KINGSTON, N.Y. — Live Out Loud, a new gift shop Uptown, is now open in the former Bop to Tottom space at 334 Wall St.

Owned by Linda and Michael Seward, of the town of Ulster, the gift shop opened May 27. She said they’re settling in figuring out what customers like and don’t like.

“I love the vibe Kingston has and its up-and-coming revitalization,” Linda Seward said. A longtime area resident, Seward moved to the Mid-Hudson Valley from Minersville, Pa., in 1983, first moving to Red Hook and later to the family’s current home in the town of Ulster.

She said she knew this space was becoming available after Bop to Tottom closed in March after more than 20 years in business. She added that the couple was looking for a retirement business. Her husband is retired from a telephone company, while she continues to work as an accounts payable clerk, pitching in at the shop on weekends and evenings after her 9-to-5 job.

The couple’s youngest daughter, Cadance, also pitches in, especially with social media while other relatives and friends pitch in. “It makes it a little less stressful,” she said.

Seward said her family had always enjoyed traveling to downtowns in cities and finding independent shops with unique gifts. She added that she wanted to bring such a space to Uptown Kingston.

“We wanted to make other people happy like when we shopped,” she said.

As for the name she said it came from an internet phrase about living life to its fullest. “Our items let you be your best self,” she said.

Seward added that almost all of her gifts come from makers and vendors who do not sell on Amazon or at chain stores. As they settle in, she wants to stock even more items from local makers and add some food to the selection of clothing, toys, mom and daughter dresses, and tote bags.

The store also stocks a wide selection of kitchen items with humorous statements, including a dish towel that says, “As For Me and My House We Will Serve Tacos” and “Margaritas 24:7” in a style typically reserved for Christian gifts featuring Bible verses.

Many of the items Steward pointed out had a green theme. They included a bilingual educational wooden children’s puzzle painted with vegetable oil that features colors in both English and Spanish. On another display was a cloth towel that replaces paper towels and another shelf held a journal with a cover made from upcycled vinyl records among other items made with old records.

In front of the store, she showed off a three-in-one soap bar that replaces plastic bottles of soap, shampoo, and conditioner. “We like things that are recycled, handmade, and/or are in small batches,” Seward said.

Children can also check out a bottle of fizzy bath bubbles that changes the water’s color or an inflatable star dome that only requires a fan to work.

While sometimes the internet is seen as the enemy of local mom-and-pop shops, Seward said it has been a blessing for them, making it easier to find vendors and makers who come together to collaborate on the wholesale end of things. She said they examined 500 unique vendors as they curated the boutiques’ selection.

While Bop to Tottom also stocks gifts and clothing, Seward said they want to be different.

“We’re finding our own voice,” she said. “We want to appeal to a broad audience.”

Looking ahead Seward said she hopes they can launch an online store soon.

“We want to offer order online and pick up in store,” Seward said.

For the latest store hours, visit Live Out Loud’s Facebook page.

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