Drinks started being served this week at 1 Main St. in Uptown for The Parlour’s soft opening. Taking over the space formerly inhabited by Uptown Coffee, The Parlour still has an espresso bar, but also offers an outdoor patio, art gallery, a red velvet lounge area and dance music to enjoy wine, beer and cocktails.

Kingston Wire has tried to land an interview with the venue's owner, but she has both not responded to our entreaties and, citing busy-ness, refused to speak to a reporter in person. So we talked to Janene Gentile, the Dutchess County-based artist who contributed the abstract portraits seen around the venue. She said she found out the venue was seeking artists to feature in their space from Instagram and decided the location was exactly where she wanted to be on display. Gentile also distributed gift bags that included smaller paintings.

“I like seeing where the people are, where the people rest their elbows,” Gentile said. “I am in the art gallery scene, but I prefer to be where there’s more life, activity, where people can enjoy things.”

As the afternoon went on, more patrons spilled into the new space, sitting together at tables, enjoying the crisp fall weather on the patio, or ordering drinks from the bar table. Gentile said she’s excited to see how the business shapes up on Main Street.

“It’s not just the bar scene, we open for coffee and some games,” Gentile said. “Kingston’s a great town. I’m originally from the Bronx, so I have a feel for the urban space.”

The Parlour is open seven days a week, 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Sunday.