better quality of life for her now two-year-old son. With her husband’s family based on Long Island, the move east felt like a natural fit.

“I think the year that I moved, it just felt like everything was strangely falling into place,” Morse said. “These opportunities kept presenting themselves, and because I didn’t have a job, I had time to focus on potentially opening a store.”

At first, Morse said she didn’t think opening a shop would be possible — she had just moved and didn’t yet have a job. However, when she met the building’s owner and learned that he was a high-end residential contractor, she reasoned that even if the shop didn’t work out, the connection could still be valuable.

“If nothing comes from this,” she said, “at least I’ve made a connection in the industry.”

Ultimately, Morse and her husband decided the leap was worth the risk. As two creatives, the couple saw the space not only as a retail venture but also as an opportunity to build something that reflected their shared design sensibilities and long-term goals.

“I don’t have any expectations because this is my first time running a store,” Morse said. “I’m learning a lot, and it’s been helpful getting to know other small business owners, especially being new to the area.”

Alongside the shop, Morse continues to run her interior design practice, offering services ranging from paint and color consulting to full-scale renovations, new builds and custom furniture design. While she’s open to many project types, residential work remains her focus.

“It’s more intimate,” she said. “You really get to know people, and it becomes a collaborative process.”

Morse draws on her undergraduate degree in interior design as well as her professional experience working with prominent designers such as Waldo Fernandez and Peter Dunham. Balancing her design practice with curating products for Butter, she said, can be challenging, but it also informs the shop’s identity. She aims to prioritize carrying goods made by small-business owners.

“The space is essentially a reflection of me,” Morse said. “I find things I like — products, smells and scents I gravitate toward — and I wouldn’t bring anything into Butter that I don’t love or wouldn’t use in my own home.”