Plattsburgh – like many communities across the country – had the life sucked out of its downtown when a mall opened up outside the city limits. One way a downtown can compete with a mall and its broad, mainstream offerings is by promoting specialty shops, niche stores.
Located on Miller Street, Restless Roots isn’t located right in downtown Plattsburgh, but it still serves an example of the type of store that can attract shoppers looking for something besides the usual mass-produced corporate crap at the mall.
Overseen by Jessica Van Splinter, Restless Roots rents space to local artists. The gallery is small but its diverse offerings – drawn, painted, sculpted, printed, knitted, carved, stuffed – are neatly displayed, making the best use of its space. All media are represented from photography to fabric creations.
I’ve walked by the shop many times on the way to the post office but never took the time to check it out. Friday evening there was an exhibit opening for a student artist from Plattsburgh State, Tavish Costello, so I decided to check it out.
Some of Tavish’s drawings feature human figures entangled by colorful scrawls. I had assumed that he started with the figure, but Tavish explained that the scrawls came first, just letting his mind go free, and then the figure is drawn to fit the wild pattern.
Stuff you won’t find at the mall.
INFO: Restless Roots, 36 Miller Street, Plattsburgh, NY. Tel: (518) 578-0888. Open 3-6 PM Tues thru Fri.; 10 AM – 6 PM Sat.
Thank you for this really nice write up on the new gallery in town. The photos are well done too. I wish more people in this area had these kind of sensibilities. I'm no statistician, but I bet at least 85% of the people in this town actually enjoy the mall and wal-marts presence.
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