Art and Shopping in Downtown Troy

A friend and I popped in to Troy to have lunch and check out som art exhibits at The Arts Center of the Capital Region (265 River Street, Troy, NY 12180). When we got there the lady at the front desk told us that all new exhibits were being set up and unavailable save one in the faculty student gallery called: ‘On Kinetic Military Action.’ We headed upstairs to check it out and although it was small, it was still pretty neat. Some very interesting art undoubtedly with a heavy meaning behind it. The center also has an assortment of artistic camps and classes; it’s a really cool and friendly space. Two really neat stores are connected to the center, and are worth a visit because they are almost like an art gallery themselves. Annick Designs has an arrangement of jewelry (really distinctive rock and glass patterns), knick knacks, and home decorations ranging from affordable to wish list pricing. Right next door is T and J Soaps, and they have a lot more inside than their name lets on. Along with the soaps, they have some really creative jewelry and art. These two stores are small but pack a lot of punch, and I know where I will be shopping for gifts in the future for the ladies in my life. While meandering back to the car we popped into a few more shops, so many new ones have opened up since the last time I window shopped in Troy! We loved checking out Funcycled (272 River Street, Troy, NY), a store that opened in November and sells really funky repurposed furniture. Blue Bird (29 3rd Street, Troy NY 12180) was another great shop just over a year old that sells interesting varied art. We talked to the young owner and asked her about some of the pictures, she said much of the art work in the store was created by her mother. I was shocking to hear that one artist could paint all of these different styles! My friend and I both went happily home with new works of local art. So we had a lovely afternoon of art and shopping, where the shopping seemed more like viewing an art exhibit!