Antoinette King is mixing culture with comfort.
King, formerly of Harlem, launched King’s at 375 Main St. in Franklin in December. In a written statement, King said, the “cozy and curated shop” offers “a unique mix of home goods, personal items, pastries, coffee, tea, and more, blending the charm of local goods with globally inspired finds.”
King said personal experience informed the endeavor.
“Moving upstate inspired the business,” she said. “I moved up here a few years ago, like a lot of people during the pandemic, and I got to know the area and a lot of the small little towns and the cool things happening in a lot of them. So, I was thinking for a long time, ‘What would really complement what’s going on here and fit well as a gathering place?’
“I’m a person that doesn’t love shopping,” King continued. “It’s a lot of walking around all day, so I wanted to create a place that’s comfortable and where you can sit and relax or move around and feel at home. I (was) also born in Jamaica and, even though I love the wonders around here, I’ve traveled a lot and love international things as well, so this brings together local and things that are farther afield.”
King said, in curating the shop’s offerings, she’s fulfilling a broader goal of cross-community connection.
“My croissants are from Five Kids Bakehouse in Gilbertsville, and I love that, because there are people in Franklin who haven’t take the drive over there, and I get to talk about that and introduce them,” she said. “The coffee I serve is Jamaica Blue Mountain … and Jamaican coffee isn’t served a lot in the U.S.
“I have a little store catalog and the back page has a list of other spaces to explore — whether that’s the Walton Theatre, Bobby Sharp Glassworks, Five Kids Bakehouse or 354 Main in Otego,” King continued. “It’s really just partnering with other businesses in the area and trying to point people to these other things and help them discover it. I wanted to shine the light on places or events I’ve gone to and had great experiences.”
King said her “small clothing section” is something “people have really been gravitating toward.”
“The feel should be like you went over to your friend’s house for a coffee or tea, but everything you see in her house is for sale,” she said. “The clothing items are a mix — everything is a mix, of high-low — but it’s really quality things, some of them that are more expensive, like Filson, but are going to last forever, and other items that are more accessible, like Dri Duck, an American brand that makes a really good work jacket.”
That variety, King said, is reflected in her clientele.
“People are really happy to see the space being used for a business,” she said. “It’s a beautiful old building from the 1860s with a ton of charm and people like to see it with the lights on. The social demographic (of customers) runs the gamut, and that’s what I was aiming for, and I like that that’s what it’s been so far. It’s been men and women, and I’ve seen what seems to be late 20s to early 30s all the way up to seniors who have come in and found something to enjoy, and a lot of locals have come in.
“It’s been really cool,” King continued. “People have come from Delhi, Montauk and kind of far afield, but a lot of locals have made this home. The items are really beautiful but, at the same time, really well priced. Sometimes people have issues with sticker shock when they walk into a store and, while I do have some more expensive items — I know in my home I have things that cost $10 or something that costs $500 — I try to reflect that in the store. People see that mix and I think they feel more comfortable, like maybe this store is for them.”
King said she hopes to continue deepening connections and offerings.
“There’s a little backyard that I want to open up and bring in ice cream in the spring and summer,” she said. “The idea could be to put a little bit of seating and one or two firepits out back … and I just recently added a pets section, so I have a few items for dogs and cats. In the long term, I’d love to create a space that’s both comfortable so people can come in and relax and find something beautiful, but that also inspires them to go out and discover everything that’s going on; that’s what the partnerships are about. So, more connectivity throughout the towns — within Franklin, but between Franklin and Otego, and Otego and Sidney.
“I was doing something completely different when I was in Harlem,” King continued. “When I was up here for the first few years, I was working in real estate technology and figuring out what I wanted to do, and that was build community.”
King’s is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, with a winter open house event from 4:30-7:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19.
For more information, find “King’s – Franklin, NY” on Facebook or follow @kings_375main on Instagram.