New York Times Great Homes and Destinations – Clementine Vintage Clothing in Andes, NY

New York Times Great Homes and Destinations – Clementine Vintage Clothing

AS Misha Mayers was preparing to return to work in August 2008 after maternity leave, she received some unwelcome news: Her job at Ralph Lauren as director of merchandising for Japan had been eliminated.

Ms. Mayers, 39, and her husband, Dan Mayers, 47, a freelance photographer who specializes in interiors, worried over how they would manage without her income. The new parents of twins, they owned an apartment in Chelsea and a Greek Revival farmhouse on 13 acres here, a small town in the western Catskill Mountains. They also rented a second-floor space for the vintage clothing store Ms. Mayers ran on weekends in the town’s business district.

She had been on the verge of closing the shop. “The twins were just a few months old, and I couldn’t fathom how I was going to go back to work and keep the store going,” she said. “After I found out that I was laid off, I just went into the store, and thought, we’d better keep this open.”