Couple plans ‘Hometown Shop,’ Patten South St. bldg.

By Ben Westcott, Chronicle Staff Writer

Kara Magoolaghan and her husband Matt Rafferty plan to open a home decor store called Hometown Shop in one of the five commercial spaces in Chris Patten’s current redevelopment of 46-56 South Street, the building now painted blue across from “The Ed,” the new farmer’s market building.

The couple said they moved to Glens Falls from Pittsburgh in 2023, where they flipped two houses and ran an Airbnb “where we kind of got started in designing stuff,” Ms. Magoolaghan said.

She’s from Yonkers, he’s from Latham. They met at Binghamton University. Deciding to move back to upstate New York, Ms. Magoolaghan said, “We didn’t want to live in or around Latham, so Glens Falls had that kind of charm we were looking for without being Saratoga prices that we couldn’t afford.”

Ms. Magoolaghan said they plan a “micro general store with a heavy focus on design.” She said, “The only place around here that we’ve found that you can buy home decor is like TJ Maxx, which is not the best option.”

Mr. Rafferty works for Realize Brokers, which has the listing for the 46-56 South Street commercial spaces, and the couple came up with the shop idea when they were walking through the space.

“We thought ‘this would be perfect for something like this,’” recalls Ms. Magoolaghan, who said she works as a contractor for affordable housing providers.

“We’re really excited about the location on South Street right across the street from the new farmer’s market,” she said.

“We go to the farmers market, so we know it’s always packed. And my target demographic is that 25 to 45 year old woman who’s shopping at the farmer’s market and popping into a little shop and maybe is going to buy something for herself, or they’re going to a dinner party and need a gift or something like that.

“We love the foot traffic that’s down there for the farmers market, and we also love that there’s going to be like 200 new apartments that are going to attract hopefully young professionals who are going to need to decorate those apartments.

“All of these apartments are going to look the same. They’re all white boxes, and they have no personality until you get somebody that’s creative and fun. But they need somewhere to shop. So that’s what the shop will be.”

She said they plan to invest $12,000 “building it out” after initial construction is finished, and they hope to have Hometown Shop open by April.

She said the back of the shop will have a small design studio to help people “pick paint colors and figure out what wallpaper they want to use.”

The store will also feature pantry consumables like granola and olive oil in addition to items such as stationery, pens, candles, cards and tableware.

“We’re really excited about South Street generally, and we’re hoping to really contribute to the fabric of making downtown a more walkable and welcoming place to be,” Ms. Magoolaghan said.

“I think one of the most important parts about having a vibrant downtown is feeling like it’s your home, so we’re trying to help people feel more at home here.”

Mr. Patten told The Chronicle that two of the other commercial tenants going in the building are Judd’s Tavern and Katy’s Wine & Whiskey. The Chronicle has not confirmed the other two tenants, but Ms. Magoolaghan said “I heard a couple rumors about a Pilates studio and another women’s boutique.” The top two floors of the building will be apartments.

Copyright © 2025 Lone Oak Publishing Co., Inc. All Rights Reserved