Originally from Brooklyn, Orlando Lallave moved to the Hudson Valley six years ago.

What You Need To Know

  • The Emporium is an artisan market in Middletown that specializes in gourmet food and handmade products

  • They opened mid pandemic with a goal of helping struggling businesses

  • They're open Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“I noticed there wasn’t enough artisan markets gathered together. Everything that was Artisanal was kind of scattered about throughout the Hudson Valley and kind of hidden, so I thought it would be a great idea to find all these hidden gems and bring them under one roof," says Orlando Lallave, co-founder of The Emporium.

Orlando, along with his partner Barbra, created The Emporium, an artisan market in Middletown that specializes in gourmet food and handmade products.
They opened their doors in August, when a lot of businesses were struggling.

“We wanted to bring something positive. We wanted to save and help support local businesses that were closing their doors," says Barbra Martinez, co-founder of The Emporium. Carl Lalonde owned the oldest art gallery in Beacon and had to close it because of the pandemic.

He went four months without any sales. He says The Emporium has given him the chance to sell his paintings again and reach a new audience.

“We’ve already been offered a space in a huge furniture store to do artwork to go along with very exclusive expensive furniture. So this has already given me that opportunity being here at the Emporium," says artist Carl Lalonde.

The emporium is open Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 a.m.