Under a steady rain, the Pine Plains Planning Board held a public hearing on Wednesday, Dec. 11, to review a proposal that could breathe new life into the historic Grange Hall at 3007 Church Street. The plan, presented by fiancées Henri Lipton and Michele Moses, seeks to transform the 186-year-old building into Sky and Celery, a bookstore and café reflecting their shared passions for literature and culinary creativity.
“I’m not exactly sure what you have heard about our dream, our vision, our plan, but our hope is to open this business, which is a bookstore café that will be a place where everyone in this town and who comes to this town, can congregate in this incredible building,” Moses said. “You can be on the floors, look out the beautiful windows and enjoy this incredible resource that the town has.”
Moses brings a literary background to the project, having worked at The New Yorker for 10 years. Lipton, a writer himself, has spent the past few years in the culinary world, working at notable farm-to-table restaurants. “We wanted to create a space that fuses those two passions and brings them together in one place,” Moses added.
Lipton, who grew up in Healdsburg, a small town in Northern California, spoke about his connection to Pine Plains and the Grange Hall. “I’ve been in New York for about 10 years now, and I’ve been coming up to the Hudson Valley basically since I moved to New York City,” he said. “I’ve had the pleasure of seeing some of the greatest qualities of where I grew up — on the other side of the country — echoed here: a sense of community, a connection to the land through agriculture, and the relationship between agriculture and food.”
He continued, “The opportunity to take over this incredible building and hopefully bring it renewed energy is really exciting. We want to make it a place where people can gather, as they did when it was a Grange, and celebrate the things we care about and the people we love.”
The building previously housed Gallery & Goods, a market featuring artisanal, locally made crafts that shuttered in 2022.
A discussion about Wi-Fi sparked thoughtful commentary. “That is a consideration that I think we’ll have to spend a lot of time thinking about,” Lipton said. “Idling is very much encouraged. Our vision is predicated on making a space where people want to stay, spend their days, and be alone with a book or together over coffee.”
Moses added, “Our top two priorities are that people want to be there and that it’s pleasant to be there. I understand how having everyone around you working remotely can impact one or the other of those things. I guess we’ll just have to find ways to encourage people to use it as a space to enjoy as well as work.”
The Planning Board also reviewed logistical matters. A special-use permit for highway access and driveways has already been granted. Septic system plans were submitted to the Dutchess County Department of Health three weeks ago, with installation planned for the west side of the property.
The public hearing concluded with the Planning Board expressing appreciation for the presentation. A resolution is expected to be voted on next month.
