MILLBROOK — As the town of Washington works to update its comprehensive plan, affordable housing is one of the major subjects that is being addressed. At the Board of Trustees meeting for the village of Millbrook on Tuesday, May 31, there was discussion about which aspects of the comprehensive plan will be updated, and housing is in the mix.“It appears to be an important topic, one that we feel very close to and needs to be addressed, and that’s why it has come to the floor,” said Stan Morse, deputy mayor.“The village is simply 31 percent of the town. It’s a major component of the town population center, business center and so on,” said Morse. “The town’s going to address it, then the village is going to address it as well.”Unfortunately, when the subject of affordable housing is brought before the public, unfamiliarity with the language can sometimes hinder the discussion. “That is were the crux of the problem comes. We have to get away from the emotionally laden term of affordable housing, which for whatever reason has become excessively emotional in nature,” said Morse.Morse argued that the majority of the argument against affordable housing is anecdotally based, with no actual data to back it up. Currently there is a fair housing survey that has been distributed by Dutchess County and the city of Poughkeepsie community development programs to grasp a better understanding of issues of fair housing. The survey is anonymous and can be completed online. The information will be used for Dutchess County’s and the city of Poughkeepsie’s Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice Report, which is a required report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).“So much of the argument has been emotionally based, anecdotally based, none on information, no data has been presented, that’s why I was so delighted to find the American survey available,” said Morse. “I want to turn that around and say, let the data tell the story. Because that’s what you should be doing in any efforts of this nature.”Morse said he believes that misconceptions of what affordable housing is come from a lack of information. He also blames negative depictions of affordable housing presented in the press. “You get into all sorts of prejudicial arguments and social differences between people,” said Morse. “All of what I would refer to as the nonsense of it. I think it’s been misconstrued as to what it is and what it should be.”Though affordable housing triggers discussions of social issues, by definition, according to the Dutchess County Department of Planning and Development, everyone strives to have affordable housing because it equates to 30 percent of one’s salary.If 30 percent of an individual’s salary goes to their residence, that qualifies as affordable housing; if more than 30 percent goes to one’s housing, then the buyer has “over-priced housing,” according to Morse. The 30 percent rule is not based on a law, but rather is a guildline to understand the range of affordable housing. Dutchess County planning suggested changing use of the term “affordable housing” to “moderately priced housing” (MPH).“I asked them to define it and the definition is, let’s say relative to the term affordable housing, affordable housing is 30 percent of your income. Moderately priced housing is something else,” said Morse. In 1985, after the master plan was done, in the village 41 percent of total residences were rentals; now that number is higher than 50 percent, according to the deputy mayor.With half of the residences of Millbrook being rentals, it’s clear that affordable housing is an important topic deserving of discussion. The Village Board made clear that affordable housing would be a part of the updated comprehensive plan.
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Greg Fricke and James Boehmer, co-owners of Peggy Mercury in Kent, recently launched their first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts.”
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Fricke and Boehmer are not there to stock their shelves with the same products customers find at standard makeup retailers. They’re there to help customers find what works for them. That usually means asking customers about themselves and learning about their beauty habits, skin, style and the way they like to present themselves. Fricke and Boehmer believe it’s their job to help customers bring out the qualities that suit them and determine what works best for their look.
So much of the Peggy Mercury world is about emboldening people to become more creative, and possibly bolder, versions of themselves. Some of this comes through the store’s creative collaborations with artists, designers and stylists.
It’s part of an ethos that encourages them and their friends to use the shop as a kind of laboratory, trying out new creative experiments without knowing how they might turn out. Whether in fashion, painting, fiber arts or photography, the projects almost always turn out marvelously.
A line of sterling silver charms they sell started as a small project by their friend Nolan Percival. In the beginning, the pieces were for close friends and loved ones. But Boehmer and Fricke encouraged Percival to get a little more serious about the project and create a whole line for the store. Today, it’s one of their top-selling collections.
Classic styles, bold colors, and creative concerts make up the “Imaginary Concerts” line at Peggy Mercury.Provided
“Imaginary Concerts” has the duo taking their own advice.
The project started as a way for Boehmer to connect with his mother, who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Taking old concert shirts from his own collection, Boehmer and his mother began cutting out the graphics with the idea that they would make a quilt together. Unfortunately, she died before they could complete the project in 2025. The pieces, which were ready for production, were put on the back burner as Boehmer and Fricke dealt with their loss and the whirlwind of projects that never seemed to cease at Peggy Mercury.
But the harsh winter of 2026 presented an opportunity to take some time and focus on themselves. Part of that meant revisiting and redefining the concert T-shirt project. This time, instead of looking to the warmth and comfort of a quilt, they turned to another passion — fashion.
Taking a page from their own book, they wanted to create something that felt comfortable to them. They took two disparate loves — one rooted in simple preppy style, with clean lines and classic silhouettes, and the other in the nitty gritty worlds of punk rock and pop — and blended them together to create something entirely new. Pulling from the staples of vintage Brooks Brothers and Charvet collections, they applied the graphic elements with bold stitching reminiscent of punk jackets of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but with a much more sophisticated air.
But the remixing isn’t just the pairing of prep and punk. The pieces are not canon. They take liberties with the realities of concert tours, combining one band’s dates with another band’s logos, mixing them all up until the reality is lost and imagination is the only truth.
Shirts from Peggy Mercury’s first fashion line, “Imaginary Concerts,” hang on display.Provided
Adding to the mix is an element of perpetual creativity. Art can be messy, both figuratively and literally, and many of Fricke and Boehmer’s artist friends carry evidence of their work on them at all times. As a nod to these tireless creatives, the duo added haphazard splashes of bright color, giving the line an even more distinctive feel.
For them, “Imaginary Concerts” passes the “Peggy Test.” The mythical Peggy Mercury is a fictional figurehead for the company, a character who thrives on creativity and change. The name, much like the clothing line, is a mixture of interests: Mercury is a planet, a deity and an elusive, transformative element, while Peggy is the wonderfully stylish and boundary-pushing Peggy Guggenheim.
Everything Fricke and Boehmer put in their store has to pass this test: Would Peggy Mercury approve? For their first collection, the answer is a resounding yes.
Peggy Mercury is at 9 Maple St., Unit 2, Kent.
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