This week in Faces of Kingston it was a pleasure to catch up with local MaryAnna Fitzgerald, an old friend. She has just opened Uptown Hair Studio and uses low-tox hair color and all-natural hair products. Additionally, MaryAnna is a warm, intelligent and welcome part of the community who has seen many different sides to the local towns and cities over the years. It was nice to ask her to look back on some of that from the reflective stand point of adulthood, as well as ask what currently intrigues her about Kingston.Â
Morgan Y. Evans: You have a lot of history with the area. I knew you mostly from Woodstock adventures at first but you’ve lived lots of places. When did you first feel a connection with Kingston or what’s an early memory of it?
MaryAnna Fitzgerald: As a kid growing up in Phoenicia, Kingston was kind of like the big city [laughs]. Coming of age in the ’90s, mall culture was pretty big, so that was one of the cool things to do on the weekend. Walk around aimlessly in the Hudson Valley Mall with your friends, try on some scents from the Gap or Bath and Body Works, maybe hit a movie at Hoyt’s Cinema. It’s almost embarrassing to think about, but this was in fact a totally decent and viable way to spend your time.
When did you first know that working in hair was inspiring to you and how long has it been now in total? Years blur together.
So I’ve been doing hair for 15 years now. What started out as bathroom experimentation with bleaches and boxed hair dye as a teen eventually turned into a seedling of an idea that I could actually pursue this as a job. At 19, I moved to the city to go to cosmetology school and that’s what solidified the notion that this path was a perfect fit. To get to work with my hands in a creative way while listening to people’s stories and giving advice is so … me. All these years later, I’m still growing as a stylist and I never get bored. I’ve also built some amazing relationships with my clients. It’s been very rewarding.
How do you feel about the Hudson Valley area as a place to have a kid?
Raising my child here has been great. Since my husband is from Kingston, we get to relive some childhood nostalgia by bringing her to places like The Sports Cone (formerly Jeto’s) and Mickey’s Igloo. For me, a big part of the quality of life up here has been having the support of my family but also the proximity to beautiful nature is so grounding and healthy for little ones, and fully grown people too.
What do you like about the arts or music culture of the area these days and how does it compare to growing up here?
I’m so happy that the arts and music scene is so vibrant around here these days. When I was a teen, the music scene seemed more concentrated in Woodstock and there were a lot of talented bands that we would go see at the Youth Center, or the Joyous Lake. Once some of these venues closed, I feel like there was a dry spell in the area. With the reopening of Colony and the opening of BSP and other various venues, the scene has come alive again and I feel very lucky to be able to go to shows and experience the high caliber of talent in our area. All while still having space to move and breathe, unlike similar venues in the city.
How does it feel to have opened your own place? What can you tell us about it?
Now having opened my own business in Kingston — Uptown Hair Studio — it feels like I am doing something sustainable for myself in an environment I’ve created and love. We are a team of two — just me and my sister — and for the health of ourselves and our clients, we decided to go clean, using low-tox haircolor and organic, all-natural hair products. It can be hard to establish a career up here that brings in a sustainable income, and I’m very lucky to be growing at a time when there’s a lot of newcomers looking for these types of services. I am a big proponent of the trades, and I would encourage any adult looking for a career to browse through some of the trades programs offered at vocational school, like BOCES. To provide services to a new swath of the population with some disposable income is a good way to reap some benefits from the changes happening in this area.
What are some of your favorite places to go in Kingston?
My favorite places in Kingston — this is an obvious and basic one, but anyone who loves food and food shopping as much as I do, would agree that Adams is a staple, and is a food- and plant-lovers’ paradise. I also have to shout out to Catskill Art Supply which has been a favorite haunt of mine since I was a child. They have a new location, and it’s still great. For nightlife, Stockade has been a mainstay for me for over a decade. There are many new spots in town, but this is still where I find myself most often.
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