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Jun 04, 2023

Ash + Chess, a greeting card company, to open retail store in Uptown Kingston

KINGSTON, N.Y.— Ash + Chess, the stationery brand created by queer and trans couple Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham, announced plans to locate its first retail store in Uptown. The store will be at

KINGSTON, N.Y.— Ash + Chess, the stationery brand created by queer and trans couple Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham, announced plans to locate its first retail store in Uptown.

The store will be at 44 North Front St., a building owned William Gottlieb Real Estate which is controlled by Neil Bender. Ash + Chess will be located in the spot that was occupied Artie’s Bar and Grill.

The retail store is expected to open in fall, an announcement said.

The property will also serve as Ash + Chess’ office headquarters, as well as a community gathering space.

“As new Kingston residents, we were delighted to find such a robust and loving queer community already established. We hope that this storefront brings even more community together,” Needham said in a statement. “We intend to keep the space flexible to serve multiple purposes. Aside from it being a retail shop and Ash + Chess’ workspace, we hope that in the future we can open the space for community workshops or small gatherings.”

On its website, Ash + Chess says the company creates “greeting cards, and prints and more in bold, retro color palettes, often using their artwork to uplift the queer community.”

Their company made its debut at the National Stationery Show in May 2017, and since then more than 700 retailers sell their art and stationery throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia.

“In the short time they’ve been in business, Ash + Chess have worked on many collaborations including artwork for Target, Smartfood, Skittles, Nooworks, Belletrist, Plaza Style, Brooklyn Roasting Co.; Transfigure Print Co., HarperCollins, Workman Publishing, Running Press Studio, Macy’s STORY and more,” the website said.

They are the authors of multiple publications, including “The Gay Agenda: A Modern Queer History & Handbook” (Morrow Gift) 2020; “Queer Tarot: An Inclusive Deck and Guidebook” (RP Studio) 2022; “My Queer Year Guided Journal” (RP Studio) 2022; “ABC-Deconstructing Gender” (RP Kids) 2023; and the forthcoming “The Big Book of Queer Stickers (RP Studio) this year; and “Just Like My Family” (RP Kids) in 2024.

“We look forward to the opportunity to work collaboratively with community members, like Ash + Chess, to create exciting new destinations in Uptown Kingston,” said Real Estate Project Manager Julio C. Hernandez of William Gottlieb Real Estate in a statement.

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