Sponsor Shout-Out: The Mighty Mite (“That Friend” That You Need!)

Holly J Coley has always been “that friend”—you know, the one who knows all the good vegan restaurants and recommended that natural face scrub you now can’t live without? What!?!? You don’t have one of those friends? Well, let us introduce you to The Mighty Mite!

Like so many of us, Holly J (who lived most of her life in the Hudson Valley, now living and working in Beacon)  was briefly convinced she’d have to work in the city to do anything creative. But again, like so many of us, she wasn’t keen on giving up the pleasures of Hudson Valley living, and knew she could create something meaningful here.   

Knowing that this area needed a place for health-conscious people to find all the places and products she’d been telling her friends about, and aware that many people want to be healthier but don’t know how to find the resources here at home, she drew on her experience as a certified Nutrition and Wellness Coach and a writer for a variety of publications (including SHAPE, New York House, and currently, Organic Hudson Valley Magazine). Soon she was ready to introduce that meaningful project to the world... The Mighty Mite, the Hudson Valley’s premier wellness hub, officially launched earlier this year! Check it out at themightymite.com!  

The Mighty Mite showcases wellness-based businesses and spotlights local people, places, and products that serve as healthy inspirations. The site’s content covers the valley, plus select parts of NYC, NJ, and CT, appealing to our commuter population and introducing us to hidden treasures both here and nearby.

We love the way The Mighty Mite is organized: “Fuel” (favorite posts: the benefits of local honey, a recipe for a healthy alternative to soda, and “a day in the kitchen of” posts), “Move” (adventure at a local preserve, reviews of the latest workout fad, and features on local fitness studios), “Polish” (the beauty “column,” where you’ll meet great locally-produced natural brands and learn why Vitamin D is so important) and “Wellness” (wisdom about everything from naps to food documentaries). An “event” section and “directory” round out the content…and to make a great thing even better, The Mighty Mite will soon add a shopping feature!  

But Holly J’s mission is bigger than just a blog—she ultimately wants to create the kind of business that people want to work for, and provide opportunities for local creatives to share their work, both as contributors to the site, and as featured people, businesses, or products. Eventually, she plans to add editorial staff, partner with other companies, and, of course, have an online retail feature.  If you’re interested in advertising, being added to the directory, sharing your story, or submitting, email Holly J at hollyj@themightymite.com.

We were thrilled when Holly J contacted us about sponsoring Hullabaloo because she’d discovered so many great people and products at last year’s event!  And we love that we have so many amazing vendors to introduce her to this year! We’re so grateful to have support from The Mighty Mite (and someone to recommend a great gluten-free bakery!)! Thanks, Holly J!

Sponsor Shout-Out: Thanks to Antilogy Design & Screenprinting for Making the Hullabaloo Goodie Bags Possible!

“Antilogy” is defined as “a contradiction in terms or ideas”—but there is nothing contradictory about Jim Moore, or his business Antilogy Design & Screenprinting. In fact, Jim and his staff seem quite agreeable and super chill…our experience with him, and those his clients describe in a cool “About Us” video you can find on www.antilogydesign.com, suggests that his ideas and philosophy are right in line with ours!

Jim, who grew up in the woods of Vermont where there were no skateboard shops or t-shirts with skater-brand logos, started printing with pizza box-stencils and spray paint. As a teenager, he moved to New Paltz, walked into a screenprinting shop, and asked if he could intern. After college, he briefly moved to California and worked there printing skateboards. But he didn’t like California, preferred the Hudson Valley (don’t we all!), and returned to work in a “biker dude’s” shop in Kingston. Jim was bringing in customers of his own and soon realized he could build a business of his own too.

Okay, there is one contradiction about Jim—he’s a perfectionist and a self-described control freak, yet he realized that he needed to bring some help into his growing business. He now has a handful of employees, but he wants to keep things small so that he still has a hand in every order. Jim appreciates small businesses and handmade things, and enjoys talking to the people who make them, and he wants to keep offering that personal touch to his own customers.

And that approach to customer service (in addition to his rad designs and impressive quality of work) has landed him some pretty awesome accounts and many incredibly loyal customers. Jim says that “At least once a week there’s a company that I’m really psyched that I get to print their shirts and I would totally buy their shirts if I wasn’t printing them.” The owner of Rock and Snow in New Paltz says of working with Antilogy “I thought they were genuinely hip. You can’t fake hipness and hip is what we aspire to and feel like we’re a part of, so it was a natural fit.” He goes on to praise the shop’s service and reliability: “That quality of work and that quality of relationship deserves that quality of respect.”

An appreciation of handmade things and talking to the people who make them?  Genuine hipness? Quality work and quality relationships? No contradictions there—that sounded like a natural fit with Hullabaloo too! When we approached Jim about printing our Hullabaloo tote bags this year, he quickly and easily agreed and he’s been super chill and easy to work with. We have complete confidence that the bags Danielle is designing will come out perfectly thanks to Antilogy’s printing skills. You should check them out when you need some t-shirts!

Now about those tote bags…we’re going to be giving away awesome reusable Hullabaloo “goodie bags”—filled with gifts, info, and special offers from our sponsors and vendors—to the first 50 shoppers (one per family, please) to come through our doors each day of the event. It’s our way of saying “Thanks for helping us get off to a great start!” Watch our social media pages for more info in the coming weeks.

Antilogy's new Kingston based studio. Photo credit: BSP Kingston

We want to thank Jim and the guys at Antilogy Design & Screenprinting for making the Hullabaloo goodie bags possible, and for supporting our event! We love connecting with other young, creative business people in the Hudson Valley and we hope you’ll connect with them too!​ 

Stop, Drop, and Listen: A Shout-Out to The Heavy Light Show!

What do you get when you cross Blackalicious, Astronauts, Etc., Joe Jackson, Deerhunter, Dusty Springfield, Black Sabbath, the B-52s, English Beat, James Brown, and a whole lot of other amazing-but-seemingly-random stuff? The Heavy Light Show at its best!

Not familiar with Ida Hakkila’s radio show? It airs on WDST (Radio Woodstock, 100.1) on Saturday nights from 9 – 11 p.m. and you can also listen live online at http://radiowoodstock.com/ or after the fact at http://radiowoodstock.com/audio-on-demand. And you’re gonna want to REALLY LISTEN. Saturday night is the PERFECT slot for Ida—her enthusiasm about everything she plays and talks about is contagious, making it impossible to be in a bad mood while you’re listening. This is NOT morning-commute-music or rush-hour-music or even background noise. You’re going to want to stop what you’re doing and just listen. And maybe dance a little.

Ida’s had some pretty incredible gigs, including at big stations in NYC and as a musical consultant for David Letterman. And like so many cool people, here she is in the beautiful Hudson Valley! And we’re soooo glad.

Ida plays what she wants—and it’s all over the place—but somehow things just flow. It’s the perfect mix of indie rock, old-school hip hop, punk, soul, classic rock, 80s, brand-spakin’ new albums, and old favorites: Stuff you forgot about and stuff you want to remember.

And Hullabaloo veteran Will Lytle drew her logo, so you know she’s got good taste. Plus she loves Hullabaloo and Hullabaloo loves her, so listen up for shout-outs! (Woohoo! We’re on the radio!)

We want to thank Ida for her support and for livening up our Saturday nights. When you drop that request (yup, she takes those too!) on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/The-Heavy-Light-Show-116229585092030/timeline/ or Twitter (@IdaHakkila), tell her Hullabaloo says hey!