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Passing the living house of Livingston Manor in the Catskills seven years ago, David McGillivray noticed a building that stood out from the rest: a box of mid -century built with concrete, glass and aluminum, located a stone shot of the popular art space of the Catskill. “It was perfect,” says British designer and co -founder of the Loungewear Offhours brand.
McGillivray had long fantasized to open his own art store, coffee table books and meticulously designed stationery. When the property (originally the office of an insurance agent, later, a hairdresser) was put in the market in 2023, he rented it with a vision of transforming it into the store of his dreams. Corners Opened in September of that year. “Recently, a client referred to space as a monastic,” says McGillivray. “There is a sense of design worship here.” The incense that still burns certainly.
McGillivray worked in interiors personalized with designer Michael Groth, grinding the floor back to his original concrete, with the exposed aggregate adding an effect similar to terrazo and covering a wall with a white varieties exhibition unit. The central table is backed by recovered materials: a steel i beam at one end and a 600 lb river rock in the other. An eclectic selection of works of art is found on staggered shelves (from $ 250): Norwegian landscapes of Jeanette Lafontine and abstract canvases by local artist Victor-Raul García, as well as posters and reproductions. Joan Miró’s impressions (of $ 450) are made by the historic printed house Parisina Mourlot, which created such thin lithographs that Picasso once installed the camp in the corner of his study. “They were performed 30 to 50 years ago, so they are vintage in their own right,” says McGillivray de los Mirós. All works of art come ready to hang, in Marcos de Arce Solids.
The opposite wall shows notebooks and pens from around the world. “Some people enter and scare absolutely,” says McGillivray. “I never realized how many feather nerds are there.” His favorites are the traditional pen and gel pens. LEUCHTTURM1917 (From $ 26), which comes in forceful colors like Bauhaus Yellow, and a multifunctional pen of the Japanese brand CDT ($ 38), which allows you to change between black and red ink and a mechanical pencil. “It is the most rationalized metal pen that you have ever seen,” he says.
The variety of coffee table magazines and books is equally popular, particularly with local artists who like to come and buy reference material. Rick Rubin’s The creative act ($ 32) It sells well, while Lauren Macdonald’s In search of color ($ 50) It has a special attraction in the picturesque Catskills: explore the story of extracting dyes from plants, seeds and fungi. Everything is complemented with limited editions and rotating collections, such as an emerging window of Alessi’s kitchen utensils that presented the cosmic lemon marker from Philippe Starck and a large number of coffee makers, and a set of curvilinear sculptures carved in local cherry and black walnut wood The artist Pat KimThey have almost exhausted.
“Honestly, the whole store is just things that I like,” says McGillivray. Opening in such a small town, it was anxious that the neighbors also like it. For their relief, they seem: “I remember some art critics and elderly artists who were ecstatic to discover the store.” A handful of regular customers each of those who return for a particular element: their favorite pencil or a copy of the latest Paris review. He also welcomes buyers of one day who seek refuge from the city and the strange actor of Marvel (on which he prefers to remain discreet).
The patio is furnished with tables and chairs where customers can sit and enjoy a pressed juice, which McGillivray also stores. He does not feel like entering the hospitality game, but he wants to encourage visitors to take, enjoy their purchases and enjoy forest landscapes and trout -filled streams. “Many people during the weekend are buying a pen and a notebook and are in daily,” he says. “They are sitting in nature, they are slowing down.”
Corners49 Main Street, Livingston Manor, NY 12758; @corNersnewyork