Kristabelle McDermott, 49, recently opened The Parlor on One Main, offering cocktails, coffee and espresso, soups, sandwiches and small plates at the site of the former Uptown Coffee at 1 Main Str. in the Stockade District. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Kingston Wire: How did you or your business come to Kingston?

Kristabelle McDermott: I grew up in Ulster County. I lived in Samsonville and Big Indian and Kingston was always the mecca at the time. There used to be a drive-in on Route 28 that I think is probably my first memory of Kingston. And there was a big ShopRite there where my dad would go crazy with the can-can specials. Kingston has been changing in the past 10-15 years — there’s a lot of really great artists and independent businesses, families are moving here and choosing to be part of this community and that really resonated with what I was trying to do here. I wanted to create a space where people could come together and gather and be part of the community.

KW: What do you like about Kingston?

KD: The businesses here are amazing. When I opened, I just had such an outpouring of support. I think all of the businesses up here want to see other businesses succeed, which feels special. I feel like people are moving here because they actually want to be in Kingston as opposed to just being here because it’s what they can afford or because their family’s been here for generations. They are outright choosing this area, which then enhances that community feel of people who care about where they live and want to see good changes down the line. I love feeling like part of a village or a community where you can just walk around and know who your neighbors are and who the businesses are.

KW: What would you change about Kingston?

KD: As a small business owner, I used to work in healthcare and I feel like that’s a much bigger issue and not necessarily Kingston-related. But you know there can always be more women’s shelters, more mental health services. We have an amazing hospital here but I’d like to see more help out there for people who need it.

KW: How do you think Kingston will be different in 10 years?

KD: I don’t know. There’s more families moving here which I feel is different than 10 or 15 years ago and in doing that people are invested in their children, invested in their schools, invested in their community. So hopefully that just continues to attract like-minded people who want to be invested in their community and see it succeed. That brings in more local businesses and more people who want to get out and walk around, which also helps local businesses.