Newburgh, admittedly, feels at least a decade away from matching the level of renewal that has recently swept other urban areas of the Hudson Valley—Beacon, Kingston, and Hudson, to be specific. But a handful of proud and hearty Newburghers are on the case. They're taking advantage of the city's wealth of raw infrastructure—block upon block of beautifully built, but boarded-up, Federal-era brick row houses—and opening restaurants, coffeehouses, small shops, and other businesses, with an optimistic eye toward the future. And then there's Space Create, the 24-hour collaborative workspace in a restored Broadway building that's been partially spearheaded by local hip-hop artist and poet Decora.
"The goal of Space Create is to have a central location within the City of Newburgh for people to meet and come up with ideas on how to better the city," he explains about the center, which was conceived a year ago and features studios for artists, offices and retail spaces for small-business entrepreneurs, a weekly farmers' market, and other facilities. "What drew me to Newburgh in 2006 was that it has a 'blank canvas' vibe. True creativity always comes out of a place of struggle."