Kristin Marra recently became owner of Next Boutique on West Strand. The business has been a mainstay in the Rondout neighborhood since 1988 and Marra is continuing the shops tradition of selling an eclectic array of clothing, accessories, handbags and jewelry at a variety of price points. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Kingston Wire: How did you or your family come to Kingston

Kristin Marra: My mom’s parents were from Germany, right off the boat. They lived in the Bronx for a bit and then they moved up here when my mom was four and ended up in Zena. I grew up in Zena — my parents are still there on the same road — and I just stuck around. My husband is from Hurley; his mom came up from the Bronx when he was little and we currently live there with our two kids.

KW: What do you like about Kingston?

KM: Probably the community and all of the little shops. I love all of the upgrades they’ve been doing like Lake Sophia, which have been great for the community. Just the rail, trails, the hiking, the outdoors. The Esopus Creek is beautiful we go there a lot to fish.

KW: What would you change about Kingston?

KM: What they charge for parking. Down here, Uptown, I feel like over the years they’ve gotten super aggressive about it, but I get it. I don’t know, I think it’s a pretty great spot — which we’ve seen since COVID, with everybody coming up here to visit on the weekends and stuff. I mean you really can’t go wrong with Kingston or any of the little towns around here.

KW: How do you think Kingston will be different in ten years?

KM: You know, I hope the other smaller towns here kind of flourish a little bit more, like Phoenicia, but keep it small and local. I hope we see local people starting businesses, buying businesses like I did, just keep them going for another couple of decades.