Alanna Medlock is a small business owner who owns Curious Magazine and Gift Shop in Midtown. She has a background as a theater actor, project manager and bookkeeper and is always looking to learn something new. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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

Alanna Medlock: I had been living in New York City for a long time and I moved to Beacon for a year back in 2011 because a good friend of mine had bought a house there and I wanted to try moving out of the city and see what the Hudson Valley was like. I lived with my friend for a year and then decided I was ready to get my own place. I literally was just looking on Craigslist because even back then it was so hard to find rentals, so I was looking on Craigslist all over the Mid-Hudson Valley, from New Paltz up to Catskill, and I just happened to find a really nice place in Eddyville, which is technically the Town of Ulster, but it was Kingston’s zip code, so basically it was Kingston. So I moved here in 2012 and then I just stayed. I bumped around a little bit in the area but I’ve basically been in the area since then.

KW: What do you like about Kingston?

AM: I like a lot of things. I like the people. There’s all different kinds of people here, as there should be. It’s not too homogeneous. I feel like there’s a common thread of people who are curious, warm, friendly, social; notice how I said curious? Also interested in being engaged in their community, but here’s also kind of a laid back, chill vibe. A lot of people are interested in spending time in nature, which applies to myself, so I just like the overall vibe of the Kingston person. There are little scenes and stuff but nobody’s trying that hard. It’s chill. I spent most of my childhood in Chicago and there’s something about the Chicago vibe that’s happening but also laid back, engaged but also chill. I feel like Kingston has, even though it’s much smaller and more homogenous than Chicago, it still has some of that same vibe.

KW: What would you change about Kingston?

AM: Everybody always talks about the cost of housing, that’s a huge problem, but that’s true all over the Hudson Valley so it isn’t necessarily specific to Kingston. I would love it if the city government or the county government on Kingston’s behalf would get a little more involved in trying to regulate some of the property of commercial property owners who leave a lot of empty storefronts for a long time because the prices are so high. It’s definitely a complex situation and you don’t want to just penalize someone who can’t afford to fix up their place, but I feel like there should be something legislative going on to put pressure on, I’m not going to name names, but everyone knows what I’m talking about. But it’s not just one person. Basically people who are trying to supercharge gentrification by sitting on properties with really high rents that no local business owners can afford just because they’re hoping for some big cash cow. I feel like there should be some legislative pressure, or some way to counteract that sort of market force because it’s sh-tty and terrible having empty storefronts, especially Uptown in our prime commercial district areas that used to have a lot more life and feel much more lively, they feel kind of weird. It seems so stupid and kind of a shame. And I know it’s always evolving and changing, but I just think I would like the government to get a little more involved in that.

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

AM: I’m trying to think if I should be aspirational about that … I actually don’t think it’s going to be fundamentally different. I’ve been here a little more than 10 years and even though there have been changes in things like the cost of housing and a little bit about the [population] density, the fundamental vibe of the city has not changed to me in 10 years. I think that it’ll still be the same. It’ll still be unique. It’s not going to be like Brooklyn North, definitely not. It’s its own beast, its own strange, wonderful, scrappy beast, and I don’t think that’s going to fundamentally change in 10 years. At least I hope not.