Hope Farm Press & Bookshop 252 Main Street Saugerties NY 12477 845-246-3522
Publisher of New York Regional History, Folklore, Nature, Military History and Genealogy Books
A BIG photo of the old interior To return to Contents or for ordering information
For a photo and bio of the proprietor - Richard Frisbie
Allow me to introduce myself and tell you a little about Hope Farm Press & Bookshop.
Hope Farm Press & Bookshop was established in 1959 in Cornwallville, Greene County, NY, by Charles Dornbusch, just before he retired from the New York City Public Library. The buildings and land were originally purchased by his family from the Hope family who had farmed it for years. Thus, it became Hope Farm Press. It was not connected with either the orphanage called Hope Farm, or Father Devine's Hope Farm, both of which were also in the Hudson Valley.
Charles Dornbusch ran it as a walk-in and mail-order bookstore for 30 years. From his interest in the local history of the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountain region grew a catalogue of 500 books and pamphlets on the area, and his remote mountain Bookshop became the destination of people from all over the world. His death in 1990 left a void in the pursuit of the preservation of our heritage that I can only hope to fill.
When Mr. Dornbusch died in 1990 his heirs (Greene County Historical Society) invited me to participate in a competitive bid for his business. They sold the property separately, and I moved the contents to a building that started out as a chicken coop/garage in my hometown of Saugerties. While I continued to operate my book store, Booktrader, on Main Street, I ran Hope Farm as a mail-order business. In 1992 I sold Booktrader and opened Hope Farm Bookshop in the hastily converted garage with 300 feet of wooden shelves. My office was squeezed into the coop section with room for 2 computers and printers, and a side room with 8 pallets and 3 steel bookcases for the cases of stock I maintain. It was very cozy and easy to heat. I don't know how I ever lost anything there - but I did My personal library was here for researchers and genealogists to use on a big trestle table in the middle of the room. But - all that is history now . . .
The fellow I sold the Booktrader to (in 1992) called me on July 28th, 1997 and told me
he was moving to California on August 20th. He asked if I wanted to buy back my old store
in the Village of Saugerties. He knew I was very busy and needed more space. I knew I
didn't have time to move my shop!
Anyway . . . when it came down to either no book store in the village or me running Hope
Farm out of the larger space . . . I bought it back and moved. We're still settling in (it
may take years!) but welcome visitors always. With expanded hours, (daily 10 to 6 pm, 12-4
Sundays and most holidays) more room for my NY books and capable sales help, we are able
to serve you better. I look forward to your visit.
Hope Farm Press & Bookshop is located 1 mile east of NY Thruway exit 20 (Saugerties) at 252 Main Street, in the Village of Saugerties on the south (shady) side of the street. There is a huge sign saying Booktrader overhead and a tiny one with Hope Farm Press & Bookshop in the window. We are halfway between the traffic lights in the heart of downtown, next to Beadle's Pharmacy and across from the Mother Earth health food store. Call 845-246-3522 if you need more directions.
Open daily 10 - 6 PM Eastern Time (important if you are calling from away) Sundays & Most Holidays from 12 - 4. You can check the current events page for days I'll be closed, but Becky and Jim are usually available when I'm not, so we're most always open. You can leave orders on my answering machine, which is SUPPOSED to be on the rest of the time, (!!) but if you need to talk to me - please call during business hours.
OK! Want to know more? - just ask!
For ordering information, or to email your comments. . .
Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1997 by Richard Frisbie -- All rights reserved.