Over the past few years, Upstate New York has been experiencing something of a cultural rebirth. Perhaps some credit is due to the ongoing gentrification of Brooklyn, where rent seems to exponentially grow year after year. As a result, there has been a mass migration to places such as Hudson, Kingston and Albany, but not without bringing some of Brooklyn with. Record stores, vintage boutiques and more coffee shops than can be accounted for have popped up in the wake, and that’s nothing to complain about.

One of the best additions to Albany within this rebirth has been the Fort Orange General Store, located at 296 Delaware Avenue, between Tierra Coffee Roasters and the New World Bistro. The shop is run by the exuberant duo of Caroline Corrigan and Katy Smith, who have a knack for careful curation and sharp aesthetic. However, Corrigan and Smith aren’t from Brooklyn, but instead met in college 10 years ago in Albany. The duo would eventually go on to work together at the then-Ultraviolet Cafe next door, before buying out the vacant space that would become the Fort Orange General Store in May of 2014.

The shop gives off the aura of an art gallery, with its white walls and intricately organized displays that are filled with a smorgasbord of largely handmade goods, such as greeting cards, housewares, chocolate and coffee. There’s even a bin of albums from a number of Albany-based musicians, all the profits going directly to the artists, and last time we checked, a lovely collection of 7” singles from The Beatles.

The next time you’re grabbing a cup of coffee at Tierra, a meal at the New World Bistro, or seeing a movie at the Spectrum, consider stopping in at the Fort Orange General Store. Whether browsing or buying, it’s hard to not appreciate this gem that Albany has the pleasure of calling its own.