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Library

Alana Hauptman

June 15, 2015

|

Hudson, NY

Song

Recorded by

Kate Ratcliff

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Summary:

This interview was conducted with Alana Hauptmann, at the Red Dot in Hudson, NY, on June 15, 2015.  The narrator grew up and attended college in New Jersey, worked in Manhattan where she met her husband, and moved to Hudson in the late 90s to start the Red Dot Restaurant and Bar. Topics discussed in the interview include:  life in a blue-collar, Roman Catholic German family; the fashion business; life in New York City; real estate values, building codes, and financing a business; gentrification; importance of the train; the gay community in Hudson; the wedding business in Hudson; owning the Red Dot and relationships with employees and customers; partnership with her husband; social and community networks; community activism and fundraising, particularly fashion shows and the fight against the cement factory; navigating the vicissitudes of life.

This interview would be of interest to people who want to hear about changes in Hudson from the late 90’s to the present, specifically from 4th Street down; the life path of a successful Hudson female business owner; the community of New York city transplants; the sixteen year history of the Red Dot and its reputation as the “Cheers” of Hudson.

Interviewer Bio:
Kate Ratcliff

I teach History and American Studies at Marlboro College in Marlboro, Vermont.  I am interested in oral history as a way to deepen and expand the historical record, highlight the relationship between individual experiences and broader social contexts, and introduce students to the work of deep listening and engaged learning.

Additional Info:
Interview language(s):
English
,
Audio quality:
Medium

Audio Quality Scale

Low - There is some background noise and the narrator is hard to hear.

Medium - There is background noise, but the narrator is audible.

High - There is little background noise and the narrator is audible.

Permissions: 

This interview is hereby made available for research purposes only. For additional uses (radio and other media, music, internet), please click here to inquire about permissions.

Part of this interview may be played in a radio broadcast or podcast.

Oral history is an iterative process. In keeping with oral history values of anti-fixity, interviewees will have an opportunity to add, annotate and reflect upon their lives and interviews in perpetuity. Talking back to the archive is a form of “shared authority.”

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